Lily's POV
We all headed back to Hagrid's hut, when I informed the group of going to see an old friend. They smiled, watching me disappear into the forest. It took me a couple of minutes to find her, lazing around in a familiar clearing, surrounded by a low brick-wall, patches of sunlight breaking through the treetops making her scales glimmer in the rippling light. Slowly, she brought her head up and her pearly eyes met mine.
Standing to shake her body, she thudded over to me, allowing me to pet her nose. Cautiously, I moved around the side of her body, never removing my hand from her side, stopping just before the wing. She bent down expectantly and I climbed on to her back and with a great flap of her wings, we lifted off the forest floor and into the afternoon sky. The fog from this morning had cleared and the sun hung just above the mountains, as we swooped over them and through the wispy clouds.
The wind rushed through my almost-auburn hair and clothes, allowing me to feel free for the next half-an-hour of flight. I knew that if I was caught, which I probably would be, Umbridge would try and get Opal kicked out of the forest, but she was going up against a dragon, so good luck with that. Besides, up here there wasn't anything to worry about. The stress, anxiety and drama flew off my skin with the rushing wind and my laughter filled the air, then the forest as Opal landed with a thud.
Whooping, I slid down her side, onto the ground and moved in front of her to rub her neck. "Lily."
Gasping, I whipped around at the familiar voice and suddenly my mind wasn't care-free anymore. "Draco." He smiled, approaching Opal, holding out his hand and I watched his figure in the sunlight. "Let me guess, control issues?"
He chuckled, now rubbing the dragons nose. "Yeah, something like that."
There was something in the atmosphere when we were together, like it was relaxed, we could both act normally and all our differences slip away. But that also allowed for it to be easy for us to lie about it to each other. "Didn't we do this last time?"
He cast his eyes downwards and turned away from Opal towards me, the bored dragon trodding away. "I–"
"I just want to say, I'm sorry." I rushed out. "For the way I treated you the other night. I don't know what came over me."
He let out a breath and it sounded like he was saying, "Probably the same thing that's come over me." under his breath, not meant for my ears so I didn't say anything.
"Not that I should be apologising." I continued. "It's not like I owe you anything."
He whistled, giving me a hard stare. "Low blow. What about going out with Dean Thomas?"
"I say it makes up for everything you've done."
"Oh so, you don't even actually like him." He scoffed, throwing his arms in the air.
"I didn't say that." I snapped, narrowing my eyes. "Why, you jealous, Draco?"
"So what if I am? I have every right to be."
"That's just it! You don't! So back off."
After an intense stare off, his eyes softened and he sighed, walking towards me. I wanted so much to step back, away from this boy that I hated, but I couldn't. Secretly, I craved him and his touch. Gently, he reached for my left arm and rubbed circles into the back of it with his rough thumb, mere millimetres away from each other. Moving up my arm he reached my elbow and dragged me the rest of the way into his embrace.
"Mmmm, I've missed this." He moaned.
"You have no idea." I responded, my hands resting on his back, clutching him to me and silent tears ran down my cheeks.
Opal gave a loud yawn behind us and we pulled apart, laughing. He winced at my tears, wiping them away with his fingers and I allowed myself to look up and get lost in his flawless face. "Please don't cry, my lily." The air became thick with the sin and the awkwardness rose.
His other hand came up to cup my cheeks and I felt us both drifting toward each other. So I turned away and hurriedly ran through the forest, towards the castle. "Lily, wait!"
he easily caught up with me and we slowed to a walk, silently making our way up to the castle, his hands in his pockets. Entering the darkening courtyard, the first thing I hear is sobbing and I see Fred and George sitting beside a little first-year boy, along one of the hallways. Harry appeared on my other side out of nowhere, ignoring the issue of Malfoy being here and the three of us walked closer.
"What's your name?" Fred asked softly.
"Michael." The boy cried.
"Your hands gonna be fine, Micheal. See?" George showed him his hand and the twins glanced at us, their eyes glazing over Draco, before looking back at the boy.
"It's not as bad as it seems. It's fading already." Fred nodded. "You can hardly see ours anymore and the pain stops after a while."
I smiled at my dear friend and thought about how one day, Fred would make an extraordinary father. There was a little cough from the doorway up ahead and Toad stood there, smirking at all of us rather proudly. "As I told you once before Mr Potter, naughty children, deserve to be punished."
I shook my head exhausted by the rollercoaster of emotions I've faced today alone. "Nobody deserves to be tortured."
She clenched her jaw and looked at Draco. "Mr Malfoy, please follow me, I would like to speak with you in my office."
"Careful, she might torture you too." I met his saddened gaze and he followed her into the castle. "You know, George," Fred said. "I've had just about enough of this school, besides I feel our futures lay outside the world of academic achievement."
"Fred, I've been thinking exactly the same thing."
I turned to the twins. "And I have an idea for you're final galore."
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Emmaline's POV
The fifth years sat in the Great Hall completing our Transfiguration OWL exam, which I had studied rather hard for. It was my ambition to become an Auror, like both of my parents. There was a bang from outside the Hall, echoing throughout the corridors. Umbridge sat up straighter in her chair, standing as the booming continued. Now that all of us had been unsettled by the noises, Umbridge rose from her 'throne' at the front of the room and strutted down the aisle of desks and out the huge open doors.
All our eyes followed her flouncing pink outfit and we watched as one of the twin's famous sparks floated erratically in front of Toad's shocked face and fizzled round her entering the hall and exploded. Boom. There was a whooshing noise and George and Fred flew into the room on their Cleansweeps, sending parchment flying. "All right, Professor!" George shouted.
Everyone got out of their seats, cheering and jumping on top of desks. I sat watching in wonder as the two boys circled above us, letting off the rest of their assortment of fireworks left over from their first attack. Multicoloured fireworks erupted in front of my face and Lily joined me, wrapping an arm around my waist and we watched in awe, as Umbridge stood completely dumbstruck, not knowing what to do.
Fred and George met up at the front of the room and let off the mother of fireworks. A sequence of fireworks erupted in marvellous reds and oranges and a dragon erupted from the haze. Its beady eyes stared down Umbridge and swooped at her. She ran through the rows of desks, wailing at the top of her lungs, running out into the foyer where the dragon managed to close its jaws around her and blew up into a thousand fireworks. The force knocked off every single decree hanging on the wall, falling to the ground and splintering into shards of wood and glass.
Everything was silent as people didn't know what to do and Umbridge stood there looking quite frightened, paper, glass and wood falling around her. With loud whoops the twins soared out of the Great Hall, either side of the ruffled professor and Lily leapt forward leading the crowd of cheering students out into the courtyard, shoving the pink lady to aside. Throwing up their last firework at the gathering crowd, a large green 'W' hung in the air and they grinned down at the crowd, proud of their achievement.
Though I was happy for the rebelliousness, a deep dread settled in the pit of my stomach and both the twins lowered themselves to the ground and Lily and I stepped forward. Lily hugged Fred goodbye in a long and firm embrace, while I stepped in front of George. He smiled down at me, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Guess this means you're leaving?"
He nodded, a look of sadness in his beautiful eyes. "Like I always said. But Em, this is not me leaving you. I am going to write to you, everyday if you want me to, I'll see you in the holidays and I'll make this work."
Placing my hand over his that cupped my cheek, I smiled softly. "No, we'll make it work."
He grinned, dipping his head and his lips met mine. A chorus of cheers and applause met our ears as our lips moved in sync and we wrapped our arms around each other, ending up in an embrace. "I love you, Emmaline Black."
I smiled up at him, tears streaming down my cheeks and whispered, "I love you too, George Weasley."
He gave me one last swift kiss and hugged Lily, joining his brother in the air and the two disappeared into the sunset. Lil wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we watched the two boys become specs in the sky. Hermione ran out to meet us. "Lily, Em! Sorry, but it's Harry."
Without hesitation we were running to where Harry was on the ground, Ron crouched beside him. "Harry?"
He looked up at his sister. "Sirius, he's in trouble."
"Are you sure?"
"I saw him being tortured by Voldemort, Lily."
"Okay." She helped him up and ran into the castle, both of them seeming to know the one place where to go.
"It's just like Mr. Weasley, I saw the same door I've been dreaming about for months. Sirius said, 'Voldemort was after something, something he didn't have the last time' and it's in the Department of Mysteries."
"How do you know?" I asked, desperately trying to grasp the thread of explanation he was pouring out.
"Harry, please just listen." Hermione pleaded and the twins stopped, turning to her. "What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you? What if Sirius isn't even in danger and he's lounging around Headquarters?"
"But what if he is being tortured by Voldemort?" I asked. "We're supposed to let him die?"
Hermione and Ron looked at each other before Ron nodded. "What do we do?"
"We'll have to use the Floo Network."
"But Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance." Hermione replied.
"Not all of them." Harry lead us up to Umbridge's office.
We unlocked her office, which was empty and disgustingly pink with plates with paintings of cats hanging off the walls. We crouched by the fire. "Alert the order, if you can."
"Are you mental?" Ron asked. "We're going with you two."
"It's too dangerous, Lily's staying here too."
"Oh, yeah sure." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"When are you going to get it into your head?" Hermione sighed. "We're in this together."
"That you are." We turned around to find Umbridge, pink faced and glaring at us in the doorway of her office.
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Lily's POV
I was sat in the single chair in front of Umbridge, Harry and the other's being held captive by a Slytherin member of the Inquisitorial Squad. Draco dragged Neville into the room and glanced between Umbridge, the tip of her wand pointed at me, and then me, before repeating it a second time. i met his alarmed gaze, but he shuffled his prisoner further into the room.
Umbridge bent down so her face was level with mine and smiled sickly. "You were going to Dumbledore weren't you?"
"Nope."
She slapped me across the face so I was looking at the others, noticing how more than one of them flinched. "Don't touch her!" Harry yelled, struggling against Goyle, who was twice his height.
"Shut up, Harry." I snapped, silencing him.
"You sent for me Headmistress?" Snape stood in the doorway.
"Snape, yes." She stood up, out of my face. "The time has come for answers, whether they want to give them to me or not. Have you brought the Veritaserum?"
"I'm afraid you've used up all my stores interrogating students." Snape lied, knowing that no matter how much I tried I could leak information about the Order. "The last of it on Miss Chang. Unless you wish to poison her, which I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did, I cannot help you."
He started to turn a way before I stopped him. "He's got Padfoot." Snape turned to me and I sent him my best pleading look. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden."
"Padfoot? What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What is she talking about Snape?" Umbridge blubbered out all these questions.
"No idea." He looked at me and something flashed in his eyes before he turned and walked down the stairs.
"Well then, you give me no choice." She looked at the picture of Fudge on her desk. "As this is an issue of Ministry security, you leave me with no alternative." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue."
"That's illegal." Hermione reminded.
"What Cornelius doesn't know, won't hurt him." She said tipping the photo so it was face flat and turned back to me.
"We're you're students!" Harry tried, but she ignored him, raising her wand.
"You can use the Cruciatus Curse on me all you want, bitch, but your pathetic magic is nothing against Voldemort's."
"Crucio." Pain shot threw me and I struggled to keep still in the chair, my eyes firmly gripped shut.
"Stop! Stop!" Ginny shouted.
The curse was lifted off me and I sat panting in the chair looking up at Umbridge. She glared at me and then grabbed me by my robes collar and shoved me into Draco's hold, replacing me with Harry. Draco caught me easily and stopped my exhausted body from falling. Umbridge went to cast the spell but Hermione snapped. "Tell her, Harry!"
"Tell me what?"
"Well if you won't tell her where it is, then I will." I rolled my eyes at Hermione, catching Emmaline shaking her head in disapointment.
"Where what is?"
"Dumbledores secret weapon."
Glancing at Em, Ron, then Harry, we were left utterly confused. Umbridge faltered at this piece of new information and she grabbed Hermione and Harry, leading them out the door, locking it behind her. Draco sat me down on the chair. "Are you okay?"
"That woman is crazy." Dean came to stand beside me, looking out the door in case they suddenly appeared.
"Where do you suppose they're going?" Luna asked, but I shrugged.
"Not sure."
The other Slytherins glanced at each other. "How are we going to get out of here?" Blaise stressed. Raising my hand I clenched it slightly and turned, the sound of the lock unlatching. "Oh."
"You know what this mean?" I turned to Draco, who's face fell. "We're going to have to make it look like we fought our way out of here, rather than you just letting us go."
"Done." Goyle smirked, punching his best friend in the face.
I gasped, trying not to laugh as Crabbe stumbled into a pink painted cabinet, sending china plates crashing to the floor. "Ouch." He exclaimed and launched himself at his best friend.
The others laughed, watching the pair fake fight. My eyes narrowed in on Draco and he shook his head. "No, Lily please."
"What?" I replied innocently. "At least I'll get my revenge."
"Don't think you got enough?" His eyes flickered to Dean behind me.
I took his face in my hands and he closed his eyes, face already screwed up in a wince ready for the pain. Bringing my head forward, there was a satisfying crack as his nose broke, blood oozing all over the floor in front of us. He clutched his nose, leaning against the desk. "Fuck, Lily! This is the second time!"
"Sorry." I winced as a galleon of blood seemed to be pouring out of his nose. "You'll get over it." I handed him a box of pink-coloured tissues, that smelt faintly of roses and he glared up at me.
"Get going already."
"Ah, ah, ah, wands please." He handed the collection of wands and everyone grabbed there's and I grabbed Dean's hand leading everyone out of the room.
Harry and Hermione were running along the bridge towards the castle, when we caught up with them. "Draco let you go?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, but Lily got to headbutt him, broke his nose, it was awesome." Dean said beside me.
"It was brilliant." Ginny grinned. "So, how are we getting to London?"
"We fly, of course." Luna smiled.
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