Author's Note: Because my Muse wanted to explore Kenneth a bit, though the first part of the story is more Adrian X Alicia interaction.

Patronuses and Friendships

April 1996

When the D.A. collapsed at the end of April, thanks to Marietta, Alicia fully expected Umbridge to strip her prefect rights and demote her for her participation in Dumbledore's Army. She was ready for it, braced for it. But for some reason, Umbridge didn't strip her badge, nor the badges of any of the other prefects who had been members of the D.A. Maybe it was because there were several of them involved, or maybe because there were two or three who were also purebloods.

Perhaps it was because it was just her and Angelina, and there were no other Gryffindor seventh year girls who could take her place. Indeed, the only Gryffindor seventh year who hadn't been involved in the D.A. was Kenneth, and that was only because the rest of them had agreed it was best not to involve the Head Boy, in an effort to protect him. Umbridge would most certainly have demoted him if he had been involved and the entire group was exposed. Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, and Alicia decided together that it was best if Kenneth remained ignorant. They could take the fall while protecting him and his position, because regardless of how much he followed the rules and how much Fred and George took the mickey out of him, Kenneth was still a Gryffindor. He believed Harry and Dumbledore, but he was staying deliberately quiet because he knew better than to test Umbridge. Fred and George both swore he was swotty as hell, but he had also soured on the Ministry of Magic over the past year and wasn't certain what he would do upon graduation. He wasn't like Percy, they insisted. And in the end, Gryffindor camaraderie won and they decided to keep him in the dark.

But, more than likely, the real reason Umbridge likely didn't do anything to those prefects who had been involved in the D.A. was because the Inquisitorial Squad had effectively replaced the prefect system. Alicia could guess why, but there was nothing she could do about.

That didn't mean Umbridge wasn't giving the prefects work to do. On the contrary, she was piling even more patrol duties on them.

And of course, her favorite pairing was to send Alicia off with Pucey, because Umbridge fully believed they loathed each other. They were certainly playing into her belief; scowling and sneering at each other whenever they left the prefects' meeting room for their duties, glaring daggers at each other, even shoving each other a bit. They were so good at the act that Umbridge was pairing them almost constantly. And, instead of patrolling, they would always end up in a dungeon classroom, practicing Defense together. They never came out and talked about the looming war, but they both knew that was what drove them to practice together.

Tonight was no exception, but as soon as Pucey had placed the wards around the door to keep any other Slytherins from finding them, he turned and smirked at her.

"Now I know why you've been so on top of your game the past few months," he said pleasantly. "Potter must be a fairly decent teacher."

Alicia laughed. "Yes, he is. But it helps to practice regularly with you, too."

"Well, if I may say so, it wasn't like you needed help. You're brilliant at Defense."

"Don't be silly. I'm not as brilliant as you are. In fact, practicing with you has helped me a lot. In some ways, practicing with you was more of a help than even being a part of the D.A." She hesitated, then added, "I mean that. Truly."

"It helps me, too. Practicing with you, I mean." He gave her a bittersweet smile and she felt her stomach do a somersault.

"So, what do you want to practice tonight?" she barely managed to ask.

He leaned against one of the tables. "What was Dumbledore's Army working on before the Inquisitorial Squad interrupted the other night?"

"Oh." Alicia sighed. "Patronuses. That's what everyone had been looking forward to, because Harry's really good at casting a Patronus. I hate it that Marietta snitched, because some people didn't get a chance to find out what their Patronus was."

Pucey's brow furrowed. "That's N.E.W.T. level work. Didn't he learn when he was only a third year? He cast one on Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint during a Quidditch game."

Alicia nodded, smiling at that particularly sadistic memory. "Yes, Professor Lupin taught him."

"Ah, that explains it." Pucey's expression cleared. "Professor Lupin was easily one of the best Defense teachers we've had. So..." He cleared his throat. "Have you ever cast one before? A Patronus?"

"Yes, I managed last summer. Thank goodness I set about to learn it then; Umbridge certainly isn't going to teach us."

"Are you going to tell me what yours is?"

"An ocelot."

Pucey chuckled. "That makes sense. Small but brave, known for its strength, agility, and cunning. It would only be more perfect if it were a bird of some sort, considering how well you fly."

"When I first started practicing last summer, I was so sure it would be a cardinal. It was such a surprise to me when it wasn't! But I've loved my ocelot ever since I first cast it, even if it surprised me. I didn't get to cast it at the D.A., though. We were found out before I got a chance to show mine off." She twirled her wand between her fingers. "Angelina hadn't managed one yet, so she was practicing before me. Thankfully she cast a corporal Patronus on her second attempt. Hers is a harpy."

