We all sat crowded around one another in the room of requirement which looked rather like a tree house.
“I love this room” I heard Neville say to me. We had sorted everything out pretty much straight after our argument which I was rather happy about.
“So let me get this straight” Michael said pushing his hand through his hair. “You want to steal the sword of Gryffindor?”
“I do”
“Why?” Hannah asked.
“I have my reasons”
“You can’t just steal” Ernie told me disapprovingly.
“It isn’t for me”
“Is it for Harry?” Luna asked.
“Look everyone!” Neville shouted out standing beside me. “We are either in this together or not in it at all” he said and everyone became a lot quieter. “Ginny, myself and Luna want to take the Sword to it’s rightful owner and we need distractions – whose in?” he asked. Several people raised their hands and Neville nodded. “Well lets start on a plan” he said sitting down at the wooden table in the middle of the small room.
“Let’s start with when” Seamus said.
“Tonight” I said chewing nervously on my thumb nail.
“What?” Everyone almost shouted and Neville’s head snapped up at me.
“Tonight?” he asked quietly.
“Everyone will be at the Halloween feast” I answered obviously.
“But –”
“But what?” I asked Lavender who looked horrified. “The corridors will be deserted and we can bring the sword back here until we figure out how we can get it to Harry” I told them all.
“So it is for Harry?” Pavarti asked.
“Yes it is” I answered standing up.
“So you don’t really need a distraction?” Terry asked.
“Not so much as a distraction – just a look out”
“Won’t people find it odd that we’re just standing in a corridor along?” Anthony asked me as if I had gone mad.
“Not when there’s nobody to see you” I answered smartly sitting back down.
“Oh”
“So what we need is someone to figure out the password to the office, it shouldn’t be Neville, Luna or myself because if we’re found lurking around there again Snape will ask questions”
“I’ll do it” Seamus said raising his hand.
“No – there has to be someone who already knows” Neville said placing is head in his hands. “A teacher”
“McGonagall?” Padma asked.
“No” Neville said shacking his head. “Hagrid” He answered standing up. “Hagrid would tell us”
“He wouldn’t want to get involved, would he?” Michael asked.
“Sure he would – it’s for his favourite student” I answered. “I’ll go see Hagrid tonight” I told them. “I also have some stuff that would work as a distraction if needed” I answered pulling out decoy detonators and filibuster fireworks.
“I’m confused – do you want a distraction or not?” Anthony asked a little irritated.
“If Snape is about to stroll into his office, than yes – I would like a distraction” I snapped at him.
“Seamus, Neville, Luna, Pavarti, Padma, Lavender, Michael and Ernie – you should be enough for this, I want the rest of you all to be at the feast and send a message with the coins to everyone else if they leave” I said grabbing my bag and leaving the Weasley Wizard Wheezes products on the table. “I’m going to see Hagrid” I said bolting out the door. Ten minutes later I was pounding on Hagrid's door clutching a stitch.
“I’ll be there in a second” he said with a little panic in his voice. “Just wait a minute” The door flew open and a look of relief set in his face. “Oh, It’s only you” he said shutting the door behind me. He looked really red and sweaty.
“Is everything okay?” I asked him sitting down at the table.
“Everythin’s fine” he grumbled. “Want’s some tea?” he asked walking over to the kettle.
“I’m fine thanks” I said smiling at him. “I actually came to ask you a favour”
“Yea?” he asked me not directly looking at me.
“I came to ask what Snape’s password to his office is”
“Don’t ya start actin’ out Miss Weasley, ya mother will have my head” he said sitting down with a cup of tea.
“I know it’s a lot to ask but Snape has something of Harry’s and Harry needs it” he looked into my eyes.
“You need the password for Harry?” he asked.
“Yes I do – and I know that you know it and I know that you want to help Harry, the best thing you can do is hand it over” I told him outright.
“Suppose you get, whatever it is you need – how are you goin’ to get it to Harry?” he asked me.
“I’ll worry about that part when I get to it – it would be pointless to think that far ahead if I’m not able to get that password”
“Ginny, you shouldn’t be in this war – you should be a good girl and work on your studies” he answered.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked angrily standing up. “You’re not going to help me help Harry?” I snapped.
