Harry, Ron, and Ginger all hissed and stopped farther down the secret passage; digging into their pockets for the fake galleons.
"Don't bother," Draco said, hurrying to catch up with them.
"Why?" Harry asked sharply.
"Voldemort is in the castle. We have to go. Now," He turned to run back up the tunnel, but Ron grabbed his arm.
"No, we're almost at the Shrieking Shack. It will be faster if we go on and fly back. C'mon!"
Ron took off running, Ginger a step behind him. Draco looked over at Harry who shrugged, drew his wand, and followed.
Bloody Gryffindors. Who knew what was waiting in that shack? What if the Dark Lord had left behind a guard?
Fuck.
He took off running after his foolhardy friends even as he wished he was with Hermione, rather than them.
XXX
Hermione tore through the halls of Hogwarts. Skidding around corners and practically tumbling down staircases. She had one close call as she jumped over one of the trick steps, almost breaking her skull open as her feet failed to land.
Luckily she wasn't nearly so clumsy when it came to spell casting and a quick cushioning charm saved her from injury.
"Damn, that was close."
She pushed herself to her feet and pushed her hair out of her face. It was still too short to tie back and she was beginning to wonder if she should just cut it super short again. Then it couldn't get in her way.
But now wasn't the time to think about haircuts.
She took off once more and didn't slow down until she hit the Entrance Hall. A quick glance around showed her that nothing was out of place. Just the normal sounds of the entire school eating their meal in the adjacent Great Hall.
She took a deep breath and smoothed down her robes. If she just went charging in there she would cause a panic.
And that would do nothing but help Voldemort. Why hadn't she gone straight to McGonagall when they saw the Whomping Willow wasn't moving? Then Neville and Luna wouldn't be hurt and maybe all of the younger students would be safely away from what might very well become a battlefield.
She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She could beat herself up later, right now she needed to try and fix it.
Hermione quickly crossed the Entrance Hall and didn't even pause at the entrance to the Great Hall. Her wand was still out as she walked quickly up to the Head Table. As she went the students slowly quieted, all of them staring at her in curiosity.
She came to a stop in front of Professor McGonagall. The other professors had put their utensils down and were looking at her with concern.
"May I help you, Miss Black?" Professor McGonagall asked, her lips were pursed in disapproval.
Hermione couldn't quite figure out why the Headmistress was determined to treat the New Marauder's like children, but it was getting bloody annoying.
"The Order was misinformed about the last horcrux. Voldemort is in the castle. Along with several of his Death Eaters."
You could have heard a pin drop. Hermione took that moment to raise her wand and cast a silencing spell over the Great Hall. So, when the screams of panic started a second later Voldemort wouldn't be alerted.
Professor Mcgonagall stared at her coldly, "Did you have to break the news this way? Panic will not help."
"No, but you weren't listening when Harry and I tried to tell you the Order was wrong. Right now Fred Weasley should be telling them. Hopefully they can get here in time. But we need to get the children to safety."
McGonagall's lips pursed as Hermione called her fellow students children, but choose to ignore it.
Rather smart of her.
"Hagrid, please get them quiet," the Headmistress ordered.
"SILENCE!" the gamekeeper roared as he stood up.
Instantly the Hall quieted and hundreds of pairs of eyes looked up at the Head Table.
"Very good. Now, Prefects, I need you to escort the students. Miss Black, was he upstairs or downstairs?"
"Upstairs."
"Slytherin and Ravenclaw Prefects, please escort your students down to the Slytherin Common Room. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor Prefects take your students down to the Hufflepuff Common Room."
When no one moved she clapped her hands quickly, "Now! And that includes you Miss Black!"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at the older witch, but didn't disagree. She was a prefect. She'd see her charges to safety and then she'd come back out. They couldn't force her to stay in hiding, she was of age, after all.
XXX
Ginny skidded to an abrupt stop right behind her brother, opening her mouth to complain even as he held up his hand to silence.
She scowled, but bit her tongue. Dimly she could hear what he did now that air was no longer rushing past her ears - voices.
They were too faint to make out, but there were definitely people in the shack.
Had to be Death Eaters.
Ron gestured for them to wait and then crept forward quietly. He reached the end of the tunnel and peered through a crack in the old plank door. While he observed what was going on Ginny looked over at Harry. At first glance he appeared cool and collected, but she could see the tension around his eyes.
She glanced behind to look at Dragon.
He was shifting from foot to foot and the fingers of his left hand were fidgeting, but his right hand was steady on his wand and the look in his eyes was slightly terrifying. She rather pitied any Death Eaters ahead that would try to stop him from getting back to Hermione.
A small noise made her head whip around and her wand come up, but it was just Ron returning. He gestured for all of them to huddle close.
"There are seven or eight people. Three look to be werewolves. None have wands drawn or paying attention. They're young, not much older than us," Ron whispered.
