-Chapter 9-
Being back at school after Christmas break was always a taunting affair for anyone. You leave your loved ones behind yet again, you have to complete the rest of the year, and it was your sort of half way mark in a sense. Half way through a school year, half way to being another year older, half way to seeing your loved ones again, and half way to becoming another grade level ahead. It was also the point where Brooke realized the beginning of this war was truly beginning.
"Brooke!" a voice yelled faintly behind her.
She turned, her black hair in curls swinging back to land gracefully on her shoulders, searching the crowd for the voice that called her name.
"Brooke!" there it was again, and soon Ron came running up with Hermione behind him, his cheeks flushed and eyes filled with excitement, "Hagrid is back!"
Brooke smiled a brightly, turning to bid the twins goodbye before following behind Ron and Hermione as the three ran for Hagrid's Hut.
Their laughter and giggles followed behind them as they rushed down the narrow path, and skidded to a stop right outside his door.
"I can't wait to see him!"
"Me either!" Ron agreed as Brooke had made a reach for the door when Hermione's hand stopped her.
"Wh-?"
"Shh." Hermione whispered, guiding her two confused friends over to a window.
"So you are meaning to tell me you have been gone from this school for almost the whole half of the year, and you don't have any sort of legitimate excuse for being gone?" Dolores Umbridge's squeaky clean voice floated out the window, causing the trio to give each other confused looks.
"What is that bloody bat questioning Hagrid for?!" Brooke hissed.
Hermione shushed her again before listening closely again.
"Well since you have just returned I'm sure your things are still packed…" she said, "In fact, if I were you I wouldn't be in any sort of rush to unpack." She said, pursing her lips as she went to the door and opened it loudly.
The trio quickly hid beside the house, holding their breaths as their teacher made her way up the narrow path.
Brooke being the first to break away from the three rushed forward, and into Hagrid's hut.
"Blimey 'Rooke you gave me a 'right!" Hagrid said, beaming down at her, "Though it is good to see 'r three."
"Where on earth have you been Hagrid?" Brooke asked quickly, "This school is going to hell in a hand basket.
Hermione elbowed her gently, "What she means is we have been worried about you, and things around here are becoming very odd."
Ron grinned as he closed the door, "See you met Umbridge that old cow has been hounding all the teachers, even tried to throw out Trelawney!"
Hagrid nodded, as the three made themselves comfortable, "McGonagall told me all about it when I arrived back."
Brooke ran a hand through her hair as Hagrid placed tea in front of the three, "Where have you been Hagrid?"
The half giant looked slightly guilty at the three, "Well you see it is sort of top secret."
Brooke's eyes narrowed, "We know it had to do with the Old Crowd Hagrid."
He sighed, wringing his hands together, "Dumbledore sent me to 'r go and see some Giants."
"Giants!" Hermione shrieked.
"Yes giants, he is wanting me to try and recruit them to our side…"
Brooke bit her lip, "But you weren't the only one trying to recruit them were you?" Brooke asked, already knowing the answer.
"No, You-Know-Who has already started, I tried, and I think some of them will follow behind us, but that doesn't mean they all will."
Brooke nodded sadly, as the other three fell silent.
The three stayed and continued to catch up with Hagrid for an hour before Hagrid started to usher them outside before nightfall came.
"It sounds like this Umbridge is strict, and you three don't need to be caught out after curfew so hurry along." He lectured, the three laughing as they all ended up outside.
Thunder rattled in the distance as gray clouds swarmed around casting a chilly wind around the four. Fang started barking towards the forest, causing Brooke to scan the tree lines.
"Things are happening aren't they Hagrid?" Brooke asked quietly.
"I'll tell you one thing you three…" Hagrid said, keeping his eyes on the forest, "It's changing out there, just like last time when this all started."
Hermione gripped Brooke's hand at Hagrid's words.
"There is a storm coming guys, and we all best be ready for when it hits."
Brooke gulped at his words, before being tugged back up the path by Ron and Hermione.
