Before Amora jumped off of the Astronomy Tower, she was already having a pretty shit couple of days.
Her, Belle, Rey, Hazel, Cassie, Fred, and George silently crept through the hallways, guided by the Marauders Map. Dean had to leave to go check in with Harry and the others, but Amora didn't mind. Their group was already big enough anyways. It had taken double the time it usually did to sneak down to the dungeons, since the new Inquisitorial Squad had been roaming the halls. Every time the flash of a badge came in sight, the large group was forced to huddle in the shadows.
"Right around this corner," Fred whispered. Then Amora heard it. Something she only heard in her nightmares, but this one sounded horrifically real. Cedric was yelling in pain, and Amora was determined to go stop whatever it was.
"Amora, wait" Belle warned her, but it was already too late. She had taken off down the hallway, wand out and ready to fight. The two third years guarding the doors didn't stand a chance, as Amora hexed them so fast they didn't even have time to blink.
"Alohamora," Amora murmured to the lock. Thankfully, she heard the gears click to allow her to open the doors. Without hesitation, she threw the doors open. The room was flooded with darkness as the dank smell of mildew hit her like a hippogriff. Her eyes first found Cedric, laying on the floor and he seemed half awake. Even in the small bits of moonlight, she could see the pain in his face. He looked pale as he shook feverishly. His Hufflepuff tie had been tossed aside and his clothes had been ripped up as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
Aaron, Ned, Ernie, and Zach had been lined up behind him in the dark cells with around twenty Inquisitorial Squad members in the dungeon as well. Everyone paused and looked to Amora as she surveyed the room. Some of her fellow Slytherins ducked their heads, ashamed, while others simply rolled their eyes at her. Then her gaze finally settled on him.
"You. YOU FUCKING PRICK!" Amora screamed as she stormed in, her wand raised. Roger simply stood there, a calm expression settled on his face. She pressed her wand into his face as she glared at him. Some Inquisitorial Squad members came to help, but Roger shooed them away. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Amora noticed the rest of the group arrive. They might have seemed outnumbered, but she knew better.
"What are you going to do, Amora? Cast a spell?" Roger smirked as he leaned down, pressing his face closer to the wand.
"What did you do to him?" Amora growled.
"Why should I tell you? You're much too nice, as threatening as...well a Hufflepuff," Roger mused and the Inquisitorial Squad around him erupted in laughter.
"You're right...I'm not going to curse you..." Amora sighed, lowering her wand.
"Great. Now, dear, can we please-" Roger started, but he was cut off mid sentence.
Amora threw what she thought was a pretty good right hook, and she couldn't help but grin when her fist collided with Roger's nose. She mentally checked off Punching Roger on her mental bucket list. A loud sickening crack rang from the room as Roger stumbled and fell back.
"I don't need a wand to fight you, dear," Amora spat. The Inquisitorial Squad roared what Amora assumed to be a battle cry as they rushed to their fallen leader, wands drawn. She dove over to Cedric, ready to protect him from any attackers.
Suddenly, a door on the other side of the room was blown open. No like...it actually exploded.
"Heard you all needed some help," Seamus Finnigan chuckled as him and Dean stepped out from the shadowy secret passage. They weren't alone, as Amora felt relieved when the rest of Dumbledore's Army came out. Harry emerged from the front, and he nodded over to Amora. Amora smiled back, greatful for his help. What happened next was absolute chaos.
Considering the dungeons had been abandoned for a very long time, the seemingly dark and gloomy prison was suddenly lit up with spells being cast. Dumbledore's Army and the Inquisitorial Squad clashed, shooting spells at each other. Amora narrowly missed getting accidentally Stupefied by Ron, who apologized profusely before he remembered they were in the middle of a battle. Amora quickly wrapped her hands around Cedric's face who still seemed to be asleep.
"Dingus? Hey, I need you to wake up..." Amora murmured quietly as the world around them erupted into chaos. She didn't care. As long as there was him, they were in their own world for the time being.
