Around 4:30pm, an announcement was made stating that dinner that evening would be mandatory and that all Hogwarts students should report to the Great Hall by 6:00pm. As the clocks chimed, the whole of Hogwarts filed into the Hall, sitting at their tables. The professors were all there, sitting at the main table but Snape and the Carrows stood in front, a parchment clutched in Snape's hand. He didn't speak immediately once everyone was seated, just glared around at the gathered student body.
He unfurled the parchment, clearing his throat before he read in a mocking tone. "History will remember those who stood firm in the face of oppression, who refused to kneel before evil, and who sacrificed for the greater good. It will not remember those who joined in silence, who bowed to fear, or who betrayed their friends and classmates in pursuit of power. In the end, Voldemort and his followers will fall, and you will be left to reckon with your choices."
He crumpled up the paper and tossed it to the ground, using his wand to light it on fire. He continued to glare at them all. "This . . . 'Kaelin Frost'," he started, "this coward who uses this anonymous name, is nothing more than a troublemaker. They seek to cause dissension and give you a false impression of justice. If any of you seeks to join them in this so-called idea of 'standing firm', you will find yourself facing dire consequences. Anyone found reading this drivel, will face consequences. And as for this Kaelin Frost? They will not be able to stay hidden for long. We will discover their identity, and they will be dealt with," he added, punctuating his declaration by scanning the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables, lingering on the latter.
With a flourish of his cloak, he turned and went back to the Head Table, followed by the Carrows. Dinner finally appeared on the tables but only a few moved to eat. Students were whispering, speculating.
"Who do you think it is?" Gwen muttered, keeping her eyes downcast as she reached for a roll. They had to play the game, but Gwen, Priya could tell, was having a hard time not smiling.
"It's a pretty gender-fluid name," Priya responded, picking at her salad. When the others had asked about the name, she had kind of shrugged over Kaelin, not wanting to divulge the personal reason why the name meant a lot to her, but Frost was easy. Might as well make use of her Ice Queen persona. "Honestly it could be anyone."
Muni reached for the pumpkin juice. "Could you imagine, for all the suspicion, if it were a Slytherin?"
"It would be a good cover," Anthony chimed in. There was a twinkle in his eyes. "A justice warrior hidden in the depths of Slytherin."
"Well, whoever it is, I don't think they are cowards," Terry said, not looking their way. "I think it's brave."
Around the room, the conversation was similar to that. Priya was trying not to pay too much attention, but she could hear other students quoting parts of the letter, discussing the merits or the consequences of the words.
Her letter.
Her words.
Her writing.
On one hand, there was, of course, fear. What if they found out she wrote it? What were these consequences Snape was talking about? How long could she keep this up before she screwed it up. But on the other hand . . . whether, they liked it or not, her writing was stirring people, they were talking about her, even if they didn't know it. That was thrilling, exhilarating.
So that's what it felt like to rebel.
Priya looked down at her left hand. The scabs from the words 'I must show respect' had obviously since fallen away and the scars had faded more than she thought, but she could still see 'show respect'. She fought the smirk trying to grow on her face. She wasn't going to do much of that this year.
And she was proud of that.
To the Students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Some among you have chosen a most deplorable path—one that, despite its promises of power and grandeur, leads only to ruin and disgrace. You may think your allegiance to the Dark Lord grants you strength, but I assure you, it is nothing more than a hollow and fleeting illusion. Let us be clear: *Voldemort*—or whatever name he prefers to be called this week—is not a symbol of strength. He is not a figure to be admired, nor a leader worthy of your respect. He is a monster, a coward who seeks to instill fear in those he cannot control. He hides behind lies and dark magic, preying on the weak and vulnerable, unable to face the world without the protection of terror and manipulation.
To those of you who have chosen to follow him, I implore you to consider what you are truly aligning yourselves with. Are you willing to stand by a man who values cruelty over compassion, power over principle, and hatred over unity? Do you honestly believe that his twisted vision for the wizarding world will lead to anything but suffering and destruction?
Remember, Voldemort's promises are empty. His vision is warped. His rule will bring nothing but despair. History has shown us time and time again that those who seek to rise by trampling on others will fall just as quickly—and with greater force. Do not be fooled by his empty words and hollow promises of greatness.
You, who follow him, are nothing more than pawns in his twisted game. You may wear the cloak of his power now, but it will not protect you when the inevitable collapse occurs. Do you truly want to be remembered as nothing more than a coward or a tool for someone else's destruction?
I challenge you to look within yourselves. Are you truly proud of the path you have chosen? Will you stand with the weak, or will you rise above and fight for what is right?
The choice is yours. Do not squander it.
With the deepest disapproval,
Kaelin Frost
A week later, Priya found herself sitting at the bottom of the staircase that would open to lead to the Headmaster's office. Malfoy leaned against the wall across from her, his arms crossed over his chest. She wouldn't meet his eye, but she could tell he was watching her. He must know what the meeting was about. She had a feeling, but of course, she wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of appearing nervous.
"I bet this unnerves you," Draco responded. "Waiting."
Priya slowly dragged her eyes to him, giving him her best deadpan stare, not giving him the satisfaction of reacting to his smirk. Finally, it fell, and he looked away. This time, Priya did smirk, standing to her feet as the bookcase opened. "I'm not the one unnerved."
