Alastriona was sat on the soft arm chair in the library, legs across Draco's lap, he absently ran his hand up and down her leg and she slowly worked through her Herbology assignment.
Theo plopped down into the arm chair near them. "Umbridge approved the Slytherin Quidditch team."
Draco nodded. "I know."
Theo threw his arms around. "How'd you find out before me?"
Draco gave him a blank stare. "I'm on the Quidditch team, Theo."
"Right!" He snapped his fingers and relaxed back into the chair.
"I was there when she approved it, I think she mainly did because she knows my father." His voice dropped low and he focused on his hands running over Alastriona's legs.
Alastriona hummed. "That could be a good thing."
"Explain?" Draco said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, staying on her good side could be useful." She said sheepishly.
He arched a pale brow at her. "To keep her off your tail while you have secret meetings with Potter?"
Silence.
Theo and Alastriona exchanged panicked looks. Alastriona stuttered.
"I was going to tell you--"
"Were you?" He didn't sound angry and his hand was still going up and down her leg, she took this as a good sign.
Alastriona pulled herself closer to him. "Yes."
Draco smiled. "I know. I just didn't want you to worry about telling me."
Theo breathed out a sigh of relief. "Great! So you'll keep an eye on Umbridge for us?"
"Of course." He saw blank spaces on Alastriona's parchment. "You haven't written about their function in potions." He reached out and grabbed her hand. He let out a huff, the skin on her left thumb red, raw and peeling. "Love..."
She took her hand back. "I know. I'm trying."
Theo ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Nightmares?" Alastriona knew he was all too familiar with the concept of sleepless nights.
She smiled pathetically. "Not even a Sleeping Draught is helping anymore." She hated the silence that followed and she cleared her throat. "My grandparents wrote to me, they'll be coming to our house for Christmas this year and they'd like to meet everyone." She grinned at Draco. "And Uncle Finn really wants to meet you."
Theo grinned, casually accepting the change of topic. "Oh, count me in! I definitely need to see that, Draco meeting your uncle... Brilliant."
Draco squirmed a little. "Should I... be worried?"
Alastriona couldn't help but laugh. "No, not at all. He's a gentle giant and he just wants to meet you cause me and Darcy are always talking about you."
Theo cleared his throat.
Alastriona rolled her eyes. "He's already met you, Theo, but yes, we talk about you as well."
Theo grinned. "Just checking."
Hurried footsteps rushed over to the group and Alastriona smiled at Susan.
"Alastriona--" She said, out of breath. "Common Room-- Darcy--"
Alastriona stood up, the boys sat up straight and leaned forward. "What's wrong with Darcy?"
Susan finally caught her breath. "She's just broken up with Lee."
Alastriona put a comforting arm around Darcy's waist. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked.
They were making their way to the seventh floor.
"Yeah-- yeah I'll be right." She said, softly. "It was all very reasonable, I said what I had to say and then left, it just might be a bit awkward."
They stopped walking. Usually where there was just a wall on the seventh floor was now an ornate door. Alastriona opened the door and walked in, Darcy closed it behind them.
They waved to Harry, Ron and Hermione before moving to stand with Blaise, Theo, Dawn and Tracey.
Zach Smith turned his nose up at the group. "Who let all the snakes in?" He said spitefully, Alastriona hissed harshly in his direction and he flinched, Theo to snickered and Blaise pulled her away and brought her into his side.
"I did." Harry answered loudly, glaring at Zach. "They're good people."
Zach kept his mouth shut, moving to stand further away from them.
Harry waited till all of the group had arrived.
"Well, this is the place we've found for practices, and you've obviously found it okay--"
Everyone chimed in, impressed at the room.
Fred gazed around the room, confused, "It's bizarre, we once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then..."
Dean asked about the Sneakoscopes and Foe-Glass sitting behind Harry.
"Dark detectors," Harry said. "Basically they all show when dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."
He stopped to check on the Foe-Glass before moving on. "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and--" Hermione had her hand in the air. "What, Hermione?"
"I think we ought to elect a leader." She said.
Cho sat up straighter. "Harry's leader." She said, looking for anyone to say no to her.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly, it makes it formal and gives him authority. So everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"
Everyone's hands shot up.
"Right, thanks," Harry said awkwardly. "And-- what, Hermione?"
"I also think we ought to have a name." She suggested cheerfully. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"
Angelina Johnson immediately suggested they be the Anti-Umbridge League.
"Or the Ministry of Magic are morons Group?" Fred said.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."
They eventually all agreed on Dumbledore's Army, the DA for short.
"Right," Harry began again, "Shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful--"
"Oh, please," Smith said, immediately hostile. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"
"I've used it against him. It saved my life last June." Smith shut up. "But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave."
Nobody left.
"Okay, I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."
Alastriona paired with Theo.
She disarmed him and he glared at her before retrieving his wand.
Harry came around and for a single moment he hesitated before telling Theo to adjust his grip and showing Tracey the best way to stand.
He smiled stiffly when they both thanked him.
At 9:10pm Harry blew his whistle for a final time.
"Well, that was pretty good, but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"
After some debate they settled on Wednesday next week instead.
When they were leaving Lee looked like he was going to talk to Darcy but she turned and walked away, taking the long way back to the dungeons to avoid him.
Fred nudged Alastriona's side. "Bit awkward, eh?"
She smiled half heartedly. "A little."
"He regrets it, you know? How he treated her." Fred said quietly, watching Lee watch Darcy.
"Too late now." George said from Alastriona's other side. "Bloody idiot."
Fred hummed. "Let's get the idiot cheered up and in bed."
They left and Alastriona ran to catch up with Theo, Blaise and Tracey.
Tracey and Alastriona were practising the Impediment Jinx, taught to them by Harry in their most recent DA lesson, in one of the unused classrooms on the third floor.
Tracey seemed distracted while they were with the others in the library and Alastriona thought she might need some time away. She was right.
"I mean I got the Reductor Curse first try, why is this one so hard?" Tracey said with a huff.
"Maybe there's something on your mind." Alastriona suggested. "Maybe you're too distracted."
"How do you do that?" Tracey asked. "How do you always see what's going on in our heads?"
Alastriona shook her head. "I don't. It took me ages to notice Darcy was in pain, not to mention I had no idea how Cedric felt about me until he told me." She shrugged. "But sometimes I notice, like today, that you're a little off. But if you don't want to talk about it we don't have to, we can just keep--"
"I like someone!" The words practically exploded from the Slytherin's mouth.
Alastriona smiled, "Well--"
"It's a girl!" Tracey pretty much shouted out.
Alastriona nodded. "Well--"
"I'm gay!"
"Well--"
"I'm a lesbian!" Alastriona stayed quiet. Tracey breathed loudly. "Wow. I can't believe I actually said that out loud." Alastriona didn't say anything, she stood silently, looking at Tracey. "Do you-- do you hate me now?"
Alastriona took small strides until she reached Tracey and went on her toes to wrap her arms around the girls neck, hugging her fiercely.
"Impossible." She said. "Thank you for telling me, Tracey."
Alastriona sat on top of a desk and folded her legs up. "So, who's the girl?" She asked enthusiastically.
Tracey's cheeks tinged pink, she rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. "Daphne Greengrass."
Alastriona squealed excitedly. "You told me about her! I should've known!"
Tracey's shoulders seemed to drop and she let out a breathless chuckle. "You promise not to tell anyone?"
"Of course, Tracey, you know your secrets are safe with me." Alastriona reassured her with a smile.
There was an easy silence that brushed over the empty classroom.
Tracey laughed nervously, lifting her gaze from the floor to Alastriona. "So... Do you think Daphne would ever like me?"