"Show me yours." His eyes were intense beneath the dim light in the dungeon. "I want to see it."

But instead of casting, she asked curiously, "What is yours?" She didn't even bother to think he couldn't cast one. He was too good.

"A goshawk."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose. A bird of prey that represented strength, drive, and ambition. "That suits you well. Can I see it?"

He smiled again. "Cast yours first."

Alicia smiled too, and raised her wand. She closed her eyes and focused on one of her happiest memories: dancing with him at the Yule Ball, when he'd told her she was sexy.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Her little ocelot materialized instantly and opened its mouth, though no sound came out. It eyed Pucey curiously before looking back at Alicia, then crouched down, its tail flicking.

Pucey raised his wand. "Expectro Patronum!"

A beautiful hawk erupted and soared around the dungeon on tendrils of blue-white light before landing on the back of a chair next to the ocelot, where it eyed them both carefully.

Alicia and Pucey glanced at each other, and then back at the Patronuses.

Pucey joked, "It looks like they could almost be friends, doesn't it?"

Alicia burst into laughter as the two spells dissolved. "I should hope they are!"

"Are they?" He glanced down at her, that cute blush across his cheeks. "I mean, we?" He hesitated. "Are we? Friends?"

"Secretly? Yes." She leaned against his shoulder and twirled her wand, casting Lumos to watch the beam of light so she wouldn't have to look up at him. "But we can't be friends publicly, now can we? People wouldn't understand."

"No." He sighed heavily, cast Lumos as well, and swirled his wand next to hers. "They wouldn't."

His shoulder was comfortable, she decided. Warm and firm, not bony. Softly, she asked, "Can I ask you something personal?"

"I suppose."

"You don't have to answer if you'd rather not." A blush crept across her cheeks. "What's...your happy memory?"

His wand stilled. "I'll tell you only if you promise to tell me yours."

She took a slow breath before she whispered, "...dancing with you last year at the Yule Ball."

Suddenly, to her surprise, his head tilted to rest gently on top of hers. She nearly stopped breathing. What on earth was he doing? His wand twisted, the lighting spell glowing brighter as he murmured, "Ironic, isn't it? That we use the same memory to cast our Patronuses. Although... I can use almost any memory of you to cast mine."

She tried to stop that fluttery feeling in her chest from beating out of control. "They say it's harder against a Dementor, though."

He hummed in agreement. "They say that."

She shivered. "It was awful passing by them two years ago to go to Hogsmeade."

"It was. That was when I decided to learn how to cast a Patronus, even if I had to teach myself."

"I should have, back then."

"We could have practiced together," he said wistfully. "Except I was too nervous to ask you in fifth year."

She sighed. "And I don't know if I would have trusted you back then."

"Do you trust me now?"

Alicia smiled. "More. But...sometimes you still confuse me."

He laughed. "Fair enough. You baffle me sometimes, too."

"Isn't that what Gryffindors and Slytherins are supposed to do to each other?"

"Probably. But...sometimes I wonder why it has to be that way."

"You're the only Slytherin who does."

"Alright, enough. Are we going to practice Defense or not?"

Alicia laughed. "Yes." It was best to fall back on what was comfortable, safe. She wasn't sure if she was really ready for more, yet.

"Alicia, wait a moment."

Alicia paused just at the door to the girls' dormitories. She was knackered; it was past midnight and she and Pucey had spent three hours practicing Defense. A figure rose from one of the chairs by the fire; the only other person in the common room at this late hour. By the dim light, she realized it was Kenneth.

He looked...tired. Worn out, exhausted. Alicia suddenly felt a pang of pity for him. It couldn't be easy being Head Boy this year, especially not at this moment. It couldn't be easy for Chrysanthe, either. She would have to speak to her after Charms and make sure the Hufflepuff Head Girl was okay.

"Can we talk?" Kenneth gestured to a couple of armchairs that sat back from the fire in shadow, up against the wall next to the girls' dormitory door.

Alicia nodded and sat down.

"Are you just getting back from patrol?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. At least I'm caught up on homework tonight," she answered dully. "I won't have to stay up until three in the morning trying to finish anything."

"I hate that Umbridge pairs you with Pucey every single time. It isn't fair. You shouldn't have to endure his taunting and arrogance. I hate that I can't do anything to help you —"

Alicia smiled, bittersweet. "I'm fine, Kenneth. Really. If Pucey was bothering me, I'd let you know. And tonight was really easy. Was that what you wanted to talk about? Pucey?"

"No." His face crumpled and his shoulders dropped. After a long pause, he said softly, "...why didn't you tell me? Why didn't any of you tell me? About the D.A.?"

Alicia felt her chest tighten. She should have guessed. With a sigh, she said, "We talked about it, actually. The five of us. We agreed, as a group, to keep it from you because you're Head Boy —"

"Alicia, damn it, I'm a Gryffindor, too!" He looked stricken. "I know the twins and Lee don't think I am and maybe I'm not as good a Gryffindor as the rest of you, but..." He broke off and turned away. "Did you think I'd turn you all in? That I would have been the sneak?"

"No." She kept her voice calm. It was essential; she didn't want to upset him further. She had to explain properly, clearly. "Kenneth." She reached over and put her hand on his arm, making him look at her. When he finally did, he looked anguished, almost like he wanted to cry. She held his gaze and went on. "You are a Gryffindor. Never, ever doubt that! The five of us — we knew you would never snitch. We were actually positive that you would want to join Dumbledore's Army. And we were right, weren't we?"

She didn't give him a chance to agree. "But don't you see?" she went on quickly. "You are Head Boy. We need you as Head Boy. We all agreed that if you joined Dumbledore's Army and Umbridge ever found out... if she saw your name on that list... we knew she would demote you from your position. Hogwarts needs you as Head Boy right now. Even Fred and George agreed. We couldn't risk her taking that away from you for any reason. You're important, Kenneth, so important —"

Kenneth swallowed. "I'm not doing a bang-up job though, am I?"

"You are! Don't think otherwise."

"No. I'm not. Not since the Inquisitorial Squad took over." He leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. "I'm rubbish, Alicia. Umbridge hates me, I can't change her mind about anything —"

Alicia sighed as another thought occurred to her. "I'm going to have to have this same conversation with Chrysanthe. She'll be just as upset as you are, but Angelina and I both agreed she couldn't know about Dumbledore's Army for the same reason we couldn't tell you about it. It's why we didn't tell Gil or Viola, either."

Kenneth gave her a sad smile. "And what about Ernest?" he joked.

Alicia laughed softly. "Are you mad? Ernest would have ratted us all out. The little git spends most of the prefect meetings trying to lick Umbridge's shoes so she'll pair him with Vanhausen or Chrysanthe. Surprised they haven't hexed him yet."

Kenneth gave her a small smile, but it faded quickly. "Alicia, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know who I am or how to help anyone —"

"You," she said sharply, "are Head Boy. Professor Dumbledore chose you for a reason. He knew Hogwarts needed a strong Gryffindor in charge. And he chose Chrysanthe as Head Girl because he knows what her character is like. He knew the two of you would help protect students as best you could, because he knew the Ministry was going to put Umbridge in a position of power here from the very beginning. He planned it this way. Don't ever think otherwise. It means he knows you have the strength to keep on, to keep helping younger students, to protect them. Because you are a Gryffindor."

Kenneth regarded her closely for a moment, before he squeezed her hand. "If all that is true," he murmured, "then I need to thank you all for caring about me." He sighed heavily. "Sometimes I think Fred, George, and Lee dislike me. Hate me, even. I never got on very well with the three of them."

"You are very different from them, but that doesn't mean they hate you. Ever. We — all six of us — we're all in the same class. That makes us a family of sorts, doesn't it? Even you."

"Sometimes I think that they think I'm like...Percy."

She knew it took him a lot to admit that fear. A conversation she once had with the Bloody Baron came back to her: Bravery is not the absence of fear. Alicia smiled. "You follow rules, but you are not Percy. Even Fred and George agree on that!"

"Do they?"

"Yes." Alicia shook his shoulder. "They do. Please don't be upset with us. We're sorry we didn't tell you. Can you forgive us?"

Kenneth smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"Someone once told me something very, very important. He said that bravery is not the absence of fear. Gryffindors often mistake their placement and believe they have to be all bravery and no fear, but that isn't true. We can still be Gryffindors and still be afraid. Fear comes in different forms, doesn't it? Sometimes what we fear is less tangible than a dark creature or another person, and fears change as we get older. I think what you fear now is being powerless to protect those who need protecting."

