Iris's Seventh Year:
The letter rested in my hands. I read it once again while preparing myself for an outing. A dress was laid out on my bed. It was a burgundy colored dress that went down to my knees and had thick straps. I slipped it on and brushed my long, black hair. Only on special occasions I would wear dresses. This was one of those occasions. I read the invitation again.
Fleur Delacour and William Weasley
Invite You to Celebrate With Us
On Our Wedding Day
August 1st, 1997
Location: Weasley Burrow
I set down the note on my night stand. I call out to Aunt Annabelle, telling her that I was leaving for the wedding. Standing in my room, I clutched my fists. I tried to focus and I thought of the Weasley Burrow. I closed my eyes for a minute, the next thing I knew, I was no longer in my bedroom.
My surroundings definitely weren't strange. This place was familiar. I had been here last summer and the summer before that. A banner hung in the kitchen saying, "Congrats Bill and Fleur." My head felt dizzy since I still wasn't used to apparating. I barely passed my apparition test a few months ago. There was a roar of voices, girls giggling and men talking. Suddenly, Molly Weasley came from the kitchen. She was a bit startled since she had no idea I was in her home.
"Oh, Iris! It's good to see you, dearie." Mrs. Weasley hugged me and I hugged back.
"Good to see you, too, Mrs. Weasley. Sorry for popping in like this," I apologized. "still getting used to apparating is all."
"No need to be sorry. Anyway, Fred and George are outside." I nodded and went to search for the twins.
The tent was filled with not so familiar faces. A majority of the guests had red hair. It was obvious that they were Weasleys. On top of that, there were several veelas from Fleur's grandmother's side of the family. In the corner of my eye I saw Professor Lupin. I hadn't seen him since Dumbledore's funeral. Next to him was his wife, Nymphadora, but I called her Tonks like everyone else since she preferred that. A lot of members from the Order of the Phoenix were here. Harry had to be near, hidden of course. Someone might turn him in if they set eyes in him, couldn't risk it.
In the sea of red heads and veelas, I spotted Fred and George. I ran up to them happily and tapped their shoulders. They spun around, looking just the same as they did last time I saw them, except now George was missing an ear.
"Bloody hell, what happened to you?"
The twins gave me a look. "Good to see you too," they scoffed together.
"Come inside, we'll explain," Fred responded as he and George guided me inside.
We walked upstairs to go into their old bedroom from when they used to live in the Burrow. I sat down on a chair left in there. I would of sat on the floor, but Aunt Annabelle would be upset to hear I got the dress filthy after leaving the house for only fifteen minutes.
"So what happened?" I asked anxious for an answer.
"Last night," George began. "we had to get Harry and take him here-"
"Harry's here? Right now?"
"Sorta. Poly juice potion, he's pretending to be one of our relatives. Can't risk getting caught, even at a family event," Fred explained.
"Anyway, most of the Order came along and we did something pretty risky."
Fred and George told me everything. How they had to take poly juice potion to fool Death Eaters, making them think they were Harry. Putting their own lives in danger to keep him safe. How George got hit by a curse during a cross fire and was lucky that it hit nothing more than his ear. How Professor Moody wasn't so lucky.
I sat there silently letting it sink in. One of my professors was dead. I didn't want to believe it but I had to. He was gone, another member of the Order, gone.
There was a knock on the door. I turned my head in its direction and saw Lee Jordan. He was in a suit like Fred and George. It was unusual seeing him dressed up since I've only ever seen him in his Hogwarts robes.
"Wedding's starting, get a move on," Lee told the twins. He then noticed me. "Iris, didn't know you were here. Good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Lee."
"Fred," Lee began. "you need to check it out down stairs, more veelas just showed up." Lee had a smirk on his face. I chuckled at them and their plans to talk to veelas.
"Boys," I said under my breath as I rolled my eyes. Fred looked at me then back at Lee.
"Brilliant," Fred said as we began to join the celebration.
The wedding was filled with people from each side of the family. The ceremony was extravagant and wonderful. Mrs. Weasley was so happy for Bill that she broke into tears of joy. Everyone clapped as the two shared their first kiss as a married couple. Lee whom was sitting next to me cheered at the top of his lungs. I couldn't help but laugh.
Soon after, the reception began. Food and drinks were set out. I began to see more familiar faces showing up. I spotted Remus and Tonks and decided to greet them.
"Professor Lupin, Tonks," I smiled. "it's great to see you."