She found herself staring out the window most of the night; everyone had long sense gone to bed, hours before, but for some reason she couldn't sleep. The rain was always her favorite thing to watch, so there she sat in the common room on the window sill, watching the rain fly across the grounds, with the lightning and thunder raging in the sky. The forest looked dark and dangerous and yet, Brooke felt connected to it, like it was calling to her.
She hadn't wrote Sirius and Remus about what Hagrid had told her, she was sure they already knew what was happening and going on. But Hagrid's words haunted her, she had the feeling everything was changing, but to hear an adult say it made it all the more real. This war was coming and it was coming fast, if Dumbledore had Hagrid recruiting people that meant he had others trying to as well.
Her mind wandered until 6:30am, when she finally picked herself up and went into the showers, trying to wipe away the bags that would surely be under her eyes. Dressed in her uniform with Ron and Hermione in tow the trio walked to the Great Hall in silence, all lost in their own thoughts.
Brooke had a bad feeling ever since last night leaving Hagrid's, and when she entered the Great Hall her fears were confirmed.
"Did you hear did you hear?" Seamus rushed over as the trio sat down, and many others huddled around the three.
"What?" Brooke snapped, her lack of sleep finally kicking in.
"There was an attack on Azkaban, and there was a break out because of it!" Neville informed them quietly, lost in reading the article himself.
Brooke inhaled sharply, scanning the pages Hermione was tearing away at.
The pictures of loony prisoners streamed the page, with a huge picture of Azkaban and where the breakout happened. Ironically enough they were all known Death Eaters that escaped and they were blaming Sirius for it.
The hall was filled with chatter and yelling and explanations that everyone was throwing out, and yet it felt silent to Brooke, her mind kicking into overdrive trying to understand how this could have happened and what this means now.
"Brooke." Ron whispered beside her.
"Yeah?" she asked, turning to look at him.
His eyes were filled with concern, "Let's go to class," was as all he said, guiding her out of the hall.
Hermione continued to rant all the way into class, "Fudge knew this could happen and yet he still allowed it to happen!" she kept growling, reading the paper as she walked and almost talking out 4 1st year Ravenclaws.
"Fudge didn't believe it was going to happen." Ron agreed, "The man's an idiot."
Brooke nodded, "We will talk about it more tonight at the DA but until then let's just drop it and get through this school day."
The day past by in a blur, most classes filled with teachers trying to lighten the students worry, but none succeeding. The time for DA to start came sooner than Brooke was really prepared for, she knew she would have to address what was happening, and each time the group met it became more and more of a risk of being caught.
"Don't worry Brooke, you always know what to say," Ron said, patting her back lightly as he set up some drills they were going to run tonight.
Hermione on the other had was a bit more helpful, "Just tell them what you think and what you know Brooke, they trust you and they know were all on the same side, they will listen to you and trust you."
Brooke nodded, taking a deep breath as everyone arrived before locking the exit behind them.
The chatter died as they all stood, waiting for Brooke to speak.
"I think we have all read the paper this morning…"
The mumbles of agreement confirmed her thoughts, "This breakout shows us all that this war is coming…It shows us that we need to keep preparing." She said, her voice wavering slightly.
Hermione gave her an encouraging smile from the crowd.
"This war isn't going to exclude anyone; they will come after us, our families, our loved ones, our friends, our homes, and our school. Don't you see we have so much to fight for, so much to gain and have when this is all over, those Death Eaters and Voldemort-"
A few gasps still escaped some people's mouth.
"They don't have anything to fight for, all they want is power, they don't care who goes down to achieve it, they don't care whom they hurt or who they kill, all they are thinking about is themselves." She explained, noticing that she had everyone's attention 100%, "They cannot win this fight because we have too much to lose, so when the time comes, we will win, and we will be prepared, and I want all of you to think about exactly what it is you're fighting for. And when that time comes hold onto those thoughts, and hold on to your hopes and dreams and fight to gain those, because we have sooo much life left to live, and I'll be damned if this arshole ends those dreams."