Kenneth looked unnerved. "That's...an accurate assessment, yes."

"I wouldn't tell the other boys, though." Alicia stood up and stretched. "Merlin knows Fred and George would take the mickey on you for the rest of the year!"

At that, he finally laughed. "Merlin, but they would, wouldn't they? Thanks, Alicia. You made me feel a bit better. I'll...try to keep on. Even when it's hard."

Bonus Scene:

The dormitory was dark when he got up to the seventh year boy's door, and he couldn't hear anything from inside. Taking a deep breath, Kenneth entered and softly closed the door behind him.

He looked around the room. Fred and George's beds were opposite him on the far wall; his and Lee's beds were on each side of the door.

Wincing at what he was about to do, because it might very well end in him getting jinxed, he readied his wand to cast a shield and said softly, "Fred? George? Lee?"

There was no answer.

He tried again? "Fred! George! Please, I need to talk to all three of you! Lee! Come on, wake up, please?"

"Oh for the love of..." One of the twins sounded irritated and very sleepy.

"What the hell is it, Towler?" the other twin grumbled, shifting under the comforter. "It's one o'clock in the bloody morning!"

Lee moaned, "Damn it, and I was having a great dream about a threesome with Angie and Al!"

A pillow flew across the room and hit Lee squarely in the head; he yelped indecently.

"S-sorry," Kenneth stammered.

"You've woken us up now," one of the twins grouched, propping up. "Get on with it, Towler, what's wrong?"

"I need to know something." Kenneth's mouth went dry. "And it can't wait, I'm afraid. I'm sorry for waking you all up, but...did...all of you agree not to tell me about the D.A. because you wanted to protect me? Or because you think I'm just a big ponce who would have ratted you out like Marietta did?"

For a heartbeat, there was silence around the room. Then...

"You've got to be kidding..."

"He woke us up for this?"

"Apparently."

"Towler, you great swot, are you fucking serious?"

"He must be, you know he never bants, Gred."

The twin that had propped up (he was in Fred's bed, but sometimes the twins switched beds just to mess with Kenneth), snapped, "For the love of Merlin, Towler. Umbridge would have had your head on a platter if you'd joined that little group, and you damn well know it."

"You know," the other twin said (probably George), "for someone who claims to be so smart, he can be really dense most of the time."

From beside Kenneth, Lee propped up and said (far more reasonable than the twins), "We all agreed not to tell you because we knew if — when — things went down, you couldn't get caught in the middle. All six of us, Towler. Al and Angie, too. You're Head Boy. If Umbridge caught you in the D.A., she'd take away your badge and give the position to Pucey, for fuck's sake."

"But..." Kenneth tried to keep his voice even as he looked back towards the twins. "You all don't think I'm...too much like your brother?" He knew they hated to say Percy's name and he didn't want to upset them, so he added nervously, "Your...third brother?"

To his surprise, the twins snickered.

"Oh, hell, if I didn't know better, I'd say he's hammered."

"Except he doesn't drink."

"That means he's just being a prat."

The humor disappeared and one of the twins snapped, "Seriously, Kenneth! No one can be like Big Head except Big Head himself! Not even you!"

"You are certainly not Percy," the other twin snorted.

"Definitely not," the first echoed. "Ever."

"We may take the mickey on you all the time —"

"Because it's so bloody easy to do —"

"And yes, you are a prat who follows the rules a bit too much —"

"But we know you aren't Percy."

"And," Lee added, smiling at him in the dark, "we know you wouldn't have ratted us out. Come on, Towler. You can be a right prig sometimes, but you're still one of us. Always. We just didn't want you to get caught because we know you love the rules and we would rather have you as Head Boy than Pucey."

"What Lee said," a twin snorted. "Now enough of this mushy shite! For the love of Godric's left buttock, let us go back to sleep, yeah?"

"Thank you," Kenneth whispered. "I always thought maybe the three of you just hated me most of the time —"

Three pillows came flying at him out of nowhere; he didn't get a Protego spell up fast enough and he tripped onto his own bed as all three other boys yelled "Go to bed, Kenneth!"

Suddenly feeling ten times lighter and happier, he grabbed his own pillow and chunked it at who he hoped was Fred. It must have made contact because he heard a distinct "Ow! Hey! Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, you're in for it now —"

The next thing he knew, they had all lunged. Pillows and feathers were flying in the dark, and they were all laughing and tripping over each other and swearing. And he didn't remotely care.

Ten minutes later, when the pillows were effectively destroyed and there were feathers all over the place, and all four of them were lying in a heap on the floor, Kenneth finally admitted the truth.

"I feel so helpless," he whispered into the darkness, glad they couldn't see his face. The truth made him feel small and insignificant, something he was sure the other three never felt. "I hate it. I can't stop Umbridge from stripping the prefects of power, or stop the Inquisitorial Squad from opening mail, or stop the Slytherins from bullying younger students. Hell, I can't even stop Umbridge from making Alicia patrol with Pucey all the time. I just... I hate feeling helpless."

The other three boys shifted and the silence was uncomfortable for a moment.

"Wait, what?" Lee's voice cracked slightly.

"Sometimes I feel like I was sorted into the wrong house," Kenneth whispered.

"No!" Lee scrambled to face him. "Not that — I mean, okay, first, you were not sorted into the wrong house! So don't ever think that! But what do you mean, Umbridge keeps pairing Al with Pucey?"

"I think it's some kind of sick retribution for the way Gryffindor beat Slytherin months ago," Kenneth muttered bitterly. "They're both Chasers, so she keeps putting them together. Back in November, when it first started, she even said she hoped Pucey could control Alicia if Alicia got angry."

Lee swore angrily.

"That match was five months ago," one of the twins gritted out. "And you're telling me she's still pissed about it?"

"I think so. She's been pairing them up at least one night a week, just to see if she can make Alicia squirm. Alicia hasn't cracked yet and... well... you can imagine how that kind of defiance pisses Umbridge off. It's gotten worse since Umbridge found out Alicia was in the D.A."

There was silence before one of the twins said, "Alright, let's be reasonable. For a second. It could be worse. She could be pairing her off with Vanhausen."

"True," the other twin agreed darkly. "I mean, I hate him because he's a smarmy Slytherin swot, but if she has to get paired with a Slytherin, best it be Pucey. Umbridge probably doesn't realize he's not as bad as the others. She thinks they're all the same —"

"But he's still a Slytherin!" Lee's voice rose slightly, almost in panic.

"Is he bothering her?" one of the twins asked seriously. "Did she say something to you, Kenneth?"

Kenneth stood up and shook his head as he pointed his wand at the feathers and pillows. They began to repair themselves. "She says he's not bothering her and she insists I not worry about her. But Alicia would say that regardless. You know how stubborn she is."

"True, but Alicia would hex his arse before she let him really get to her, you know."

"Yeah. Alicia's brilliant at defense. Seems like she's gotten better since Christmas, actually. And not necessarily because of Harry."

"I've noticed that too," the opposite twin agreed. "Every time we got into the Room of Requirement, Alicia was smashing. She wasn't having trouble with anything Harry set us, it was odd."

Lee tried again. "But even if she can defend herself, he's still a Slytherin...!"

Kenneth changed tactics; it had been obvious to him for some time that the Quidditch announcer had a thing for Alicia. "I just hate feeling like I can't do anything. Alicia can handle herself, sure. But I should be looking out for her, too! And with Umbridge controlling the school, the prefect system undermined, Dumbledore gone... I just feel useless. All of you didn't tell me about the D.A. to protect me, but what good am I if I can't protect all of you now? Would have been better if I had joined the D.A. — then I could have at least practiced defense regularly for a few months."

"Well, for starters, we don't need protection."

"The ickle first and second years? Yeah."

"But us? No."

"Alicia, too."

"Yeah, she doesn't need protection, either. She hexed me in the D.A. one night so bad I had bruises the next day."

"And second of all..."

The twins paused, glanced at each other, and smiled. Those were the smiles that always forewarned Kenneth something really bad was afoot. Something dangerous.

"Secondly?" he prodded.

The twins smiled at him.

"Best we don't tell you."

"For your own protection, Kenny."

"You understand."

"Just a precaution."

"Because we love you."

Lee grabbed a pillow and smacked the nearest twin. "Are you going to tell me, at least?"

Kenneth groaned. "Oi! I just put those back together!"

"Of course we'll tell you, Lee. You can help."

Then, to Kenneth, they added, "We've been talking already, see."

"And we believe a little bit of trouble..."

"Is exactly what our new headmistress needs."

Those identical evil smiles lit up the darkness again, but Kenneth found he didn't even care.

In fact, he really rather hoped they did something amazing.

Additional Notes: I put a lot of thought into picking Alicia and Adrian's patronuses, based on the symbolism of each and how I see the characters.