Harry frowned, "We can take them, we have surprise on our side."
Dragon nodded and Ginny did the same. No snot-nosed Death Eater was a match for anyone that had studied under Padfoot, Moony, or Alianore. Especially when they had surprise on their side.
"Alright, Harry, you take point," Ron ordered. "Draco, you and I will flank him. Gin, I want you covering the three of us. Try to stick a shield over Harry when he charges in."
Ginny narrowed her eyes, "What? Are you trying to stick me out of the way?"
Ron shook his head quickly, "No, you're just the fastest, making it easier for you to cover multiple angles."
She stared at her brother for a second, silently wondering if he was just throwing griffonshit at her. But he did have a point. The boys were all fast, but she was faster.
"Fine."
Harry reached over and gave her hand a tight squeeze, "Let's go. We've got to get back to the others."
"Point," Dragon said curtly as he pulled off his outer robe and stuck it in his drawstring bag.
They took up positions by the door. Harry glanced at all of them, making sure they were ready before taking a deep breath and kicking the door in.
XXX
Fred tore out of the sitting room, nearly running over Charlie in his haste. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and his breath fighting to move his lungs.
Late.
They were going to be too late.
Padfoot was still issuing orders for patrols, but it was too late.
Much too late.
Fred skidded to a halt beside Skeeter - who was trying to fade into the background even as her eyes and ears took in every detail - and held up his fake galleon, showing the glaring words etched into them.
"It's too late! Hogwarts is under attack!"
Screams and shouts filled the kitchen as everyone began to yell things at once, that was until Padfoot's voice cut through them all.
"SILENCE!!!!"
Amazingly, silence descended, although the tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.
"Flyers, floo to the Hog's Breath! Secure Hogsmeade and then head to Hogwarts! Now!"
Fred nodded and turned to go, even as Padfoot continued to shout out orders to the others, getting them organized into small groups to apparate to the edge of the Hogwarts grounds.
When he returned to the sitting room he found his brothers and the others already using the floo. He stopped and checked his person, ensuring that his drawstring bag was still tied securely to his belt and that his wand was within easy reach.
"Got everything?"
Skeeter's voice interrupted his mental checklist and he looked up at the older witch.
"Yes, what are you doing in here?"
She snorted delicately, "Black doesn't trust me. I was told to stay here and I refuse. I can barely handle a broom, but that's alright. I'll just transform and hide in your robes."
Fred gaped at her, "No! Are you insane?!? This is a battle! You're a reporter! You can't just-"
She cut him off. "You owe me a life debt! I'll consider it cleared if I accompany you and live through the battle. I'll also give you a percentage of any royaltys earned from my book on the Dark Lord and the war."
Fred's mind raced. It would be stupid to take her along, but he did owe her a debt. And George would come back from wherever his soul currently resided and haunt Fred for turning down the chance to make a profit.
"Fine, fifty percent"
"Ten."
"Forty-five."
"Twenty."
"Forty-five and I tell you about the New Marauders. Things only we know. Inside scoop."
Her eyes narrowed, "Things only you know?"
"Well, most of it was from Hermione, but yes, things only we know."
"Fine, but if it's not worth it we'll renegotiate.
"Deal."
"Deal."
They clasped hands and then Skeeter changed forms and crawled into one of Fred's pockets just in time for him to grab some floo powder and follow Bill through the fire.
XXX
Pansy ran ahead of Theo, Luna, and Neville, throwing open the door to the Infirmary and making Madam Pomfrey come bustling out of her office.
"What's going on?"
"Madam Pomfrey! There are Death Eaters! Neville and Luna, they're hurt!"
The mediwitch began firing questions as she moved around the room, gathering medical supplies. Pansy did her best to answer them, but was thankfully spared from answering too many by Luna hobbling into the room with Theo and a floating Neville a few minutes later.
Madam Pomfrey ushered them to a bed and cast several protections on the door. "You all will have to stay here, if Death Eaters are loose in the Castle I can't have you wandering around."
Theo gently lowered Neville onto a hospital bed and headed for the door. "You can't keep me here, I'm seventeen, so is Pansy."
"No, Theo, I'm staying. I won't leave Neville," Pansy said moving to Neville's bed, helping the scowling mediwitch by removing his outer robes. Luna went to sit on a nearby bed, not nearly as injured as the Gryffindor boy.
"Fine, go running off by yourself. But if you get injured off by yourself or if we get attacked while I'm distracted it will be on your head!" Madam Pomfrey stated as she began casting diagnostic spells on Neville.
Theo scowled and opened his mouth to complain, but Luna cut him off.
"She's right. If Voldemort comes here we'll be finished. Unless Pansy has another trick hidden in her bag."
"I don't. Nothing really good, anyways."
