Author's Note: The closer I am getting to the book, the more I find myself conflicted as to what to do about the canonical deaths. I'd really like to get your opinions on whether or not I should kill the people that are needed to kill, or switch things up. Please let me know what you all think. Reviews are always welcomed!
~Of Silver & Gold~
Chapter 59: The Deepest Betrayal
Two Weeks Later..
When she had returned, it seemed that everyone had a story as to why she had disappeared, yet no one dared approach her. The last one that had been stupid enough to try, had gotten hexed with warts on her face. Angel simply said her wand acted at its own accord and her uncle thankfully did not make her lose house points.
She learned in two weeks, that she was a pariah for her house. No one talked to her just as Draco had seemingly ordered. She thought nothing of it, and bravely found herself sitting across from Luna every meal. It seemed that Ravenclaw had adopted her as one of their own, if a bit reluctant. Cho was not fond of her, but Angel thought the feeling was mutual. Still, it was nice to be surrounded by nice people.
Tonight was a particularly exciting night for Harry had promised to teach them the Patronus charm. The previous night she had spent most of it daydreaming about what her creature would be.
"Morning!" Neville said cheerily as he kissed Luna softly before sitting beside her.
That never got old in Angel's eyes and she smiled brightly taking it all in. They were lovely and honestly one of the best people she had considered friends. She knew that people still were scared of her, from the Death Eater rumors thanks to that article, to her being antisocial. Yet these two people were incredibly supporting and more open about defending her than anyone else was.
Speaking of, her eyes trailed towards Harry's table with a slight smile. Between the two of them, they were surprisingly in a good spot. Despite her initial trepidation at how much he said during his Rita Skeeter interview, she found herself realizing that he needed the support from others. And so, she swallowed her initial feeling and instead supported him. Popularity meant very little if it was hollow and each time she saw him near, her heart pitter-patter a bit faster than before. They were good, very good and soon enough she would feel comfortable enough to be out in the open with him.
Both agreed that they would see where this would lead. Umbridge was crueler than ever, as was Draco, and she wouldn't dare let the rumors get to her guardians. Angel had been clear that she feared the idea of them pulling her away from him or taking her to the Dark Lord.
"-isn't that right Angel?"
Luna's voice shook her out of her thoughts. A small smile rose from her as she admitted she had no clue what she was talking about.
"Don't you miss Professor Trelawney?"
"Well.."
If she was perfectly honest she didn't miss the Professor too much. To her, the woman was bonkers and she never believed in Divination. It was unfortunate she could not change it for another class, but it was mandated until next year. Today would be their first day with Firenze and to say she was curious was an understatement. The idea of being taught by a beast was fascinating to her. Still as Luna waited for her response she forced to respond more diplomatically than she usually would.
"I think we should give our new professor a chance. It's not his fault that our former professor was fired."
And it had been a scene that had deepened her hatred for Umbridge more than ever. It was absolutely cruel the way her things were thrown to the side. Had the professors not intervened she knew that it could have been extremely worse. Still, as the bell rung she grabbed her things and walked Luna towards their Divination Class.
…
After Divination, came Transfiguration. Transfiguration was an interesting subject in itself, and if Angel was honest, probably third on her list of subjects she genuinely enjoyed. There was just one small issue that lay in Angel's head that would not go away: the fact that Professor McGonagall was angry at her. It was not obvious, not at all like when Uncle Severus tended to push the student he was angry with.
No. Professor McGonagall instead tended to walk around, and looked unphased or indifferent even when Angel knew she surpassed the expectations that were given. It was silly, but even before, when she received just a small smile or a glint in the Professor's eyes tended to make her feel proud.
But this was not the case anymore. Instead, she passed indifferently even when Angel was the first person who had successfully changed a porcupine to a pin-cushion, there was no comment on it. So she sat down and stared ahead of the classroom as she complimented Ginny Weasley and gave her five points.
Yet this week, she knew that she would try to do something about it. Luna had agreed that it was about time she apologized since it had been two weeks, and three lessons that she had yet to say anything. So as their lesson began, they saw guinea fowls casually sitting on the desk of each student. Their legs were tied to a corner of the desk.