“I’m not going to help you get into more trouble than it’s worth – if Harry needed something Dumbledore would have left it to him”
“He did leave it to him and Snape has it!” I yelled. It took a minute but I sat back down and started carefully. “I need to get in his office as soon as possible – and I’m either going to get in with the password and do a silent quick job of it – Or I’m going to blast down that blasted bird, make a heap of noise and get caught. It’s your choice” I said leaning back in the chair. He thought for a moment and before he spoke I cut in front of him. “Giving me the password is the best option Hagrid – I’m not sure how significant this thing is, but it might give Harry the slightest edge when he tries to get rid of You-Know-Who”
“The password is ‘Doe’” he answered. “I don’t want anyone to know about this” he said strictly.
“Thank you Hagrid” I said running out of his hut. I found Neville in the Entrance Hall who was looking rather bothered.
“Did you get it?” he asked excitedly.
“Yes! What’s the matter?” I asked him.
“Zacharias – complaining because he thinks we don’t include him in anything, so I gave him a spot to look after”
“Okay, that’s alright, the more people the better – have you all formulated a plan?”
“Sure have” He told me about how they planned to distract Snape if he was to be out of the great hall. “And I’ve got all passwords for portraits that will be the fastest way up to the Seventh Floor”
“Okay” We headed up the Common room to make sure everyone was ready for the biggest rebellion that the school had ever come across.
***
People who were supposed to be at dinner were and others who were in charge of distractions were already in place. Neville, Luna and I silently made our way to the stone gargoyle who sat out the front of Dumbledore’s old office.
“Doe” I recited.
“Come on in” he said jumping aside, we headed in quietly and I pulled out my wand and opened the door quietly. I saw the gleaming sword in its case behind his large chair. I marched over to it and pointing my wand at it.
“Reducto” I whispered after Neville shut the door and began reading his coin. The glass exploded and I grabbed the sword out of the broken case and ran to the door pulling it open.
“He wasn’t at the Great Hall for dinner, he’s wandering around the castle somewhere” Neville told me.
“Should we just come back later?” Luna asked.
“No – we do this now or not at all” I answered. We ran as fast as we could down the corridor with the Gargoyle calling out to us to stop. We made it out the corridor passed Lavender who immediately left the scene like she was asked too. On the Grand Staircase I bumped into Snape which sent the sword rolling down the flight of stairs after almost running him through with it.
“Well well well” he said with an evil smirk. “What do we have here?” he asked me. One of the Carrow's picked up the Sword and stared at us in disbelief.
“We’re just taking what never was yours to begin with” I puffed. He looked down at me.
“May I ask who you were taking it for then?”
“We weren’t taking it for anybody” Neville said coming out of his deep breaths.
“Detention – all three of you” he said automatically. Alecto’s face gleamed with excitement until Snape held his hand to him. “Calm down Alecto, Hagrid will be dealing with them” He snatched the sword off him and started at us. “I suggest you all go down to the feast” he stormed away with a wild looking Carrow behind him.
“Damn!” I shouted. “We were so close” I put both my hands on the edge of the banister and looked over the edge. I couldn’t believe that it didn’t work, we were so close. All that I wanted to do was help Harry and every time I got close to that it just slipped away, then I was even further back than what I had been to begin with.
“It was Zacharias” Neville said slamming his fist into his other open hand. I felt my face boil hot.
“We can’t place blame” Luna said trailing behind us as we marched down the stairs to go find him.
“I didn’t get a message from him so he obviously wasn’t watching his corridor” He dropped the coin back into his pocket as we walked back into the great hall. I scanned the Hufflepuff table when I spotted him laughing about something. I stormed over to him with Neville behind me. Luna had drifted off to the Ravenclaw table wanting nothing to do with this.
“Where were you?” I spat at him.
“I’ve been here the whole time”
“You were assigned a spot to look after” I growled angrily.
“I thought you wouldn’t want me too” I hated him and I wanted to hurt his as much as possible. I grabbed him by the collar of his robes and dragged him of the chair and out the hall with him trying to get out of my grasp. I pulled him all the way to an unused classroom on the first floor where I through him on the floor and pointed my wand at him.
“Stop acting like a coward!” I shouted. “Neville, Luna and I all have a detention now because you weren’t at the end of that corridor!”
“It’s not my fault; you didn’t have to trust me”
“Yes we did!” I shouted even louder. “We al have to trust each other! We’re in the middle of a war and believe me, if I didn’t have to trust you I wouldn’t – but this is the sort of scum I’m stuck with” He stood up dusting off his robes.
“Watch your mouth Weasley! Or you’ll go down just like your pathetic brother and boyfriend” I dropped my wand and threw my fist into his face. He staggered backwards when the door flew open.
“What’s going on?” McGonagall’s voice swept through the room. I picked up my wand and walked passed her ignoring her completely. I turned back to Zacharias.
“Watch yourself Smith!”