Quietly the two of them walked up the stairs. The door was open at the top and they entered. Snape sat at the desk, writing paperwork. It struck a chord of rage through her, to see him sitting where Dumbledore once sat but she smothered it, taking a seat at the desk with Malfoy.
It was another few moments before Snape put his quill down, lacing his fingers and raising his eyes to them.
"I'm assuming you know why you're here," he began.
Neither of the seventh years said a word, though she thought Malfoy glanced at her out of the corner of his eye again. Priya nodded. "Sir, I understand there's a lot of inconsistent patrols, but we have found it to be more conducive in regards to having the prefects work together. As I am sure you are well aware, the amount of changes have made it hard for the prefects to adjust and it's causing dissension that –"
"Tollop, I could care less about the prefects," Snape interrupted.
Priya cocked an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "Sir?"
Snape placed his steepled fingers against his lips, glaring at her. "The Kaelin Frost letters."
"Ah," Priya answered. Breathe Priya.
You are the one who has the information and the control.
"I'm assuming you read them."
"I've caught parts of them, of course, sir. Malfoy and I had the prefects collect all of them as you instructed. I'll admit I read pieces as we destroyed them."
Snape continued to stare at her a moment longer. "Do you know who Kaelin Frost is?"
"Sir?"
"Sir?" Malfoy mocked, turning to glare at her as well. "Answer the question."
"The question was meant for you, as well, Malfoy," Snape snapped at the boy, causing the Slytherin's face to blanch.
"Of course I don't know who it is," Malfoy answered, indignant. "Why would I? She's the one who cozied up to Potter last year, ran around with his friends. She obviously knows something."
Priya turned her icy stare to Malfoy. "I recognize the effect my past acquaintances have had on my reputation, but as I'm sure you've noticed, that's all they were. Acquaintances. I created the distance when I realized how detrimental those relationships were to my future. I'm not dumb."
"Theodore Nott may say otherwise," Malfoy shot back.
Of course that asshole had gone back and told all his little friends about their conversation. He probably didn't tell them that she kicked his arse. They probably think the prick was trying to be a saint. It was gross.
"Enough." Priya's jaw clenched in the effort from snapping back at Malfoy as Snape spoke, drawing back their attention to his almost murderous expression. "I could care less about your petty feuds, your 'relationships'. What I do care about is the fact that this unknown person is a menace with delusions of grandeur and is cause for concern. I want to know everything you can find about this writer and report it back to me. If another letter is published, I want all copies destroyed before it is read. Am. I. Clear?"
"Yes sir," the two Heads muttered.
"Now, get out of my office."
Malfoy jerked out of his seat starting down the stairs, with Priya following. She heard the papers shift as Snape said, "Tollop."
She turned back around, acknowledging the man who had killed Dumbledore as he gave her another hard look. "Watch yourself this year."
Priya couldn't help the slight frown that came to her face. She nodded and continued out of the office. Malfoy didn't say another word to her, which she was glad for. She was contemplating Snape's final words. It didn't sound like a threat.
It sounded like a warning.
Later that night, Priya told Dumbledore's army about her meeting with Snape. The news made them all equal parts invigorated and cautious.
"I say we hold off on any letters for a while," Hannah suggested. "Maybe take some of the heat off."
Ernie shook his head. "If we don't produce a letter, right after Snape has a chat with Priya, it'll look suspicious."
"They at least think I know who it is," Priya agreed. "They may think I warned whoever they think it is."
"They obviously suspect it to be someone in this group," Guinn said, "but they can't know who is still active, can they?"
"They'll have some ideas," Neville said, "thanks to that list from a few years ago. Which is why we need to let people know we are recruiting. It does mean we'll be under fire, but people like Guinn and Muni, people who are new, they won't suspect."
"How do we let them know we're recruiting?"
Neville grinned, nodding towards the back of the room. They all turned to look as a table appeared, laden with buckets of paint and paintbrushes. Neville moved towards the table. "We're gonna do some decorating tonight. Ginny's got knowledge of a lot of the secret passages so we're going to stay as hidden as we can, in and out."
"We unfortunately can't all have invisibility cloaks," Ginny replied with a smile. "But I can get us through mostly unseen."
"In the meantime," Munirah said, standing up, "if you'll allow me to contribute, I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at potions."
Guinn scoffed. "Pretty good, she says, knowing that she's had the highest scores for the last 6 years."
"As I was saying," Muni continued, giving Guinn a playful glare, "Priya's meeting with Snape got me thinking. That could be any one of you and Snape is a Potions Master, who definitely knows how to make Veritaserum. It'll take me a while but I think I can make up an antidote, or at least something that may help stave off some of the effects long enough for you to lie and get the hell out of there."
Her proclamation was met with silence and stares. Muni shrank a bit. "I mean, if you think that would be helpful."
"Helpful?" Ginny shook her head. "We could have used you two years ago."
"That would be great, Muni," Neville agreed. "Thank you."
Munirah grinned, shrugging. "I'll use tonight to sneak some ingredients out of Slughorn's stores. He's not nearly as watchful as Snape was."
Luna had moved to the paint, grabbing a bucket and brush. She smiled at them. "Are we ready to make a mess then?"
The next morning, the students of Hogwarts woke up to a message. A message meant for those ready to stand up and fight, to cause trouble, to rebel.
Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting