Ronald Weasley took the navigator role very seriously. So seriously in fact that he would have left all of us in the dust had the lot of us not started running to keep up.
It didn't help that half of the school was out and about after classes and exams; lingering in the halls. They were literal flesh blockades testing my patience—more than they already do that is.
And while Ron had no trouble dodging the masses with his long legs, some of the smaller people in the escapee party were less fortunate. But in the end, the red hair worked well to keep a visual as we followed him out onto the grounds and past Hagrid's hut.
"I knew bringing Umbridge away from her office was the best call given the situation, but isn't this distance a bit over kill?" Ella asked, out of breath, as she slowed in step with Sam and I.
"The real question is why have we decided to follow Weasley all the way out here," Sam replied quietly. But her sister, Tati, who was walking in step with Ginny, heard her and turned to cast her sister a dirty look.
"If you don't want to be part of this, then leave, Sam."
"You know I can't leave you and Alice to whatever trouble this is—"
"Then stop complaining about it!"
"Ella and I can keep an eye on your sisters if you really don't want to be part of this, Sam," I offered as I side stepped a massive root coming out of the ground. We were walking into the forest, allowing a new hush to fall upon the group.
"I wouldn't be able to sit calmly in the common room knowing this is going on," was her only reply before we heard Ron call out ahead of us. Ginny stilled a moment before booking it with the rest following suit.
Ron, Theo, Neville and the rest up front had made it further into the forest where the afternoon sun shaded the trees, casting unsettling shadows around us.
Directly in the middle, looking rather beat up but otherwise okay stood Harry and Hermione.
No Umbridge in sight.
"How did you all find us?" Hermione's clear voice cut through the rush of moving leaves. We rounded up closer to the main two, so that the mass of us had created a half circle around them. All the while, Ron and Neville were doing their best to explain the past events.
"Not that it matters now with the witch gone," Theo commented with an itch to his temple. "Where uh, did you place her exactly?"
"She got carried away," Harry explained rather sheepishly. "By a herd of centaurs."
"Oh hell no," Ella blurted as she twisted around to the neighboring trees. "When did Centaurs start living in these forests?"
"Well before you showed up, that's for damn sure," Dom replied, turning Ella back around to face forward. "Doubt we'll see much of our headmistress now, don't you think Jasper?"
Jasper made no comment but he kept his gaze fastened to the neighboring trees of the clearing.
"So," said Ron as the others bunched closer. "Had any ideas of what to do next?" He had Harry's wand outstretched to his friend who was regarding the question with a serious frown.
"The Department of Mysteries. That's our next bet. But –"
"When did a petty break in to a fireplace suddenly involve breaking into the Ministry?" Sam whispered hastily to Ella but it was clear that the others in the group had heard her. Hermione, in particular, was looking towards us. Noticing the gathered attention, Sam cleared her throat and spoke louder for the rest to hear.
"What's going on here, Harry? And why to merlin would you want us breaking into the Ministry of Magic?"
Alice's eyes were alight with horrible excitement as she turned back to Harry while her sister, Tati, having seen the full exchange between sisters, for once paused in thought. As if she was just now realizing what she was doing.
"Well-er actually-" Harry began but it was Hermione who gave an honest reply.
"Harry's godfather was kidnapped. By You-Know-Who. He's being kept somewhere in the department of mysteries."
Of all things Sam had expected to have come out of Hermione's mouth, that rationale was not it. And while she blinked back her own surprise, I was going through my own response to Voldemort's involvement. It couldn't be possible for such a prominent figure of past chaos to have any involvement in a bunch of students.
But then again, we were being led by Harry Potter, the one person to have actually one-upped the guy.
"How are you so sure He's involved?" Theo asked, cutting the rest of our thoughts short. "And what makes you so sure He's in the ministry?"
"Because I saw it," Harry replied, and it was odd how quickly I felt obligated to believe him. But not so much the others, who were less naive.
"Harry was using Umbridge's fireplace to send a message to see if Sirius was at home," Hermione explained. "But he got no answer-"
"What exactly do you mean by you saw?" Dom questioned as he folded his arms next to Sam.
"We're wasting time," Harry said, turning to Hermione and Ron. "I don't want all of you to come as it is," he said glancing back. "It's dangerous and none of you have signed up for this mess—"
"Oh no you don't!" Ginny shot back, walking towards him.
"You're not going, Ginny," Ron started but quickly shrunk back as his sister came at him.
"I'm three years older than Harry was when he fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," she said fiercely to the three. "And it's because of me you got as much time as you did in that fireplace. The rest of the lot came under my order. If you can't accept that you need us—"
"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville exclaimed, making the rest of us turn to him. He shrank in his stature but Luna, who was standing next to him, nudged him on. "This is what we were training for, isn't?" He asked the rest of us. "To fight You-Know-Who! It's what our parents did, why not us?"
"That's all fine and well Neville," Ella started, "but we can't even be sure that what Harry saw is accurate."
"All my visions have been accurate." Harry looked resigned to the attention but I could tell he wanted nothing to do with this conversation. He wanted action.
What a Gryffindor.
"It's true," Hermione explained calmly. "He's been having these visions ever since You-Know-Who returned. And to us, this is vitally important. It's Harry's only relative left."
A silence fell over the camp as her words took effect.
Observing how the trio seemed to subconsciously guard one another was interesting to me. Not that I did not understand. Usually people had a tendency to unintendedly physically place themselves somewhat in front of a person they mean to protect when talking about vulnerable information.
It was that alone that made me believe what they said. At least, they believe they are telling the truth. But if You-Know-Who is at the ministry, would I really want to face such a person?
"I'm staying behind," Dom said first, and Jasper nodded next to him. "I'm not saying I don't believe you, Harry, but honestly, I can't see what help I could give you when this castle is going to be erupt with chaos soon now that Umbridge is gone."
"I'm going," Alice said stubbornly.
"To hell you are," Sam roared. "It's one thing to create a blockade at the school but we're talking about You-Know-Who!"
"Just call yourself a coward and be done with it Sam!"
"Alice, that's enough. Sam's right we can't go." Sam doubletake as Tati looked back at Alice's pinched up face and shook her head. "This is dangerous, Alice. Not a game."
"Of course it's not a game! I've read about this stuff! Voldemort's done more damage in Wizarding history than we give him credit for. If there is to be another war, I want to be part of it!"
My brother was walking over to where the girls were shrieking while everyone else around us tried to cast out Alice's voice and look to Harry. At seeing Theo's advance, Alice looked to him pleadingly.
For a moment I worried he would actually agree with her. He was reckless.
"Listen to your sisters, Alice. If what you say is true, chances are you'll have ample opportunity to participate in a possible war later."
Alice stilled a moment before giving a startling, childish scream in protest and taking off in a run from the forest toward the castle.
Sam immediately turned as if to bolt after her but something internal seemed to have been fighting with her as she stopped in place with the biggest frown on her face.
The answer, although obvious, was startling against what Sam has been saying so far.
Sam wanted to come along.
"We've got her," Dom reassured Sam, with a hand to her shoulder. "She'll probably go to the common room."
He gave Jasper a look to come along and then started on a jog back on the trail Alice took back. Jasper looked like he'd rather do anything else but run, but like any quiet friend to an extraverted one, he followed his friend out of the forest without any complaint.
I felt a flick to my arm and turned to see my brother was by my side and was analyzing my face for the obvious question in the air.
"Are you going?" I asked back before he could say anything. He looked dubiously at me. "Of course. It's a perfect opportunity to do something worthwhile, don't you think?" He saw me hesitate a fraction before adding, "That doesn't mean you have to come. I'm sure it'll be dangerous—"
"Of course she's coming," Sam snapped in our direction, and I watched as my brother turned to regard Sam with an oddly controlled expression. "Why wouldn't she?"
I gave my brother a nudge before he could take Sam's bait. He looked to me and I gave him a simple nod.
"Alright then, next order of business," Ron said to the remaining crowd. "How are we getting there exactly?"
"I thought that was already discussed," Luna said in her usual dreamy air. "We fly of course."
Luna was looking oddly off in space that to this point I had simply written it off as her character and something to ignore. But as the others turned to look at where she was staring, Harry's expression brightened.
"Of course. Thestrals."
"Pardon?" Tati asked as Ginny looked to Harry with a similar frown.
"They look positively horrid," Ella commented with a grimace in the same direction. For once, Sam and I turned to one another with similar looks of confusion before looking back to where everyone else was staring.
"Does everyone else see nothing between those trees or am I just crazy?" Theo asked the masses with a hint of his usual humor.
"Only those who've seen death can see these creatures," Hermione explained, her unease on the topic clearly heard in her voice. "Harry, how exactly are we to fly these creatures if we can't all see them?"
Sam and I immediately rounded on Ella who didn't even hesitate to explain herself.
"Calm down, I didn't witness some spectacular death. I was just there when my grandmother died. Very mundane way of seeing death."
"Oh," I said with obvious relief. "I thought you were about to spill some horrible backstory."
"And make myself that much more interesting?" Ella questioned with obvious irony. "Pshh, never."
I glanced toward Sam and saw her looking off at her sister, standing by herself. Sam broke off from us and started over and we followed suit.
"Someone should stay in case Alice pulls something," Sam began. "I'll stay if you really want to go Tati, but-"
"No, you should go," Tati agreed. "The more I listen to this the more I want no part in it. I'm not comfortable with my defense spells yet. At least—not enough to feel like I can take on Death Eaters."
"At least you have a working patronus working for you," Ella commented, with a reassuring wink. Sam gave Ella a not-helping look and her friend shrugged while Tati smiled to the ground.
"You know we may not encounter anyone," Ginny said, listening in. "Harry only saw You-Know-Who torturing Sirius, but for all we know, He may have already left and we can just go in and out without being seen."
"You will have to be careful either way," Tati said, eyeing her sister. "Mum will kill me if she knows I let you go, Sam."
"She'll kill us either way now," Sam agreed with an ironic smile. "We did just storm the Headmistress's office."
"Fair point."
We let the sisters say their goodbyes while Ginny, Ella and I turned back to the planning team. But we didn't engage. Instead I had something else to ask Ginny. Quietly.
"When you said Sirius, are you talking about Sirius Black, by chance?" Ginny maintained a neutral expression before eyeing me. She nodded.
Ella immediately gasped, making some of the others turn towards us. I waved them off while Ginny notably turned red.
"He's not what Fudge says he is, Ella," She reassured in a whisper.
"You knew this entire time that he was a good man and didn't say anything to us," I muttered, feigning disbelief. It was working enough to cause Ginny to grow lines of worry as she shook her head while Ella paused before turning on Ginny.
"You're a little snake, Ginny Weasley."
"I had to keep it a secret. For Harry-" Ginny explained rashly but I was still snickering over Ella's comment. Ella gave her a reassuring pat on the arm.
"It's obvious that your family has taken care of Harry for a while now so you would know more about all of this then the rest of us. If you say Black has good character then so be it."
"Besides," I commented, "that wouldn't be the first time the news destroyed a person's reputation," I said reassuringly. "But it might take me a moment to come terms with the fact that you can lie to your friends so well."
"Terms with what?" Sam was suddenly by my side. Tati were gone, having left for the castle already. Ginny muttered a curse under her breath while Ella chuckled at the trouble.
"Ginny go help Hermione, she looks a bit beside herself. I'll handle this," I directed.
"Now you've got me worried and possibly a bit more curious," Sam said, rounding on me and Ella as Ginny slinked off with an inaudible thank you behind Sam's back.
"The godfather that we are saving," I began, looking at Sam. "Is Sirius Black."
Sam blinked.
"And it turns out the newspapers have been lying about him for some time."
"You mean to tell me I'm putting my life on the line for a criminal?"
"That about sums it up," Ella confirmed.
"Are you chickening out?" I asked cleverly. Sam cast a glare in my direction making me crack a small smile. "I figured not."
"I couldn't possibly now."
"Why? No one would judge you."
"Oh yes he would," she muttered quietly, turning away. I looked from her to my brother, who was standing idly next to Ron as Harry rambled on.
I looked back to find Sam watching my quietly while Ella frowned at the pair of us.
"See my point?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But I hope you're not doing this solely to get my brother's attention. That would be very stupid."
Sam scoffed before turning away to face the group.
"Yes, very stupid indeed."
"What?" Ella repeated, her eyes glued to Sam. Obviously Ella had missed the memo.
"Sam and my brother had a thing," I explained hastily, missing the stare Sam cast my way. Ella let out barely a peep in response.
"And you two just weren't going to tell me?"
"Honestly I thought she had already told you," I said, stirring the pot while Sam cursed under her breath.
"Bite it, Ava. Ella you know that's not what happened-"
"Oh?" Ella said feigning hurt. "From my point of view nothing happened and yet a lot really did happen. Like a lot a lot-"
Before this lovely conversation could keep going, Harry waved us together and the trouble began.
In the end we were rounded up in groups of two to take flight on these invisible creatures. Harry, being the most likely to know how to get to London on these creatures said he'd take the lead and Luna would follow in the back to make sure everyone riding without any visible understanding stayed safe.
I expected these creatures to be about the size of a lion, maybe bigger like a bear but when I watched Harry take a massive leap before hoisting himself up the rest of the 6 feet off the ground, I gulped.
"Who's coming with me?" he asked, extending a hand. Ron moved to join his friend but as girls do, there seemed to be a silent understanding as Hermione snagged the corner of Ron's robes, making him trip while Sam and I hastily pushed Ginny forward.
"There's a bit of a divot over here to help climb," Harry explained as she stepped forward. "Take my hand, I'll help." Ginny notably whitened at what was before her but she took his hand and a moment later found herself safely situated behind Harry.
Hermione gave the subtlest of winks in my direction making me smile like a Chesiree.
Luna went up with Neville, Ron followed Hermione and after some quick thinking of my hand, I snagged Ella leaving Sam positively steaming.
Theo, who has always been a daredevil, managed with some help to sit up on a thestral all by his lonesome. He spotted Sam alone on the ground and waved to her.
"Over here, Spencer."
"You're going to drop me," Sam replied, eyeing the invisible creature uncertainty as she neared him. Theo smirked, seeming to enjoy Sam's nerves, before extending a hand out to her.
"I'll keep you safe, I promise."
Sam eyed his hand cautiously before looking up to him. My brother had a charming smile and he knew it. Charming smiles can be powerful things when used properly, like now.
It seemed to be enough to build some trust back between the pair as Sam released a sigh and grabbed his hand.
"Fine. But if you cause trouble I swear-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," my brother cut off, yanking her up. "You'll jinx my pillow, spike my pumpkin juice, etc. I get it."
I watched all this with a subtle smile while Ella, who was also watching, finally turned to me with a disbelieving look.
"They're positively dripping with chemistry. How did I not see this until now?"
"You're asking me. I only found out last week."
"Merlin," Ella whispered with a shake of the head. "I'm so lonely."
As the Thestrals took off into the air, I gripped hard to Ella while laughter erupted from me.
Such a change in events no matter how dire deserved some light heartedness before the storm.
Hello there,
Apologizes on my taking another hiatus. Family stuff came up that made me lose my want to write. Even if it was leading up to all the fun stuff.
I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. I plan to post again if my exams don't kill me, on Monday.
Until then,
-WG-