"Good Afternoon class, please take a seat." Professor McGonagall requested. Everyone did so immediately; for whether you were a Gryffindor to a Slytherin, everyone seemingly respected Professor McGonagall.
As the lesson began, Angel found herself determined to pay attention and show their Professor that she was capable and hopefully get some sort of acknowledgment. 'You are no better than Granger' her conscious chided her. But she didn't care.
So as they moved to calm the bird, she tentatively touched it. She was not fond of the animals, but as it was explained that a calm animal meant a smooth transfiguration. The class was having a hard time with this, even Luna, who simply allowed the fowl to pick at her hair much to her amusement.
If Angel was honest, she was disgusted by the bird. There were only three birds in her eyes that she deemed as lovely: Hedwig, Fortis, and Fawkes. And this fowl was not fond of her, yet somehow succumbed to her pets by sitting down patiently awaiting the next portion.
The rest of the class went as usual and Angel took note of every little thing so the professor would in no way think that she was the lecture ended Angel found herself a bit unsure as to how to approach her. Would she think ill of her if she went straight to her? She didn't think so, so she took her time gathering her books and told Luna to wait for her outside. Once the classroom was empty she tentatively walked towards the head of Gryffindor's desk.
"Excuse me Professor McGonagall?"
The Head of Gryffindor turned and looked surprised to find the Slytherin looking at her a bit frightened. Angel swore that she saw the older woman tense up before going back to her usual calm self. That itself caused her to tighten her grip on her satchel.
"How can I help you Ms. Malfoy?"
She forced herself not to look at her toes and instead looked up at her. Where was her bravery now? It seemed that it only worked if she was in extreme pain or delirious. Clearing her throat, she figured she had delayed herself long enough.
"I just wanted to speak with you in regards to my passed behavior.." she began tentatively.
"Ah yes, it was quite interesting to see how easily you became insolent"
Angel could not help it; she blushed immediately as the Professor went straight to the point. Squirming softly she nodded and wished she could have perhaps thought it out before just going with her emotions. But that tended to be her biggest weak point wasn't it? Frustration began to rise.
"Look Professor McGonagall, I came her to apologize for my behavior. I was not in the proper mindset when I talked back to you. I...I want you to know that I admire you greatly and have appreciated your impartialness in all of your lessons, especially to Slytherin." One look said it all. 'I know you've been ignoring me in classes Professor.' Still she found herself continuing. "But my lack of apology has been haunting me for the last two weeks and at every lesson I take with you. I have three years left with you and I'd like them to be relatively peaceful."
Silence loomed over the two of them while the older woman stared down at her. It was as if she was mulling the genuineness of her little speech. Still, whether or not the Professor accepted the apology, at least Angel knew that she could feel less guilty. When the silence continued, she knew it was best to just leave.
When she turned to leave, it seemed that Professor McGonagall was not done with the conversation. "Miss Malfoy" she called out.
Pausing she found herself turning looking confused. And if Professor McGonagall was honest, the girl somehow looked more vulnerable in this instance than even when she was injured.
"May I ask you a personal question Miss Malfoy?"
Angel nodded a bit unsure but walked closer to the desk if a bit tentative. It was now the professor's turn to look a bit unsure of herself.
"Miss Malfoy, are you having problems at home?"
That made Angel tense up. It seemed silly, but the reality of admitting it to someone that was not her uncle seemed hard enough. Dumbledore just knew somehow which made it easier, yet now, admitting it to someone not in her circle did hurt.
"I..I no longer have a home Professor" she said softly tugging her satchel tightly. "the Headmaster has allowed me to find alternate and more fitting residence during the past breaks, as well as my healing period."
She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but Professor McGonagall clearly looked like her expression softened up. It was a horribly embarrassing thing to admit yet there she was.
"Miss Malfoy, it is unfortunate to hear that you are in this situation. And I am admittedly impressed this has not affected your studies in any way. For that, I commend you," a short pause. "and I hope that you realize that you are always welcome to talk to me should you need to speak with a person of...of experience and of gender."
"...I'd appreciate that Professor" and she meant it. There were not a lot of women in her life that had supported her and had the maturity to give unbiased advice. "And I might take you up on that."
Both women smiled at one another, only for the Head of Gryffindor to continue with her commentary. "Miss Malfoy, I would like to offer you an opportunity. I know that you are to have your OWLs next year, yet...I must say I think you are more than capable of taking private lessons. I'd like to offer you the internship. Would you wish to take on that challenge? If so, my door is open for any questions that you might have."
"I'd like to jump on that ma'am. I enjoy Transfiguration very much" her cheeks were red with surprise.
While she wasn't fond of what had been admitted, at least she felt lighter at it all. She would be taking lessons ahead of schedule, Professor McGonagall trusted her, and she was getting some recognition. Smiling brightly she thanked Professor McGonagall before running off.
…
If it had not been for the DA lessons, Harry thought he would have been extremely unhappy. Fifth years were incredibly stressed and he had definitely seen a lot of outbursts of stress. All the fifth-years were suffering from stress to some degree, but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tears during Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school now.
That had definitely been the start of something worse. Hermione for one, would not shut up about the OWL exams. For every single complaint that either he or Ron mentioned, she would immediately chastise them. Both of them could quote 'You need to remember that they are doing this for the OWLs!' so he didn't even bother.
Instead, he found himself walking into the library in hopes of properly getting a grasp of the Patronus charm, so he could more successfully explain the lesson. What drove him to study solely on DADA was that he wanted to see Umbridge's face once all the members of their meeting would get Outstanding. That brought a smile to his own face.
Pushing the doors for the library, Madame Pince immediately shushed him much to his amusement. He lifted his hands making a 'non-guilty' sign before walking down to his favorite spot. This spot held a lot of memories. It was not that long ago that he was sitting there studying over the second task.
And surprisingly enough, there he found his girlfriend reading, and being surrounded by a small wall made of books. He looked at her sitting at the corner with sunlight streaming down on her making her brown hair shine in a almost golden hue. He found himself wanting to be around her and catching her attention. So much as his younger self had done, he moved to cover her light.
A frown immediately etched her face, and he smiled brighter as the all to similar words came:
"You're blocking my light"
"Ever so sorry" he replied.
His eyes were bright and he moved down only to see her immediately smile taking him in. It seemed that no matter how many times she smiled at him, it would never stop making his heart hiccup. One second later, a small kiss was shared and he sat beside her. It seemed that despite them not officially admitting that they were dating, they weren't avoiding each other either, which to Harry was okay.
"What are you up to?" he asked as he began to snoop into her bag.
"I'm reading up on some lessons for Transfiguration for next year," she murmured, a bit amused as he dug for snacks.
Once he successfully found crisps, he looked up at her confused. "Wait, why do you need to know?"
Her eyes glittered in excitement as she told him what McGonagall had expressed. "I already spoke with Neville who gave me a copy of some of his notes. I think I have Conjurus down from...well everyday life, but I am meeting with Professor McGonagall for help with the Vanishing spells."
"Why did you ask Neville? Do you talk to Neville often?"
Angel tilted her head curiously. "I have breakfast with him every morning Harry. Is that a problem?"
"No.." he trailed off. In reality, he was a bit insecure at the fact that many people found Neville to be handsome. And while he knew that logically Angel and Neville were just friends...to be that intimate and have her actually talk? Well that was more of a miracle in itself. Yet he remembered how comfortable they were walking beside one another on Valentine's Day and him handing her flowers. Had he not been dating her he would have thought Neville and her were a thing.
"You like me better right?" His tone was half joking half serious.
At her scoff, he found himself being embarrassed for simply asking. But it seemed like she knew there was some truth to his question, because she paused only briefly before closing her book and looking at him. Shaking her head she reached out to him and squeezed his hand.
"Harry..you know I've always thought you're the handsomest boy in the castle right?"
At that he found himself blushing all the more and he shuffled, simply squeezing her hand. Leaning forward she pulled him for a softer kiss and he found himself really believing her.
"Harry, darling, I was fond of you since the day you waved at me on the express"
"Same" he found himself saying before pulling her close. He didn't miss the smile that rose from her face and the way that he snuggled closer to her. It was true; five years ago their lives sort of changed into something different.