"Oi! We can help you carry him back!" Fred shouted as he jelly leg jinxed a Ravenclaw. George and Fred ran over and hauled Cedric to his feet, carrying him out of the room. Amora felt pressure finally be lifted off of her chest with the knowledge of his safety, and turned her attention to the battle.
"They're all out! Fall back!" Ginny shouted. What happened next was amazing, and Amora was quite proud. Instead of all retreating to the secret passageway, Dumbledore's Army covered each other, taking turns defending the rest. They fell into a beautiful rhythm as students slowly trickled away from the fight. Soon, it was just Amora, Luna, and Harry at the doorway.
"Go!" Amora shouted, but Harry and Luna wouldn't move.
"We're leaving no one behind," Harry told her, hexing an approaching Slytherin.
"Let's all leave together, then," Luna suggested. Together, they turned on their heels and sprinted away, spells narrowly missing them, instead whizzing over their heads.
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In the Hufflepuff Common Room, Ned, Aaron, Rey, Belle, Hazel, Amora, and Cedric were all laying around the fire as it crackled softly in the glow. Cedric was fast asleep on the couch, but Amora knew that he needed the rest. Instead, she looked over to Ned and Aaron.
"What happened to him?" Amora asked quietly. She didn't want to know, but she needed to know.
"Mores, I don't want to upset you," Aaron muttered quietly. Ned also averted her gaze, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting. Hazel had also fallen asleep on a small beanbag, while Rey quietly mixed more Wiggenweld Potion. Her potions had become quite popular, but for all the wrong reasons. Once Umbridge began giving out more detentions, more students would come to Rey for more healing potions. She was up to her neck with orders.
"Aaron, one of the only things you know how to do is upset people," Belle yawned. Aaron pursed his lips before glancing over to Ned, who nodded his head solemnly.
"Roger...used the Cruciatus Curse," Aaron explained. Amora stood up and sprinted to the door, but a pair of arms caught her around the door.
"I'll punch his face in! I'll do it!" Amora screamed as Ned tried to pull her back. It took Ned and Aaron together to haul her back to the sofas. Rey wrapped her arms around Amora as she shushed her quietly. Nothing could calm her down as her heart hammered against her chest with pure rage. She was livid.
"He was going to use it on all of us. They were out of the truth serum, so he lined us up," Aaron explained.
"Of course Cedric was first," Belle said bitterly.
"It wasn't even an interrogation. It was pure torture, and Umbridge simply turned a blind eye to it," Ned spat.
"We have to tell someone! Maybe the Ministry?" Amora suggested.
"We can't. Roger's father holds too much power there, it would be useless," Rey muttered.
"Listen, we have our N.E.W.T.'s tomorrow. We ought to rest up," Aaron said. With nothing left to say, Amora curled up with Cedric on the sofa. She fell asleep to his soft breathing and his heartbeat, and the last thing she registered was how much he smelled like cinnamon...
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Amora couldn't focus on her N.E.W.T.'s the next day. Not when Cedric's hand was shaking so much he could barely hold his quill. He had thankfully woken up in time and he seemed perfectly fine on the outside, but he was much more quiet than usual. His yellow Hufflepuff tie and robes were fresh as his soft brown fluffy hair was in perfect order for testing day. He smiled and laughed when Amora was looking at him, but when she looked away he became very quiet.
He just didn't want her to worry, not when she already had so much going on. He decided to stay strong, for her. He remembered every bit of last night, until Roger hit him with the Cruciatus Curse. His body became overwhelmed as his worst fear replayed in his mind on repeat. He woke up in a dark room, with only one thing. Amora's dead body. The further he traveled in the emptiness, the more bodies there were. Ned's, Cassie's, Rey's, his parent's, Aaron's, Belle's, and Hazel's. It hit him so hard he could barely breathe, let alone process what was happening.
"Cedric?" Amora whispered quietly. Cedric shook his head, trying to shake the bad thoughts away. He looked over to Amora who had her brows furrowed as she stared at him like he had an owl's nest on his head. He gave her a small smile before glancing down at his N.E.W.T.
Before he could focus any longer, a loud firework burst into the classroom. It came in like a red sparkly streak before it erupted into a shower of light.
"What the," Professor Flitwick started. Before he could finish his sentence, twenty more fireworks entered the classroom and erupted into a storm of blinding lights. Luna burst into the classroom, clearly out of breath. Once she had regained her posture, she stood up straight and marched over to Amora and Cedric.
"Hello there! I'm awfully sorry to barge in, but Harry needs your help! Come, I'll explain on the way," Luna explained, trying to catch her breath in between words. Amora and Cedric exchanged a glance before looking over to Professor Flitwick.
"I hated Umbridge anyways, you both may be excused," Flitwick snickered with a wink. Amora grinned and grabbed Cedric's hand before running out of the classroom.
"Luna, where did the fireworks come from?" Amora asked, confused.
"Fred and George! They...er...dropped out," Luna chuckled.
"What's going on?" Cedric asked as they weaved their way through the maze of hallways.
"Sirius! He's in trouble. Harry and Hermione tricked Umbridge into following them into the Dark Forest, but we don't have much time. Neville, Ginny, and Ron are waiting at the bridge, we need to get to the Dark Forest. I'll-" Luna explained, but she was cut off mid sentence. Suddenly, a white stream of light blasted overhead, and Cedric pulled Amora down to the ground just in time to dodge the spell. Luna wasn't as lucky. The spell hit her square in the back and she crumpled to the ground, falling flat on her back. Amora rushed over, her older sister senses getting the better of her.
"Inquisitorial Squad," Cedric seethed as he tried to wake Luna up.
"We found them!" One of the students cheered, and Amora heard an army of footsteps racing over. Her head pounded, looking around. There had to be something to help them...
"Cedric, take Luna to the Dark Forest," Amora told him.
"What? What about you?" Cedric asked as he scooped a sleeping Luna into his arms.
"You trust me, right?" Amora asked.
"Always," Cedric answered, with no hesitation.
"Astronomy Tower, we're going to play a game of catch," she explained. Cedric looked at her, puzzled for a moment, before he disappeared around a corner.
"Stop right there, girl!" A voice shouted. Amora turned around and saw Filch with a group of four Inquisitorial Squad students. In Filch's hand was no longer a wand, but a large black coil that she prayed wasn't a whip. He cracked it threateningly, but if Amora was scared, she didn't show it.
"Catch me if you can!" Amora shouted. Filch scowled as his group took off down the hallway after her. Happy that he took the bait, she sprinted away.
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Amora couldn't remember a time when she had climbed stairs as fast as she had. She could possibly have set a record for how fast she ascended those stairs. Still, for a girl who could barely run a mile, she had given Filch and the students a good solid chase for twenty minutes.
Now her final stage of her little plan was in place, but she began having doubts when she shoved the Astronomy Tower open. It was still empty, with only the memories of her and Cedric in this very room. Still, she never thought she would be crazy enough to jump.
Then again, being loony did run in the family.
"Get back here!" Filch shouted. Amora would have hesitated, but she didn't have enough time for that. She climbed to the ledge of the Astronomy Tower and stared down at the drop. She gulped nervously right as she heard the door open.
"Are you crazy, girl? Pulling stunts like this! Why...why I'll have you hanging by your toes in the dungeon!" Filch threatened.
Amora payed no attention, focusing on the drop. Where was Cedric? Maybe something went wrong...No she couldn't think like that.
"Mores, wait!" A voice cried. Amora froze and turned her head around. Tyler emerged from the crowd, looking frightened.
"Please, don't do this..." he begged, holding his hand out. Amora looked at his hand, suddenly becoming unsure. She could take his hand. She could walk away from this crazy plan. She could pretend like it never happened and keep taking her N.E.W.T.s.
But her friends needed her, and that would always be her main priority.
"Sorry Tyler, not all of the LeStrange kids can be as cool as me!" Amora whooped.
She then turned around, closed her eyes, and kicked her feet off of the ledge, plummeting into the air.
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A/N: WHAT THE HECK- 21k READS????? HOLY SHI- wait I cant swear here... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I hope you all liked the chapter, cause I cant feel my fingers since I was typing so darn fast! :)