"Iris, wonderful to see you as well," Remus responded.
"How's your aunt doing?" asked Tonks.
"She's doing fine, thanks for asking. Anyway, I wanted to say congratulations. I heard you two got married not too long ago." Tonks smiled and looked at the ground. She moved a strand of hair behind her ear then turned to Remus.
"Yes we did," Tonks smiled softly.
"Thank you," Remus said.
Remus glanced at Tonks with a look of serenity. He obviously enjoyed looking at her. Seeing her smiling face, her eyes filled with a glare of happiness. The way he looked at Tonks, I had seen it before, except, on a different face.
I wandered more and ran into Luna and her father, Xenophilius. He and Luna were much alike. It was a pleasure finally meeting him. Luna had talked so much about her father and The Quibbler, it's like I already knew him. They lived a few miles away and were close to the Weasleys. As her father went on more about The Quibbler, Luna kept picking at a bite she had received from a gnome on the way here. Later, I sat down with Lee as we watched Bill and Fleur dance.
"Did George tell you about the radios?" Lee asked.
"Radios? Those muggle objects, right?" I wanted to be sure.
"Yeah, well anyway, Arthur fixed some of them up. This way the Order can communicate without being tracked."
"But why radios?"
"Think about it, have you ever heard of Death Eaters eavesdropping on a muggle device before?" I shook my head. Lee grinned. "Exactly. We're no longer safe. We're resorting to using muggle devices to talk to one another. You should grab one before you leave. You can keep in touch with us," Lee explained.
"What do I have to tune into when I get it?" I kept asking Lee questions that I wanted answers to desperately.
"Just look for something called Potterwatch . . ." Lee whispers.
He gets up and joins Ginny to dance. I sit alone at the table messing around with the corners of my napkin. I wished Seamus was here so I wouldn't be so lonely. I looked around on the dance floor. Luna was dancing with her father. Their moves were a bit odd but they didn't care. They were enjoying themselves and that's all that mattered. I spotted Viktor Krum, seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. He must have been invited for participating in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with Fleur three years ago. Viktor was talking with Hermione whom he used to have feelings for. I wondered was they were talking about but reminded myself it was none of my business.
I was staring blankly into the crowd of people. Zoning out and not even remembering I was at a wedding. A pair of hands clapped loudly in front of my face this making me snap back into reality. I looked up to see it was Fred. He had a small smirk on his face. Fred pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Not bored, are you, munchkin?" He chuckled.
"Just tired," I answered. "I think I'll be heading home in a bit."
"You can't leave yet. You've barely danced!" said Fred.
"I danced."
"Yeah, but not with me."
I chuckled softly. "I'm dating Seamus, you know that," I remind Fred.
"It's not like I'm getting down on one knee and proposing. I'm just asking for one dance," Fred responded.
"There are plenty of veelas who need a partner, Fred, try asking them."
"That's the thing, I don't want to dance with them, I wanna dance with you." Fred just looked at me, a small smirk on his face. "So what do you say, Howard?"
For a second, our eyes lock and our gazes refuse to stray. Something in Fred makes me want to dance. I'll accept his offer, but I won't let him pull anything. I haven't forgotten what he did the night before he and George left Hogwarts. If he attempts to do anything more than just dance with me, I'll stop him immediately. My love for Seamus can triumph Fred's charm any day.
"Well?" he chuckles.
I carefully nod my head. "Fine. One dance"
His smirk transforms into a glowing smile. He stands up from his chair and holds out his hand, leading me to the dance floor. The band begins to play a calming ballad as Fred pulls me a little closer, carefully placing his hand on my hip and guiding me throughout the dance. The way we sway to the music reminds me of the Yule Ball three years ago.
My hand rests on his shoulder. My eyes are drawn to our interlocking fingers. Fred's hands were significantly bigger than mine, the way they always have been. I wondered if the sight of us dancing together looked a bit ridiculous with the difference in our height. I was only five feet tall, maybe a few inches taller with my heels. Meanwhile, Fred towered over me as he stood over six feet.
"I'm so tiny compared to you," I giggle.
"Believe it or not, that's kinda why I call you munchkin." He joins in on my laughter before he gives me a small smile. "I like your dress."
Fred spins me around unexpectedly and I nearly crash into his chest. I manage to bounce back quickly.
"Thank you," I say out of breath.
We keep dancing and the music continues to play, soft and clear like Fred's voice when I get closer to his chest to hear him speak.
"You look very nice tonight," he remarks. His hand gently squeezes mine.
I giggle. "You mean to say I don't look nice other nights?"
"Yes, usually you look like absolute garbage." I playfully nudge Fred and laugh as he smiles yet again. "You know what I mean. I just think you look great right now."
"Thanks," I murmur quietly. I've become so silent that he can barely hear me over the music.
"I mean it."
I look up at him, giving him a knowing glare. "I don't want you getting any ideas," I warn him.
"I wasn't-"
"This is just a dance, Fred. This isn't the start of something."
A bashful look falls across his face and I don't feel guilty this time. "I wasn't trying to- I'm over you, I swear."
I nod my head in response and continue to stare at my feet as we dance. "Good. Glad we cleared that up."
"What if I was, though?" he inquires. "Say I really was trying to start something tonight. What'd you do about it?"
I give him another glare. "I'd stop dancing with you this very moment before you tried pulling something."
Fred chuckles and spins me around once more. "I wouldn't pull anything, you're Seamus'."
I send another glare his way. "You say that like I'm his thing. I'm no one's. I belong to myself-"
I was suddenly cut off as something appeared in the center of the tent. Fred and I dropped each other's hands and turned around, approaching the light just like everyone else at the reception. In front of us was a patronus. A lynx to be exact. This was unexpected. Everyone stood there, confused, anxious, concerned. The patronus spoke, it was Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice.
"The Ministry has fallen," the patronus whispered. "Scrimgeour is dead."
I could hear people around me gasp when Kingsley mentioned the Minister's death. He wasn't finished speaking. He said one last thing that worried us all.
"They're coming . . . ."
It didn't need explaining to figure out who "they" was. The crowd of people panicked. Suddenly, Death Eaters apparated out of nowhere. Spells shot, innocent guests began to get out. I got out my wand but Fred grabbed my arm and dragged me out of there.
I couldn't leave his grasp. Fred was leading me to the shed. He kept checking behind us to make sure Death Eaters weren't on our tail. We reached the shed. There were several muggle objects around me. Authur had to be studying them. On the table in front of me, there were radios.
Fred grabbed one of the radios held onto my hand.
"Fred, we need to go back there. We need to help them!" I shrieked.
"I'm going back there, you're not."
"What?"
Before I could object and storm out of there to help out, Fred had begun to apparate. He refused to let go of my hand, so I had to go with him. I felt dizzy again. I would never get used to this.
I opened my eyes to see I was back in my bedroom. Fred tossed the radio to me and I caught it.
"Stay here," Fred instructed me as he stepped back.
"No!"
"Stay here!"
It was too late. Fred apparated away before I could stop him. I stood there mortified. I had to try apparating back there. I had to. I wasn't strong enough at this moment. I guess I just wasn't strong enough to apparate in general. I barely did it last time. I clutched the radio in my arms as I hoped Fred and everyone at the wedding remained safe. Potterwatch, I remembered Lee's words. Just look for something called Potterwatch.
***
If I was guaranteed that I'd be safe, I'd be enthusiastic about returning to Hogwarts. Dumbledore is dead and You-Know-Who has been taking over the entire wizarding world. Death Eaters peer around all corners. All of them with one intention: find Harry Potter. I still had no idea of Harry's whereabouts. He wouldn't be returning to school, I know that. He might as well slaughter himself if he were to do that. Harry was indeed the Chosen One. He's the only person to bring down You-Know-Who and kill him. Hermione and Ron also weren't here this year. They must've gone off with Harry.
I arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Seamus was waiting for me by the train. I quickly ran to him and hugged him. We were so happy to see each other again. Seeing each other was proof that we were okay and safe. We caught up with Neville and Nigel later on the train. Neville wanted to sit by himself with Luna and Ginny so I sat with Seamus and Nigel.
"Do you have any clue as to where he went?" I asked Seamus.
"Not the slightest," Seamus replied. "I last saw him at Dumbledore's funeral. He didn't write during the summer. I didn't question it, but now, I don't know where the hell he is and I'm getting worried."
Dean Thomas was missing. For what reason? We're trying to figure that out now. There was nothing suspicious about Dean before we were taken home in June. Since the Ministry has been taken over by Death Eaters, they're sending people out to hunt down muggleborns. Maybe they went after Dean, but that wouldn't make sense. Dean was a halfblood. We wouldn't know where Dean was for a while.
"I hope he's okay," I said.
"Me too," Seamus responded. I held on to his hand for comfort. He shyly smiles at me. I smile back.
"You two done yet?" Nigel asked. I laughed. That's probably the first time I've laughed in weeks.
To my side, Sparrow was in his cage squawking. I tried shushing him before he caused more attention.
"Rutty bird," I murmured.
"I can't believe you still put up with him," Nigel chuckled.
"I can't believe you named your owl after a different kind of bird," said Seamus. "It's pretty ironic."
"That was my intention."
The whole train ride we tried lifting each other's spirits. It was quite hard. Once we were so innocent. The next thing you know, we're at our lowest and our forces are weak. I don't know if there is hope. Seamus, Neville, Nigel, Luna, Fred, George, Ginny, Aunt Annabelle, and Dean are the only ones I put my faith in. They make me stronger. They make life worth living for. They're everything I care about and everything I'll try to protect.
All of a sudden, a few strange men apparated on to the train. They were Death Eaters. Will I ever stop witnessing Death Eaters apparating in and ruining my day? My head turned to Nigel who looked terrified. The instincts inside me told me to draw my wand, but I didn't and kept to myself, not daring to speak a word. They'd kill me on sight if I did. The Death Eaters tried searching the train for Harry.
"What's going on? Why are they here? What are they going to do-?" Nigel asked.
"Nigel, I'm sorry, but just shut up," I said sternly.
Neville rose from his seat. My heart raced to find out what he would do. The innocence that was in the boy I befriended in my second year was no longer there. He became a bigger person. Doing what needs to be done instead of waiting for someone to do something first.
"Hey! He's not here," Neville bellowed. The Death Eaters knew he was talking about Harry. They checked once more but wasn't able to find him. Soon, they left.
We remained calm. They wouldn't truly harm us. Their goal was to find Harry. The train soon arrived at Hogwarts. What was once a happy place is now the cruelest place I could ever be at. With Dumbledore dead, you would have thought McGonagall would be the next Headmistress. We were wrong; Snape was. He had returned to Hogwarts under You-Know-Who's orders. You-Know-Who's followers were taking control of everything for him. Even some teachers were Death Eaters. Never have I been more terrified.
We went to the common room. I spotted McGonagall, she looked scared. She was a tough woman and was sometimes intimidating, but now her face was full of worry. She had every reason to look like that. With Death Eaters on the grounds, they can control everything she does. There was nothing she could do to stop them unless she wanted to get killed.
The next morning, I was extremely worried. First term started today which meant having to be stranded in a room with a servant of You-Know-Who. Seamus and I didn't talk much that morning. We were too scared to talk in the Great Hall. Neville and I checked our class schedule. We both had muggle studies. Our regular teacher wasn't there. Only a Death Eater named Alecto Carrow. That morning I realized this wasn't my first encounter with her. I fought her the night Death a Eaters invaded Hogwarts. Her brother, Amycus, was the wizard who dueled Neville.
"Where's Professor Burbage?" I asked.
Chairty Burbage was our original muggle studdies teacher. She was kind to nearly everyone at Hogwarts. Burbage found muggles interesting, not many witches and wizards do, but she thought they weren't so different from wizards.
"Burbage won't be teaching this year due to an accident over the holiday-" Alecto explained. I could see the truth in her eyes. Burbage wasn't here for other reasons.
"What type of accident?" I asked again to figure out the truth.
"Yeah, tell us," Neville joined.
I never thought he would help. If anything, the little, nervous boy who he used to be would avoid this would stop me from doing such a thing. That little boy was gone.
"It's confidential," Alecto responded.
"If she had an accident, I think she'd want her students to know," Neville said.
"Well you're thinking wrong. If you would let me continue this lesson," she beckoned angrily.
"We won't stop asking until you tell us," I hissed.
"Yeah," Neville nodded. Alecto came towards us. It didn't need saying to know she now hated us.
"What is your name?"
"Iris Howard. Now if you'll please tell us more of your unconvincing lies. I find them rather fascinating-"
"Detention!" she cried out. "You will not speak to me like this, you stupid girl. Trust me, you'll regret it."
We continued with class. Alecto was nothing like Burbage. She despised muggles. This was probably the only position left so Snape just gave it to her. She said muggles are like animals. This made me angry. They're just as important as magical blood.
Alecto had a brother, Amycus. They were both vile and cruel. I hated each of them equally. Amycus taught defense against the dark arts. I soon found out they're apart of discipline. I had detention this Friday. Seventh year wasn't going well at all. When I returned to the common room, I told Seamus about what happened in muggle studies.
"They're lying about Burbage. If anything they had to do something about her absence," I assumed.
"What makes you say that?" Seamus, Neville, Ginny asked as we were in the common room.
"Burbage's whole life was dedicated to muggles. She wants witches and wizards to see them as more then they are. You-Know-Who probably wanted to get rid of her. The Death Eaters, they're trying to make us see what they see," I explained.
"That's probably why You-Know-Who is controlling Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic," Ginny said.
"That new Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, there's something off about him," Seamus added.
"Rumor has it he's under the Imperius Curse," Neville informed him.
"I heard that too," said Ginny.
"What are we going to do?" Seamus sighed. I had an idea but it was risky.
"We should leave." They all stared at me. "Come on, you can't honestly tell me you haven't considered it for a second."
"But there's nowhere to hide or go. Sure, we no longer have the trace on us, but we can't hide safely," Seamus brought up.
"And I still have the trace," Ginny mentioned. "I'm only sixteen."
"Leaving isn't an option anymore, Iris," Neville said. "But what if we try to bring down the Ministry and the Death Eaters."
"Yeah, like a couple of students can bring down an army of dark wizards," Seamus reminded him.
"Neville, I don't think it's possible. Sure, we know enough but they know more magic than us . . ." I reminded Neville. I checked my watch. I sighed. "I need to go. It's time for my detention."
I quickly kissed Seamus on his cheek. I headed to Amycus's office. Neville's idea about bringing down the Death Eaters was still running through my mind. If it was easy, maybe we'd accomplish our goal. We learned defensive spells in DA meetings, that would help us, but it wasn't much compared to their magic.
I arrived at the Carrows office. Alecto was there with Amycus. There with them was something I couldn't believe.
Waiting there with the Carrows were Crabbe and Goyle. They had evil smirks on their faces. Their wands were drawn. I had no idea as what was about to happen. The Carrows who hated me so much didn't feel like lines were a good enough punishment. They had something different in mind, something awful.
"Crabbe, Goyle. Come to join me in detention?" I asked.
"We have other plans," muttered Goyle.
". . . Like?" I tried not to show my fear.
Alecto and Amycus looked at Crabbe and Goyle. They then turned their heads to me with a contented smile.
"This is not only your detention, Howard," Amycus explained. "This is a defense against the dark arts lesson as well." I was confused. He looked back at the two boys. "You know what to do. Crabbe! You first."
Crabbe stepped toward me. He was taller than me. He was overweight and had a thick neck. His pudding-bowl like haircut and flat nose made him very ugly. Crabbe pointed his wand at me.
"Crucio!" he exclaimed.
A sharp pain rushed through my body. It felt like knives were stabbing me from the inside and out. I fell on to the cold floor. I could barely breathe. Screaming was the only noise I made. The shrieking was so loud, I was surprised no one had busted through the door yet to see what was happening. My wand was out of reach. There was no stopping him. Amycus and Alecto looked satisfied watching me struggle with the torture. My skin felt hot and irritating as if there was a fire singeing my body. I tried to hold back my expressions of pain and fear, but it was impossible. The curse was too powerful to control what I was feeling, too powerful to even think straight. Finally, Crabbe stopped. I caught my breath and tried getting off the stone floor.
"Please . . . stop!" I cried trying to hold myself up.
"Crucio!" Goyle cursed.
The pain I felt only a second ago came back. It felt even worse. All the hatred they had for me, I could feel through the torture they were doing to me. Satisfaction was their main feeling at the moment. Crabbe and Goyle took turns torturing me. Soon, they stopped. Alecto walked towards me and kicked me in my gut. I let out a whimper along with crying.
"I told you you'd regret speaking to me like that, you stupid girl."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I coughed. Alecto kicked me again. All the air in me escaped from my lungs.
"Don't use that tone with me you idiotic prat!" she yelled. "You don't want to be tortured again, would you?"
I scolded her heavily while she smiled with joy. They exited the office and left me there. I collected myself off the floor and headed back to the Gryffindor tower. My body felt weak and weary. The main worry of mine was what if they'd torture other students like they did to me. They most likely will. It's not like the Ministry will stop them. I arrived at the Gryffindor common room. Seamus and Neville waited there for me. Seamus's eyes were drawn to me. He could tell there was something wrong.