"And for the record" he continued. "I'm not jealous...too much and I am very proud of you for taking taking Professor McGonagall's opportunity. That means we can study together. And well...I know you won't like this suggestion-"
"But you're going to suggest it anyway?" she interrupted amused at his rambling.
"Right" he continued, squeezing her waist. "But I think you should reach out to Hermione, I think she's studying before the meeting tonight and she can maybe give you some pointers. I know she's going crazy studying for stuff."
A small groan was emitted from her mouth at the thought of asking Hermione for help. It wasn't that she necessarily hated her, but rather, they had a tentative understanding. Both knew where they were coming from, but neither admitted that they held begrudging respect.
"I know I won't ever be able to force you to do anything you don't want to do, but it would be amazing if you got along with my friends."
"I'll think about it, how does that sound?"
The kiss she received on her cheek was enough for her to know that he would really enjoy that idea. And she in turn, found herself thinking about that once she kept her ego in check.
...
Harry was in the middle of setting up the Room of Requirement for training tonight. He had set up a large counter with lots of things: sugary drinks, chocolates and other candies to make sure they would not be worn out today. He had send an owl to Remus asking him if he could find get a Dementor only to get a long list as to why it was a very bad idea. He figured that he could just get them to the right mindspace to teach.
He threw cushions throughout the rooms so they could possibly concentrate on when they found their happy memory. It was in the midst of this that Harry was unaware that someone had entered.
"Youʹre a r‐really good teacher, you know," said Cho, said softly.. "I like the way you prepare before class. You know, Iʹve never been able to Stun anything until you taught us"
Her voice made him jump in surprise; it had been two weeks since their uneventful surprise date and he had avoided her like the plague. Was he scared of her? Yes. And more so what she stood for. Once upon a time, she was the girl of his dreams, with her long black hair, beautiful dark eyes and charming smile. Her soft voice could soothe him well before, now it only set him on edge.
"Oh, um, thanks" He found himself awkwardly replying.
They looked at each other for a long moment. Harry felt a burning desire to run from the room and, at the same time, a complete inability to move his feet. She was just so close to him and he was not fond of the idea of being alone with her. He didn't necessarily want to make it awkward, but she looked determined to do something.
Her shy expression was gone and shifted into a more coy and alluring tone, something that made his stomach tighten and his nervousness spike.
"W-what's up Cho?" he asked tightening his grip on the cushion.
Never in his life had he asked her 'what was up' but he was very anxious at the idea of her and him being alone. What he once wanted was now his nightmare because while he could never outright be mean to her, he didn't want to know what she was even thinking. He knew that he had chosen Angel, but as she grew closer, his heart began to beat faster and he needed to stop this before something happened.
"I've been trying to get ahold of you but you're always so busy" she giggled moving her hand up and sliding her hair behind her ear and moved closer.
He never noticed how tall she was, until she stepped closer to him; even when his growth spurt began, he was always so much taller than Angel that he felt bigger and able to protect her. In turn, Cho was a year older and clearly her actions were all with intention.
"You know Harry...I really like you" she said softly.
He could not think. A tingling sensation was spreading through him, paralyzing his arms, legs and brain. She was much too close. His lips parted in shock.
"Cho what are you doing?" he was whispering softly.
"I just want to say thank you...for everything"
He pulled back for a second but he was too slow, especially once he felt her lips on his. His body tensed immediately especially once she invaded his space so much to even hold him close. Never in his life had he had a kiss so...plain. There was no spark that he first felt with Angel, there was no nervous excitement, no heart skipping a beat, but rather nice but wet lips from a person slightly taller than him. There was no movement in her own lips, making a nice segue for him to end this awkwardness.
…
Angel had been having a better day than usual. Her potions class had gone surprisingly well with the aging up potion letting her take a look into her future self. It had been a bit odd, but she had enjoyed it greatly. The evening had come to a close with a simple dinner with Luna and Neville at the Ravenclaw dining table, when she heard something that caught her attention.