Theo's eyes narrowed and his silver hand clenched in anger, the leather in his black glove squeaking as his mind raced. He looked at the unconscious Neville, injured Luna, bustling mediwitch, and nervous Pansy. She knew what he was thinking, she knew that he knew she still wasn't well. She had never been fast with a wand, but now she was even slower. She'd be no use if a Death Eater attacked while Madam Pomfrey was distracted.
"Fine! I'll stand guard!" Theo stomped over to the door, closed it most of the way, and then stood there, peering out at the corridor with his wand drawn.
Pansy let out a sigh of relief now that Theo was staying. Her pocket burned and she yanked out the fake galleon to see the message change from 'They're Here' to 'Order is Coming'.
She gave Neville's limp hand a squeeze as Madam Pomfrey poured a potion down his throat.
The Order was coming, hopefully they would be in time and no one would die this time.
A flicker of darkness skittered along the edge of her vision and she tensed, terrified that the nightmares would return. She gripped Neville's hand tighter, focusing her eyes on the ring on her left finger.
It would be alright, it had to be. Madam Pomfrey would fix Neville, her friends and the Order would defeat the Death Eaters, it would all work out.
It had to.
XXX
Blaise did his best to project an aura of uncaring aloofness even as his heart beat rapidly in his chest.
Where the hell was Theo?
Pansy and Draco were also missing, so he guessed Theo was with them. But that did nothing to make him feel better. The last time the Dark Lord had been around Theo had been with them and he'd still lost his hand.
No, he'd have to go find him and keep an eye on him himself.
The Slytherin common room was packed with Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Not a single place to sit was empty and most students looked quite worried, though a few seemed rather excited. They made Blaise sick. Why would anyone be excited to have a maniac inside the castle?
The prefects were all huddled by the entrance looking nervous and unsure. Even Daphne, normally unruffled by all things, kept glancing over at her younger sister with fear.
"Well, are you going to just stand there all night?"
Tracey's words surprised Blaise and made him jump. He hadn't even heard her walk up.
"No, I'm just debating how best to do this."
"We're missing over half our year. Greg and Vince have been gone since Christmas. Pansy, Draco, and Theo are off with their Gryffindor friends. Millie was pulled from school after the graveyard attack last week. It's just you and me and we're both of age. They can't stop us from leaving."
"Daphne may try to stop us."
"She won't. Not while Pansy is missing. Those two are good friends. And look over there at Cho Chang."
Tracey pointed to a Ravenclaw girl across the room whom Blaise recognized from quidditch games. "What about her?"
"I hear her boyfriend is in the Order. She's a seventh year. Do you really think she wants to sit here with the babies? Same for her friend, Marietta Edgecomb. Edgecomb's family worked in the Ministry. They all died at Godric's Hollow last week. Bet she wants revenge. And they're not the only ones with a bone to pick with You-Know-Who and his followers."
"So, you're suggesting I rally the troops to go out and fight Death Eaters? All because my boyfriend is missing?"
"Yes."
He looked down at his old friend. Her eyes were flat and hard. It wasn't hard for him to imagine why. Both of her parents may have been upstanding Slytherins, but her father had still been a muggleborn. Death Eaters didn't take well to purebloods marrying muggleborns. Even if her mother hadn't been disowned for it.
"What about the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs?"
She snorted, "What? You don't really think that Black will stay in hiding, do you? I'd bet my entire inheritance that she's already halfway to wherever the rest of them are."
His lips pursed in a wry smile, she was right. There was no way Black was going to stay in hiding. She'd already flown across half the British Isles to rescue her brother from the Dark Lord with only Ginny Weasley for assistance. Escaping the Hufflepuff Common Room would be a piece of cake.
He pushed off of the wall he'd been leaning against and straightened his robes. "Alright, shall we do this?"
"Yes, let's."
Blaise glanced around the room and found a likely end table. A quick spell and the table was galloping over to him, drawing everyone's eyes. It squatted down to the floor like a camel and he stepped onto it before allowing it to slowly rise so that he was far above everyone else.
Putting on a winning smile he doffed his wizarding cap and gave the room an exquisitely formal bow.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Ravenclaws and Slytherins, Loyal Students of Hogwarts, may I have your attention?"
The words were pointless, he already had everyone's attention. He could see the Head Boy glaring at him, but that meant nothing to Blaise. He may not have been a prefect - no, Draco had gotten that little honor - but he held more power in the school than any other student.
It paid well to be loved. Having enemies was for idiots - or for heroes like Potter. Blaise was no hero, but he'd face Morgana herself if she returned to life and stood between him and Theo.
So now it was time to rally his army, for he preferred not to face evil alone. With that thought in mind he girded his soul and prepared himself to spend every ounce of currency he had with the students of Hogwarts.
By Merlin he was going to leave this common room with every single student over the age of seventeen or he wasn't a Zabini.