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Fred Weasley
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"I can hear your heart beating
I can hear that sound
But I can't help thinking
And I won't look now"
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When Harry said Nerezza's Dad's name, everyone had frozen.
Nerezza yanked Harry from his place on the floor and together they were already rushing into the castle-talking about going and saving him. Seeing Nezz so distressed was difficult but I had to be strong for her right now, I knew how close she was with Sirius now and she couldn't lose him.
It'd break her.
"Harry, are you sure?" Hermione asked again as we all ran up the stairs inside the castle.
Luckily, Umbridge was still distracted by the students outside to come and banish Nezz, George and I from the school.
Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance as he and Nezz ran quicker, ahead of everyone else.
"I saw it. It's just like with Mr. Weasley! It's the door I've been dreaming about, I couldn't remember where I'd seen it before. Sirius said Voldemort was after something...something he didn't have the last time, in the Department of Mysteries" Harry rambled on, his voice panicked and hurried.
"Harry, please, just listen!" Hermione breathed.
The two turned to face the rest of us, Nezz's face was screwed up in worry and I wished more than anything to go back to just moments ago where she had the biggest grin on her face. When her eyes lit up with pride and joy.
"What if Voldemort meant for you to see this?" Hermione questioned, "What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get to you?" She continued.
"What if he is? We're supposed to just let my Father die?" Nezz scoffed angrily, "Hermione, he's the only family I've got left." Nezz's sentence ended with a crack in her voice.
"He can't die, Hermione. He just can't" Harry said determinedly, his lips pressed thinly as he rested a hand on Nezz's shoulder.
"What do we do?" George frowned.
"We could use the Floo Network?" I suggested as we continued running up the stairs.
"Umbridge has the chimneys under surveillance." Ron dismissed sadly.
"Not all of them..." Harry said quietly.
We reached Umbridge's office door and Nezz pulled out her wand whispering the Alohomora spell.
The lock clicked and the door swung open, we all piled in as the cats meowed at our arrival. Her office was darkened yet everything remained sickeningly pink.
Harry and Nezz crouched in front of the fireplace, the green flames roaring for the floo network.
"Alert the Order if you can, then meet us at our house" Nezz told us.
"Are you mental?" I yelled.
"We're going with you" George added.
"It's too dangerous!" Harry refused.
"I won't let any of you get hurt" Nezz shook her head, her eyes lingering on me.
"When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together" Hermione scolded them both.
A beat of silence went through the group. I grabbed Nezz's trembling hand and kissed the tips of her fingers, letting her know that she wasn't doing this alone. I was her family and I'd protect her and her family no matter what.
"That. You. Are" Umbridge said pointedly.
We whipped our heads around at her voice. She stood at the door, wand drawn and face red with rage.
Umbridge ordered Nezz and Harry into two seats on the side of her desk closest to the door. She called her Slytherin slaves to hold the rest of us on the other side of her desk, I knew that if I tried hard enough I could take them but I didn't want Umbridge to hurt Nezz or Harry.
George was shooting me concerned glances and all I could do was nod reassuringly at my twin.
Soon, more of her posse of Slytherins entered, holding Luna and Ginny. When George and Ron spotted our little sister, we all yanked away from our holds, trying to get to her. We were reminded of our capture by Malfoy's wand thrust in our faces warningly as he dragged in Neville who'd apparently been trying to help Ginny.
"You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" Umbridge leaned forward in Harry's face, her smile creepily wide for the situation.
"No." Harry said plainly.
She slapped him harshly across the cheek, causing us all to flinch at the contact. Nezz's eyes flamed with glowing red in anger, she attempted to rise from her seat but was stopped by Umbridge.
"Sit Miss. Black!" She hissed threateningly.
"You sent for me, headmistress?" Snape voiced.
He leered by the doorway, cocking a curious eyebrow at Umbridge's activities. Snape was with the Order, surely he'd help us. How the hell would we let him know that Sirius was in trouble?
"Snape, yes. The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not. Have you brought the Veritaserum?" Umbridge smoothed out her hair seemingly flustered by his sudden appearance.
"I'm afraid you've used up all my stores interrogating students. The last of it on Miss Chang" Snape revealed. We all looked at each other guiltily-Cho had been forced to give up our secret, "unless you wish to poison them, and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy if you did...I think Professor Lupin would tear the school apart. I cannot help you." Snape shrugged.
As he turned away, Nezz caught his attention.
"He's got Padfoot!" She exclaimed desperately, "he's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden" she told him with a heaving chest.
"Padfoot? What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What is she talking about, Snape?" Umbridge fired questions as Snape stood staring at Nerezza for a moment.
His eyes flashed a red before they returned to their usual colour. Only this time, his eyes seemed knowing, like he'd seen what Harry and Nerezza had.
"No idea." Snape whisked away.
"Very well. You give me no choice, Black. As this is an issue of Ministry security...you leave me with...no alternative. The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue" Umbridge surmised.
No fucking way was she hurting Nerezza. I advanced forward angrily, knocking over her desk in a rage, four Slytherin boys pinned me to the wall. I struggled as I could hear George beginning to fight back as well. Soon though, they had us pinned to the wall only by threat of magic.
"That's illegal!" Hermione gasped.
"Don't you fucking touch her" I growled, "I'll kill you" I vowed.
"I'm afraid Mr. Weasley, your girlfriend won't be around for much longer anyway. She is the last remaining Kenesis Witch and I...intend to wipe them out" Umbridge giggled happily.
She aimed her wand at Nerezza's face. Nezz clamped her eyes shut fearfully and I could only imagine how scared she was. She'd already experienced the agonising effects of the cruciatus curse from Voldemort and Wormtail-she nearly died! I couldn't watch her go through that.
"Tell her, Nezz!" Hermione suddenly yelped.
"Tell me what?" Umbridge paused.
Nezz squinted at Hermione with a look of confusion.
"Well, if you won't tell her where it is...I will." Hermione concluded, her voice still scared and panicked.
"Where what is?" Umbridge demanded.
I was wondering what she was on about. Harry shifted in his seat and reached over to grab Nezz's hand supportively, she did have this ghosted look in her eyes. Maybe she was rethinking the last time she'd been threatened with the cruciatus curse.
The last time I wasn't there to protect her...
"Dumbledore's secret weapon." Hermione said gravely.
"Up." Umbridge demanded, "up!" She screeched at Nerezza.
Nerezza shot up from her seat. Umbridge pointed her wand at Hermione and Nerezza, ordering them to take her to Dumbledore's secret weapon. I moved to try and go to Nezz but was stopped by Malfoy shoving his wand into my chest.
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Nerezza Lupin-Black
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"How much further?" Umbridge said impatiently as we treaded deeper into the forbidden forest.
Darkness completely consumed the land. Mist clouded the grounds and I prayed that Snape had gotten to Remus. When he'd made eye contact with me, I spoke to him telepathically, telling him that we needed Remus and the Order. I just hoped that he was actually going to alert them.
"Not far" Hermione bluffed. "It had to be somewhere students wouldn't find it accidentally" she continued.
"What are you doing?" I said lowly.
"Improvising" she gulped.
"Well? Where is this weapon?" Umbridge asked, her eyes darting around nervously at the noises of the forest. Hermione and I looked at each other, wondering what to do now, "there isn't one, is there? You were trying to trick me!" Umbridge breathed rapidly, her eyes blazing with hatred.
I knew what I had to do. I really didn't want to use my powers in such a dark and twisted way but I had to, what other choice did I have?
"You know...I really hate children." She confessed.
"Are you afraid of them Professor?" I questioned with a curious frown.
She furrowed her brows, holding her wand shakily as I took a single step forward towards her. Hermione stayed put, wondering what I was up to. I stared deep into Umbridge's fearful eyes.
"W-what?" She stuttered, "of course not!" She scoffed.
"Well then" I began darkly, I twisted and contorted my magic, I could feel the chaos energy weaving around my fingers. Umbridge stumbled back as I continued to step towards her, "what are you afraid of?" I whispered.
I gently touched her forehead with the tip of my fingers and red coils seeped into her head. Umbridge's eyes were glassy with a tint of red as her head jerked around in fear. I could see her greatest fear...it was me. Well, Kenesis Witches.
Hundreds of us surrounded her, firing our magic as she shrieked in terror.
Hermione was looking around where we were but she couldn't see what I was seeing.
Finally, Umbridge let out a petrified scream and I released my hold on her. She collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious from fear.
"Hermione! Hermione, my father. Come on!" I grappled her sleeve and ushered her out of the woods.
We crossed the bridge over to the castle, only to bump into the rest of the group that had been held in Umbridge's office. Fred saw me and immediately we collided in a relieved hug. Her squeezed me tight with worry as he smoothed my hair.
"I'm so glad you're okay" he breathed.
"How'd you get away?" I asked the group,
"Puking Pastilles. It wasn't pretty" George grimaced.
"Told them I was hungry, wanted some sweets. They told me to bugger off and ate the lot themselves" Ron explained with a smug smile.
"That was clever, Ron" Hermione gasped with surprise.
"Has been known to happen" Ron shrugged sarcastically.
"Rarely" Fred smirked.
"It was brilliant!" Neville grinned.
"So how are we getting to London?" Fred asked Harry and I.
"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done, all of you...but we've got you into enough trouble as it is" Harry said guiltily.
"This is Harry and I's fight. Sirius is my Father and I'm not letting any of you get hurt because of me" I said trying to convey how serious I was.
I felt guilty enough over Cedric's death and everything that had happened in between, I couldn't take anymore guilt if something happened to them. I was already scared out my mind for my Father. Was he begging for Remus and I? Was he in pain?
"Dumbledore's Army's supposed to be about doing something real" Neville said with a firm frown, "Or was that all just words to you?" He challenged.
"Maybe you don't have to do this all by yourselves" Ron pressed.
"We're a family, family take care of their own" George told us.
Harry gave a defeated sigh and I nodded to him.
"So, how are we going to get to London?" Harry said.
"We fly, of course." Luna's bright smile signalled hope for us.
She ran into the forbidden forest, the rest of us trailing after her.
We came to a clearing that I recognised and that's when I saw the thestrals. Harry smiled and kissed Luna's cheek, exclaiming that she was a genius. The twins looked at us as if we were crazy before having an idea of their own.
"Accio Broom!" They both said.
Within minutes their brooms zoomed to them.
"Everyone mount a thestral" I ordered the group.
I helped an uneasy Hermione mount something she couldn't see as Harry helped Ron and Neville mount one. Luna mounted her own and the twins got on their brooms.
"Stop for nothing. We have to get there quick, you ready Nerezza?" Harry looked to me with so much emotion that I nearly buckled.
I gave him a stern nod and together, we all set off. My only goal being to rescue my Father and protect my family from harm.