An uproar of hoots, hollers, and whistles followed her speech, causing her to flush as they ran over to rally around her. Hermione and Ron's arms found hers and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Alright, let's practice." Hermione said, everyone quickly forming into their groups.
"I want you to practice reading your opponents, watch their movements, watch their arms and eye contact, practice dodging and running, we need to keep up momentum and help improve our endurance!" Brooke instructed as she wandered around the room, giving pointers and directions to everyone.
"That was a great practice tonight Potter!" a 6th year Ravenclaw said as he and his group of friends left chattering.
Brooke smiled as more and more waved goodbyes saying how much they enjoyed the class.
"Great job Brooke!" Ron hollered, "I'll see you back in the common room, I have to go talk to Fred and George!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Who knows what that means!" she commented laughing, "You really did do great though Brooke, I'm really proud of you!" she said as she threw her bag over her shoulder, "I have to run to the library before it closes, so I'll see you up in the common room!"
Brooke finished packing up her things and swung her bag over her shoulder when a shadow caught her eye. It was Neville slouching down as he looked at the paper his eyes never moving from the page. Walking over, she peered over his shoulder to see the picture of Bellatrix Lestrange staring right at them, looking wild as ever.
"That's Bellatrix Lestrange, and 14 years ago she tortured my parents until they went insane…"
Brooke squeezed his shoulder in understanding.
"They were on some sort of mission, and she followed them back to our home where she used the Crucriatus spell on them for information that they wouldn't give her." He said, his voice gloom, "I am very proud to be their son, I'm proud how strong they were and brave, and I want to live up to the Longbottom name for them."
Brooke grabbed the paper out of a bewildered Neville's hand and tossed it into a rumple on the ground, before turning and staring him straight in the eye before sayings, "You are Neville, you have grown so much in the past 5 years!" she said, grabbing his hand as if to prove a point, "Look around you Neville, your making them proud right now by standing up to this idiots who are trying to bring us down!"
"But I want it to be worth it in the end, I want to make all of them proud and I want that revenge for my parents!" he argued.
"And you'll get that for the Neville!" she said, staring at the picture against the wall of the Old Order, "We will make them all proud." She whispered.
Neville gave her a lopsided grin, "Thanks Brooke."
Smiling Brooke nodded towards the door, "Ready to go?"
He nodded, following after her.
Remus and Sirius had sense sent her 4 letters throughout the day, 2 this morning and when she hadn't wrote them back they decided to send two more, both stating that if she weren't to answer them by morning they would be in the Great Hall waiting for her. She thought about not writing them back just to see if they would, however thought better of it knowing they would and it would not be a fun meeting.
"What are they saying?" Hermione asked as she peered up from behind her book.
"What?" Brooke asked, breaking out of her train of thought.
"Remus and Sirius…" Hermione said, nodding her head towards the letters, "What are they saying?"
The three friends had made themselves comfy in front of the fire, Hermione curled up on the couch and Ron and Brooke on the floor, with their homework and books scattered around them.
"Just that we shouldn't worry, however we need to keep an eye on anyone if they are acting weird…" she responded, "Also that we need to be careful round Umbridge because she's in with the Ministry, and apparently we are on guard with them right now…"
Ron nodded, "Mum and Dad sent me a similar letter, Dad said they think the Ministry is becoming corrupt and some are Death Eaters or are giving information to Death Eaters."
Hermione gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth in shock, "This is getting really serious."
The two others nodded.
"Have you been having any more visions?" Hermione finally asked.
"Just the same one, but nothing else has changed in it…And it still confuses me."
Ron shrugged, not knowing what else to say.
The lighting flashed bright across the sky had the trio looking out the window at the sudden burst of light.
"This war is coming faster than we had hoped." Hermione whispered.
Brooke looked down when Ron's hand sought out her own. She fought the blush from her cheeks before giving him a weak smile.
"Let's go to bed, we need to be ready for tomorrow's lessons." Hermione said with a shaky voice before turning and heading back up the narrow path with Ron and Brooke trailing quietly behind her.