"Iris? Iris what happened?" Seamus asked concerned.
I broke down. Tears rushed down my face remembering the pain. I buried my face into his shoulder and hugged him. The comfort he provided me made me feel a bit better but not by much. Neville came up to me as well.
"It was terrible," I choked on tears. "T-They performed the Cruciatus Curse on me. The Carrows had Crabbe and Goyle do it!"
"What?" Neville asked. He was completely dumbfounded by what I just told him.
"It's okay, Iris," Seamus comforted me. I continued sobbing. They sat me down on the couch and let me talk about it.
"That wasn't a punishment specifically for me. The Carrows are going to do it to others," I explained.
"We can't just let them get away with that. There has to be someone who can stop 'em," Seamus said.
"Who? The Ministry of Magic? Headmaster Snape? No one will stop them, they'll only enforce it," Neville reminded him.
"They're teaching the curse to the students. They let Crabbe and Goyle practice on me. They're raising students to learn unforgivable curses on others. Amycus won't teach us how to defend ourselves against the dark arts. He's going to make sure we know everything about the dark arts itself," I explain. I turn my head to Neville. "What you said about bringing down the Death Eaters, I'm on the same page as you now . . . . Let's do it." They looked at me as if I was insane.
"Iris, I was just saying that. You were right, we're like ants compared to them. What can a couple of students do?" Neville pointed out.
"Dumbledore would try to put a stop to them. Harry would too. They're not around anymore so someone has to do it for them. Why not us?"
Neville and Seamus sat back thinking about it. We could at least try. Harry would have wanted us to do this. Harry taught us defensive spells, we could use those against them. I don't care if it barely works. We need to try. If the Carrows think they can get away with this, they're dead wrong.
Neville returned to bed. I stayed in the common room. I couldn't go to sleep, I just couldn't.
Seamus checked on me. I sat on the rug keeping warm next to the fire place with the radio Fred had given me. I put in the password that allowed me to listen to it. Lee's voice was reassuring to hear. Seamus sat next to me sleepily. He had been sleeping but wanted to see how I was doing.
Seamus had not seen me with the radio before. He knew it was Lee speaking so he listened. Lee was listing the names of the dead. A tribute to wizards and muggles who died innocently at the hands of Death Eaters. The list went along. When it was finished, so was the broadcast. I heard Seamus sigh in relief.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Just glad I didn't hear anyone's name that I knew. Dean, my mam, my dad."
I was glad I hadn't heard any familiar names either. I shouldn't feel this way. Fearing my loved ones dying and having to hear about it via Potterwatch. I shouldn't be worried because things shouldn't be like this. I was slowly falling apart. But no matter how much people try to help and fix me up, someone's out there to make sure I'll never recover.
"Everything all right?"
I shake my head. "I just want to go home," I said.
"It'll be okay, we just gotta pull through-"
"Yeah, while they torture us until we go insane-" I interrupted.
"Iris, stop," Seamus looked concerned. "I mean it when I say we'll get through this. Y'know what I see when I look at you? I see a brave, reckless girl who always showed me to do what's right, to take a stand. She's still there, I see her pretty face every day. It just kills me seeing you like this and I'll do just about anything to make you feel better."
Seamus's words were ringing in my ears. He always knew what to say. These words lifted my spirits. I had a tendency to be rather pessimistic at times, especially now. But Seamus was determined to turn me around and make me see the good in the things, to make me see my chances of surviving this war. He'll no longer fight alone. I'm fighting by his side.
"You're special and you matter and you're worth fighting for, always remember that . . . . Now c'mon, we should get some sleep."
I nodded in agreement. He returned to his dormitory and I returned to mine. Seamus's words were all I could think about. This war will not bring me down. They can torture me all they want, beat me on end, take away my rights. It won't make me any less of a witch. I still have faith that these punishments will be the last. The Carrows are complete arses to me, but I still have hope they'll go back to that hell hole that is Azkaban prison. I'm not losing this war. Either I win this battle or die trying.
***
YO, so I had to update today on Thursday instead of Friday because I'm going to be kinda busy tomorrow meaning I wouldn't be able to publish this chapter until late at night, so I figured I might as well do it now. So stuff is finally going down in the story. I've been looking forward to this year since the characters can finally have a bigger situation thrown at them. Anyway, if you liked this chapter, vote or comment on it. The next update will be on April 4th.