Fireman
The halls of Hogwarts rushed past them as they ran, taking every hidden passageway they could think of. It seemed that the other groups had managed to get away, likely back to their own common rooms, leaving just them to be found.
"They took a left up ahead!" Hermoine heard one of the inquisitorial squad members yell out from far behind them.
They had indeed taken a left at the last intersection, but Ginny luckily knew a hidden passageway behind a suit of troll armor. Ginny kicked the armored troll's foot, and the wall next to it opened to reveal stairs. They all quickly rushed down them, and the door closed behind them.
Hermoine lit her wand as they all clumsily rushed down the stairs and somehow came out in the clocktower, not far from the medical wing. They were so close to the Gryffindor common room at this point, only a few more hallways until they reached the grand staircase.
This was the fourth meeting in a row they had to both delay and end on a premature note. Umbridge was getting worse, and her Inquisitorial Squad was doing their best to hunt them down. The DA meetings had gone well for months, regularly meeting on schedule without interruption, until now.
It added an entire new level of stress to her life, between managing the DA, resisting Umbridge, and not to mention Harry…
She felt her stomach roll, her eyes sting a little as she thought of her best friend. She saw him everyday for months at this point, yet it was still painful to even be in the same room as him. The thought of getting him involved in this mess made her justification for ignoring him seem more solid.
I'm not ignoring him! Hermoine mentally said to herself. I'm trying to protect him!
They all sprinted around a corner, and came to a dead stop. Daphne Greengrass stood in the center of the hallway, one they needed to cross, her wand in hand. Hermoine recognized the inquisitorial badge on her chest, looking immaculate on her pristine robes.
She clearly spends more time on her appearence than her wandwork. Hermoine noted, with a certain disdain for the beautiful blonde Slytherin. She doesn't stand a chance against us if she attacks.
"We're heading back to our common room." Hermoine said politely, trying to avoid a confrontation. She could tell the Weasley twins were itching to hex her. "Will you let us pass?"
"I knew you would come this way." Greengrass said coldly, ignoring Hermoine. "Don't worry, I won't hand you over to Umbridge. That doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you either."
What does that mean?
Hermoine found herself lost at the words, but Seamus sent a spell her way. Greengrass batted it right back at him, before following it up with a dozen of spells that sent them all scrambling.
Katie got banished into Dean, and the twins hastily launched their own spells at her. Greengrass easily sidestepped or blocked them all, never letting up as she cycled through multiple spell chains at a speed that sent Hermoine reeling.
Their own group seemed to get into gear, sending their own spells. It was too little to late, with most of them already affected by nuisance spells that left them unable to fight. Colin Creevy's mouth was sealed shut, and he was hastily trying to dispel it by touching his lips with his wand. Seamus was covered in boils, with more pimples sprouting by the second.
How is she this good?
Hermoine grit her teeth in frustration and stood with her own wand in hand. She sent a disarming charm at Greengrass, followed by a stunner and a banishing charm. Greengrass barely paused in stride, making the spells look like mere inconveniences as she batted them aside.
"Reducto!" Hermoine yelled, her frustration pouring over.
That incantation seemed to give the girl pause, as she raised a mocking eyebrow at her as she shielded against the curse. Greengrass sent a grouping of spells her way, which she dodged, yet her left leg became useless like jelly. Hermoine fell with an indignant yelp, and felt her wand get pulled from her grip.
When she looked back up from the ground, Greengrass was already leaving with her back to them.
That bitch. Hermoine glared at Greengrass's retreating backside, yet felt a strange confusion because of the girl's actions. Why is she just leaving us?
-
She knew she should have just tied them all up and handed them over to Umbridge on a silver platter. It would certainly end the ceaseless patrols that Umbridge demanded of them, and end the Weasley's resistance once and for all. On the other hand, it would surely upset Harry if she did something like that, not to mention whatever Umbridge planned to do after.
Although cursing them was the least I could do for Harry.
The thought almost made her genuinely smile, and she felt her heart beat harder. Harry was such a better person than her. He would never curse his old friends for leaving him, but I would. It's the least they deserve.
They had spent so much time together over the past few months since Astoria's funeral. She thought about Astoria's funeral often, and about Harry. It was special seeing him outside of Hogwarts, and even more special was the love they both held for her deceased sister.
Her parents had even approved of him, if her mother's silent expressions were anything to go by. To think I would end up with a half-blood. Harry bloody Potter of all people.
She turned the corner and found herself facing an out of breath Inquisitorial Squad, with a red-faced Umbridge leading them. Daphne composed herself, her mask colder than usual as she faced the woman she started to hate more than anyone else in this school. "I lost them, Professor. They managed to get into the Gryffindor Common Room before I could catch up."
Umbridge's face turned red, with a nasty snarl fixed on it. "Damn them! Did you manage to see any of their faces?"
She thought about the question before answering. "I saw at least the Weasley twins, they're kind of hard to miss, and Hermoine Granger as well."
"What about Potter?!" Umbridge spat, face red. "Did you see him?!"
"I did not." Daphne replied. "All of them were Gryffindors, yet none of them I saw had Potter's hair."
"Are you sure?" Umbridge asked again, as if wanting her to lie. The students around them all rolled their eyes and looked exasperated, just like how Daphne felt. The woman's obsession with Harry Potter really had got on all their nerves at this point.
"I did not see Harry Potter." Daphne answered simply.
"None of us saw Potter." Montague stated, irritation lining his tone. "We can probably make out everyone in Weasley's group at this point, and Potter definitely isn't one of them."
"If I may, Professor." Daphne began politely, cutting off whatever retort Umbridge could retort before she spoke. "Harry Potter is not exactly on good terms with any of the students we've managed to name so far. They openly avoid him, even when it would make sense for him to be in this group, it has become clear he is not."
All the students around her nodded along in agreement, and Umbridge looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Daphne figured the woman was starting to realize that her vendetta against Potter simply wouldn't work out in the end.
"I want all of your reports on my desk tomorrow morning." Umbridge hissed, before storming off.