"She's doing it tonight"
"Really? Does she really like him that much? It's just Potter"
That immediately got her attention and she found herself straightening up. Luna and Neville immediately noticed this and began to ask what was wrong only to immediately stop when she lifted her finger signaling them to shush. Now all were intrigued and listened on.
"Well you know Cho, she's a sixth year now, might as well plant your seed before anyone else does"
The giggling of the sixth years made Angel a bit nauseous and she found herself getting up. Before her friends could say anything, she grabbed her satchel and rushed off. She didn't want to be followed but she was jittery at the thought of her doing something. She knew that Harry once liked her, but never that Chang was interested in more than just harmless flirting. She tried to pretend to head to the Professor's offices as if she had an appointment only to rush to the other staircase once the hallways were empty.
As she reached the Room of Requirement she stopped herself. Did she really want to see what was on the other side of the door? Their DA lessons would start in half an hour and she knew that Harry always prepped early. In fact, everyone knew where he was an hour before it started.
'Whatever happens, remember to stay strong'
With that small mantra, she found herself sucking in a sharp breath before she opened the door as quietly as possible. Her worst nightmare was in front of her as she saw Cho leaning to properly kiss Harry. She felt herself shake in anger at the scene before her, but she could not move. She oddly wanted to see what would happen? Would the one person that anchored her in the castle at the moment do something different? The kiss was but a mere seconds but for her it was an eternity. It was Harry that pulled back first looking very uncomfortable.
"Um Cho..why did you do that?"
"What do you mean? Harry I thought I was clear, I really like you. I've been trying to tell you since Christmas! On Valentine's Day I asked you to go on a date with me and you ran away. Don't you like me?"
The confusion in his face, soon shifted to disbelief and Angel closed her eyes knowing that her fate was sealed. Harry always liked Cho better, it was only that Angel made her feeling known that he went with her. It was now very obvious for her. Frowning deeply she found herself wondering exactly what she was to do?
"I-Cho of course I like you...but as a friend. I-I like liked you last year but with everything I…I realized that it was kinda silly of me to like you when I knew nothing about you other than you had a nice smile and liked Quidditch. I-I'm sorry Cho but I don't feel the same way."
"Y-you don't? Is it because of Cedric? I-I miss him but he's not you, I know he's not. I-Im sorry."
The tears began and Angel felt awkward realizing what was going on. She needed to leave. She began to close the door when the next sentence made her stay.
"Don't be sorry. To be honest, there's someone else I like and I'm pretty serious about her."
His words and the blush rising from him made her feel that it was okay. They would be okay and her boyfriend did care for her very much. She forced herself to quietly close the door and hide behind the pillar until Cho came out looking angry and hurt. Thankfully it seemed the Ravenclaw was so deep in her mind that she didn't even notice her.
Once the coast was clear she found herself walking into the room acting oblivious to the whole thing. She really wanted to pester him and to see if he was going to tell her. But she forced herself to stop. Their relationship was one filled with distrust, especially in the beginning so she bit her tongue refusing to say anything. Instead she smiled brightly, a false smile, but one that seemed to be believed by her boyfriend who was more interested in the fizzy drink and taking nervous sips.
"Harry?" she called out.
"Hm?" he feigned surprised and immediately realized how odd he was acting.
She couldn't help but laugh at how he realized how he was being, especially when he kissed her cheek letting the fizzy bubbles tickle her cheeks. She could tell his head was running with ideas, and she simply wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
"It's nice to see you too you prat"
…
Harry felt guilty for many reasons. For one he made Cho cry, which was a daunting experience, but he knew he needed to tell his girlfriend who looked happy. As she wrapped her arms around him he realized just how small she was, especially as she looked up at him so warmly. Her smiled were more electrifying than any kiss that Cho gave him.
As she got up on her tippy toes, clearly asking for a kiss, he found himself telling her the whole story before she even asked what was wrong. He knew that she knew that something was odd, but he didn't dare let her kiss him without knowing how much of an awful predicament he got himself in.
