Always You

CHAPTER 23

I returned to the castle directed to the Great Hall to have dinner with my friends, but when I arrived there, I could only see Ginny and Neville eating together.

I came closer, and I sat

"Hi, where is everybody?" I asked looking at both of them

"Um, they said they needed to study, they went to the library when you went to the owlery, and I reckon they are still there." Said Ginny without looking at me

I nodded. It seemed strange, very strange, but I didn't say anything. I ate something, and after a while I saw Draco enter the room and sit at the Slytherin table with Blaise and Crabbe.

I finished to eat, without talking to anyone: Ginny seemed nervous, and Neville too. I was a little disappointed. I would have really liked to have dinner with my friends to celebrate the results to my exams, like they said that afternoon. But it didn't matter.

"Ginny it's time" Neville whispered to Ginny's ear, but I could hear everything he said "there's Dean over there, they are ready" I didn't understand what they were talking about.

"Hannah, do you mind if we all go back to the common room? We have already finished to eat" Ginny asked me

"Um, yeah, sure. But is everything ok? Have something happened?"

"Yes sure, what should go wrong? Everything is fine" she answered

"You seem nervous. Both of you" we got up, and started to exit the room, they didn't answer.

I took one last look at the Slytherin table, and I could see Blaise waving in my direction.

"Ginny, Neville. Wait a minute" I went in his direction

"Hi Blaise" I said smiling

"hey Hannah, I heard about your exams. Congratulations. I'm really happy for you" he said, I was starting to answer, but Draco, who was sitting next to him and didn't look at us, cleared his voice. We both looked at him, but he was still looking at the food he was eating. He seemed... jealous?

"thanks Blaise. I really appreciate that. I have to go now. Bye you two" in that moment Draco looked up, and smiled at me

I returned to Ginny and Neville, and we went to our common room. All the way to the common room I kept asking why they were acting in that way. I wanted to know, but they never answered to me. I could expect that from Ginny, but not from Neville, who seemed the most nervous of the two.

I entered first the room, and before I could see hanging banners which said "You won't get rid of us very easily Hannah Nolan" food and drinks on the table, I heard "Surpriseeee!".

I didn't expect that, and probably the expression on my face expressed the amazement I felt.

I ran and hugged everyone: Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Dean, George, Fred, Lavender and many others. they did all of this for me, and I really didn't expect anything. I kept saying how grateful I was, and I continued to thank everyone.

We passed the night dancing, singing, drinking and eating some snacks.

After two hours I remained in the common room with Hermione, Harry, Ginny and Ron

"guys, you are amazing. Really. thank you for everything" I smiled

"We are so happy you can stay with us Hannah. You are important to all of us. We are grateful you came here" Harry said, and I hugged him, because he sat next to me on the couch.

"Obviously the idea was mine" Said Hermione and we all laughed

"you can't imagine how terrible Hermione is when she gives orders" Ron explained how Hermione behaved in the past hours and we all laughed, Hermione too.

After some time, we all went to bed, and when I was laying in my bed, I couldn't stop smiling. They made that night unforgivable. And I probably fell asleep smiling.

The next day I had some classes to attend to in the morning, while we all had DA in the afternoon. It was one of the last lessons of the year, because school year was finishing, and we would go home for summer holidays.

During that lessons, Harry made us review the Patronus charm, and this time all of us could managed to see how our Patronus looked like. mine was a white swan.

While we were exercising, we heard the sound of an explosion, and it seemed very close to us. We all stopped doing what we were doing and watched the chandeliers moving too much.

The explosions continued, and I was starting to worry.

I came closer to Hermione and whisper: "What is it happening?"

she whispered: "No idea".

I saw Harry and Nigel came closer to the mirror, because it seemed that the noises came from that direction. The mirror glass started to break, and after some seconds it broke in thousands of pieces.

In the wall behind there was a hole, and I heard Umbridge's voice saying: "I'll make short work of this. Bombarda maxima"

As she said those words, I felt Ron's arms protecting Hermione and I from the wall pieces. I stood up when everything seemed finished, and I saw Umbridge, Mr Filch, and 7 Slytherin students behind her, including Crabbe and Goyle.

They found out everything, they found out DA, and we were in huge troubles.

The situation got worse when a blonde boy came out holding Cho Chang.

He was smiling, because he knew they managed to find out what we were planning for months, but when he saw me, his smile disappeared, and my heart broke in thousands of pieces as the mirror did few seconds earlier.

In that moment I felt humiliated and so disappointed. I looked down, because I felt that it was the only thing I could do in that moment.

"get them" Umbridge said to the people who were with her.

Draco let go of Cho and he went in my direction, but I was so angry at him, that I didn't want to see him, or talk to him.

"Hannah" he grabbed my arm, but I removed it immediately. I didn't want any type of contact with him

"Don't talk to me ever again" I said, and I followed my friends out of the room, leaving him standing there alone, but I didn't care.

Harry had to follow Umbridge and the minister of magic, who had been called, in Dumbledore's office, while we could go back to our common room.

Umbridge gave us detention for the next day. We were lucky we managed to escape it only with a punishment, but I felt it wasn't going to end well.

When we were in the common room, we didn't speak at all.

I was sad about what happened, and angry with Draco, who continued to be an Umbridge's spy no matter what. I was trying to accept that, and to tell myself he was, in some ways, obliged to do it, but when I saw the smile on his face when he understood they had found us, I understood he wanted to do it.

He let me down, I was so disappointed, sad, and angry with everything, that I went to bed early that night, without talking to anyone.

I wanted that day to finish, but, on the other hand, I was scared of the next days.

I didn't even cry, he wasn't worth, he didn't deserve my tears.

That night I went to bed with the news that Dumbledore escaped. That meant only one thing: Umbridge would have been the new headmistress of Hogwarts.

That night was the first night I really wanted to go home.