"-and I know you are furious with me but know that you're the only person I want. The kiss was like kissing your hand! Except wet and uncomfortable cause she's taller and um well, I understand if you want to hex me, or her! But don't hex her because while you're a better dueller she has older friends and I'd rather not have to stop-"
A finger to his lips stopped his rant, and he found himself still looking at a smiling girlfriend. Her smile was tight, so she wasn't exactly the happiest, but it was clear she wasn't going to start hexing everyone. He knew his girlfriend had a temper, so this was out of the norm.
"It's okay Harry. I know, I heard during dinner that she was planning this. I-I can't say I'm angry, but I heard what you said and well..it's nice to know you like me as much as I like you."
Harry found himself laughing softly before leaning down to kiss her properly. She was so silly, after all didn't she know how much he loved her? But deep down he knew that the reason she was insecure about it was the fact that she had been betrayed by everyone she had previous loved: Draco, her parents, her Slytherin friends. And he refused to be on that list.
"I won't turn on you, you and I...we'll always be us. Just us."
His words were sloppy and unrefined but she understood perfectly. Kissing him once more, she hugged him tightly and mumbled how much she loved him. He got it, he knew how she had been hurt so many times and he refused to do that. Where they going to be together forever? No one knew, but it was nice to think that at least for now they could be.
"Harry James Potter, let's get this room ready so you can show me how to do a Patronus okay?"
They both now knew they would be okay, they had grown a lot from where they had originally started. While he cleaned up, she found herself wondering exactly what her Patronus charm would be. Her father's was a grim, much to his amusement, and her mother's was a rare shape: a dragon. It was a Chinese Fireball, and beautifully large. Her father mentioned that it was near their wedding when her Patronus shifted shapes and he swore it once resembled a dog. She had been giddy at the initial thought of their Patronus changing to match their partner's. She briefly wondered if she would have a doe to match Harry's, but she thought it to be silly. She knew that if it matched her personality, it would definitely not be a doe, she wasn't as delicate as anyone else.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
A coy shrug was all he received before everyone else arrived. Everyone was on time, which was not a surprise. For the past few weeks Harry had insisted that they think about happy thoughts and meditate so they could conjure up something astounding. Many chattered about what they thought they would be.
"I'll obviously be something beautiful" Lavender gushed.
"I'll be something graceful" Ginny commented.
"I want to be something happy" was all Luna said which made Angel smile.
"I don't want anything scary" Neville commented nervously.
A few giggles soon quieted as Harry began to explain what they would do tonight. He had warned them that it would be a long meeting, especially if they had not prepared for their lesson. The nervous excitement was palpable and Angel herself felt nervous butterflies in her stomach.
"Now, that we got the rules. Let's get started. Remember it's easier to cast a Patronus in a nice room, but at least you can get the confidence if you should need it."
Hermione was the first person to get a Patronus to actually take a corporal shape and it was a cute sea otter. Angel found herself looking astounded at the beautiful silvery 'animal' as it glided to the room.
"Granger that's beautiful" she cooed softly.
Both girls found themselves smiling both taken by the moment, before both realized exactly how odd their interactions were. The second person was Luna, much to the surprise of others, except of course Angel. She knew that her friend was brilliant and she was already so cheery that it only made sense. A cute hare appeared and bounced happily through the room.
The stag was the one that stood proudly in the room, the brightest in the room. Still, it seemed that many had paired up. Neville and Angel were both only letting out whisps making both a bit upset at the fact. Neville shook his wand hoping to get something out of it.
"Of course I get nothing" he muttered.
"Oh come on Neville, I know you can do it. Just remember your happiest memory, something that makes you smile. Like...your first kiss with Luna" she teased earning a harmless glare her way. "Or I don't know...what makes you happiest!"
"I-I tried."
"Me too, but you can always do better." she placed her arm on his and genuinely smiled. "You are just as much of a Gryffindor as Harry, you are brave deep down under all that anxiousness, just believe it"
"Angel is right" Harry said smiling at the pair. When he first felt a bit put out by their interactions, it was clear that their comradery came from a good place. And both cheered one another on. "But you should also keep trying Angel" A short squeeze of her hand was all she got before he rushed off to help Ron.
"O-okay" Neville said nervously before closing his eyes.
Angel sat on a cushion staring at her teammate curiously before he found his right mindspace. It was clear to her that he was very much there when the ferocity in his eyes rose.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Out of nowhere, the wisp began to run into a shape and much to Angel's glee it was a lion. A proud lion from a nervous Gryffindor and she clapped her hands. Her excitement drew attention from the others as the Slytherin looked proud of a Gryffindor. But there was no denying it, a full patronus was emitted from their most nervous teammate.
"Neville that was amazing!" she cried out and rushed to hug him, as did Luna.
Many members were no longer surprised by the support that the trio gave one another. It was a bit odd since the Slytherin was so odd to everyone else, but to those two, it was clear she cared for them deeply. In turn, it seemed that they both turned on her forcing her to try.
The truth was a simple one; she was scared that she couldn't make one. She sat on the counter sipping a fizzy drink while their best friends tried to help her think of something happy.
"You can do it" Luna encouraged. "If Cho can emit a swan you can easily emit something much larger and more beautiful"
Angel laughed softly and nodded knowing that in theory she could. Closing her eyes tightly, her mind filtered through many memories, ones with Harry that warmed her heart, to her former family.
"Expecto Patronum" she whispered softly.
Slowly a wisp began to rise, only to immediately die out leaving her disheartened. Harry noticed this and walked over looking at how nervous she looked. This was not the way his girlfriend looked when the lesson started. In fact she was one of the most excited, that is until the wisp was becoming less and less of anything other than light.
"It's okay, you have to think of something happier" he murmured softly and without thinking moved a strand of hair away from her face.
"I'm trying Harry" she mumbled. "I think of my old family, I think of you a-and nothing"
Her eyes looked so sad and he found himself wanting to make it out for her. He knew that many thought she couldn't make one because she was a Slytherin and it was clearly harder to have a shape. But he found that to simply be silly. He noticed how when she had heard Ginny say that she had been shaken.
"Hey...keep thinking. You are so much more than your house"
And with that he went off to help Lavender again. Closing her eyes tightly she tried once more. There was one memory that stood out, far deep into her mind: a song. She hummed softly and realized it was the song from the music box that Sirius had given her. He had sung to her softly when she was hurt and his love and his mother's love was in that song.
How does a moment last forever?How can a story never die? It is love we must hold on to, never easy but we try. Sometimes our happiness is captured, somehow a time and place stand still. Love lives on inside our hearts and always will.
The words reverberated through her mind and she found herself thinking of the unwavering love that her mother had for her, that Sirius has for her and she found herself knowing that at that moment she knew how truly loved she was. Her caramel colored eyes opened and she hopped off the counter ready to try again.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The ferocity in her voice was not missed by her friends as well as the nearby members, but the determination was there. A wisp began to rise again, but slowly grew bigger; she swore that the song played in her head, with the two wolves, no..grims were dancing around it. As soon as that image played, the way Sirius looked at her, accepting her as she was, was the happiest moment in her life.
Soon the patronus began to take shape: it was small, so small she thought it was a rat at first. But no, the paws came to life, and the small snout followed, with a large fluffy tale finishing the form: an arctic fox. It was lovely, small, and seemingly shy as it didn't fly as the others, instead gracely walked through the room and Angel stared in awe.
"A fox" she whispered softly.
"You love foxes" Luna giggled as her hare hopped around the fox, and Neville's lion followed.
Angel looked so happy, that it made Harry's heart clench. He ignored Ginny's snide remark that of course it was a fox, but he knew there was more to it. Foxes were shy, adaptable and would think things through before action unlike some of the other animals.
Their happiness was immediately cut short as Dobby rushed into the room, out of breath and very frightened. His expression soon took the attention of everyone as the animals began to fade. Dobby was even more anxious than usual which made Angel's stomach turn.
"Dobby what's wrong?"
"Harry Potter, sir…" squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir... Dobby has come to warn you... but the house‐elves have been warned not to tell…"
He interrupted himself only to begin his self punishment, much to many cries of distress. Harry immediately grabbed the small elf and held him to avoid getting even more injured and Angel rushed over and bent down to grab the little elves' face.
"Dobby what's wrong, what do you need to warn us about?" Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist. Harry seized that, too.
"Whoʹs ʺsheʺ, Dobby?" Angel asked scared of what she was thinking.
But Harry thought he knew; surely only one ʹsheʹ could induce such fear in Dobby? The elf looked up at him, slightly cross‐eyed, and mouthed wordlessly.
"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.
Tension rose through the room.
"D-dobby is she coming? Did she find out about this?" Angel whispered anxiously.
The sharp nod raised alarms through everyone. Harry got up and stared at everyone who waited for his direction.
"What are you waiting for? Run!"
Immediately everyone ran to the same door and pushed through trying to find someplace to run. But it was too late, as the door was pushed in and Umbridge's goons came in. At the center was Draco.
"Well, well, well, look what I found boys" He drawled out taking in everything.
Angel hid behind Harry who easily allowed her to hide. There was no use in hiding, but the last time she had properly taken a look at him was once she had fallen off the broom. Her hands shook nervously and she heard him continue to talk.
"Isn't this a fun party to crash? I can't wait for all of you to get expelled"
His glee disgusted her and she found herself shaking now in anger. Was he really going to betray everyone for Umbridge? It sickened her to think that he would sink so low as to be Umbridge's pawn. She couldn't believe that this was the person she called her brother and who she defended so many times.
"Enough!" she cried out and pushed to the front. "Draco you can't seriously be thinking about being on Umbridge's side?! She's awful and ruins everything!"
"I knew you would be here" he sneered in disgust. "Blood traitor through and through"
It actually made her flinch; she had never been at the end of his tongue lashing before. In fact she had never stood up to him until now.
"I-I am not betraying anyone. I-I believe in what's right. Draco I know you, you're my brother. You're better than this" she tugged at his pin showing how he worked of Umbridge. "You're all better than this."
Blaise had the decency to look ashamed and Pansy's face twisted in a grimace, while Crabbe and Goyle looked oblivious. Behind her no one said a thing, it was clear to them that she had not snitched and more so was trying to get them out before Umridge came. But Angel truly believed that she knew her brother wouldn't do this to her. He was better than all of this, she knew it. Yet the next words that came out of his lips made her know that she had lost him.
"I have no sister!" he snarled angrily. "Aunt Bella told me about your dirty blood. You no good blood traitor!"
Grabbing her roughly from her wrist he pushed her away to the group, who surprisingly caught her.
"You think that she could save you? Well the joke's on you! She is no Malfoy, just a sullied pureblood. Isn't that right Black? You're just like your dirty mongrel of a father!"
A cry was emitted from her and it was then that Harry lost it. He didn't think about a wand, he instead pushed through everyone and punched Draco across his face. He was tired of how Draco always said what he wanted, his cruelty already heard and no one put him in his place. But this time he had gone too far. Because as his girlfriend cried into her friend's arms in shame, it was clear that he had outed her and forced some 'shame' upon her.
The first punch signified a lot. Now it was more than house loyalties or competition, it was personal. Because if Draco Malfoy could turn on his supposedly beloved sister, he had no redeeming qualities. But to the rest of the DA it meant that they would be fighting. So as Harry punched Draco, Ron punched Blaise who was nothing but some lacky. Luna pushed Pansy in anger at how easily she turned on her supposedly best friend. And the twins turned on Crabbe and Goyle.
As the members pushed out hoping to get free, they knew they were trapped as Umbridge turned the corner and took everything in. Still they pushed on, Neville and Luna held on to Angel tightly trying to get her out of the situation, but the moment Umbridge saw her she tugged at her arm. She refused to fight, instead she begged her friends to run.
"Go!" she cried out.
The pair turned back immediately refusing to leave.
"Not without you!" Luna responded.
Soon the members stopped running and stared back at the sacrificial lambs. They all knew they would eventually get in trouble, but as Angel Malfoy and Harry Potter were rounded up, they were off to Dumbledore's office, they all returned determined to continue the loyalty and the pledge they took. Umbridge looked displeased for a brief second, until she took in Harry's broken glasses, Draco's broken nose, Ron's black eye, Blaise's cut lip, and Pansy missing a patch of hair. They were all in deep trouble.