“Miss Weasley?” McGonagall called, I ignored her completely and ran up to the dormitory so I could spend the rest of my free time alone. I paced around the dorm until there was a knock on the door.
“Come in” I called. Lavender and Pavarti stepped in and closed the door.
“You didn’t come back to the room of requirement so –”
“We didn’t get it – Zacharias messed up the plan” I snapped walking over to the window. I pushed it open and sat there with my feet dangling out.
“What are you doing?” Pavarti asked me.
“Sulking!” I said heavily. “So if you don’t mind can you both leave?” I asked them. I heard the door close and tears poured down my face. I couldn’t win; whatever we all tried we couldn’t win or even get close to it. It struck me within seconds. I should have flown. I slapped my leg hard, I should have flown up and taken the sword out the window. I let out a screamed of frustration as I looked over the magnificent lake.
A little part of me wanted to reach out to it, or just to have a peaceful moment of flying, being airborne. It was my closest connection to Harry that I had; it was the closest connection to peace I had. I pulled my legs up and slammed the window closed. I had to stop thinking about it. I pulled myself together and sat on my bed wiping my tears away. This was ridiculous, I was a strong person, a strong person that never resulted in bursting into tears. I stood up and left my dorm and headed down the steps to Neville who was sitting at the comfy armchairs.
“Have you calmed down?” he asked. “You got a little carried away back there” he smiled nervously.
“I know – I just miss Harry and it’s getting to me that I’m not doing anything to help him out”
“Haven’t done anything?” he asked incredulously. “You’ve gone and given people hope. Hope that Harry is still around and –” I nodded and looked into his eyes.
“Thanks Neville – I meant hands on stuff though” I told him smiling.
“There’s not much we can do – but we are helping, everything we do is helping” I nodded a little convinced. I looked into the fire for a while, my mind going blank. Neville spoke up after a minute or two. “As long as we keep messing around with Snape and the Carrow's we are still doing our world some good” Neville told me.
“Yeah maybe” I said smiling up at him.
***
It was a chilli morning on the first of November when I made my way down to the Flying pitch. Usually this would have been the first quidditch match of the season however it was cancelled so everyone was left to do nothing. I decided to go for a quick fly around the grounds just for something to do. I took off my cloak when I made it into the meeting room. I thought of Harry and how he gave our pre-quidditch match spiel. I smiled lightly and headed over to my locker with my quidditch uniform in it. They were warm and clean, just how the house elves would have left them. I through them back in and slammed the locker hut and headed to the black board that had Harry’s terrible drawings of us all. They were flying in the same pattern they had last year. How great it would be to be a pathetic drawing on that blackboard. I’d be with Harry forever. I wasn’t ure how long it took me to come up with this conclusion but I knew that Flying was the only thing of Harry I had left. It was the only thing that really bonded us together so perfectly. I grabbed an old broom from the corner and took a quaffle from the dusty chest and headed out to the pitch.
I put my left leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground as hard as I could, soaring through the air, I felt the cold cut me like ice. My teeth chattered a little but I pushed that thought out of my head and concentrated on the shot I was about to make. I flew as quickly as the broom would allow me to and threw the quaffle straight through the middle goal post. I soared for it and wrapped my fingers around it just before it hit the ground. I loved flying, it gave me piece of mind and a sense of security.
“Ginny!” I shook my head and faced where my name had been called. It was Dean standing there empty handed.
“What do you want, Dean?” I asked him getting off the broom and walking over to him.
“Well, I thought I’d come down for some practise – seeing as though you’re here –” I thought it over in my head for a moment then decided against it.
“I’d rather be alone – I’ll go” I told him walking quickly around him and back into the meeting room.
“Ginny – wait!” he called. I ignored him and sat down on one of the benches. He didn’t understand, this was Harry’s and my spot – I couldn’t spend time with an ex-boyfriend at the quidditch pitch. I put my cloak back on and left the room and walked over to Hagrid's. I knocked on the door three times and he answered right away.
“Ginny” he said looking at the ground.
“Can I come in?”
“O’ course yeh can” he said smiling. He let me in then shut the door right behind me.
“I wanted to thank you again for giving me the password for Snape’s office”
“Shhh!” he whispered hoarsely.
“No one’s here” I told him raising my eyebrows and sitting down across from him.
“I don’ think I’ll be ‘ere much longer” he said in a whisper.
“Why’s that?”
“Snape knew I’d given the password to yeh – which reminds me, you, Neville and Luna have a detention with me tonight – don’ be late” he warned.
“What are we doing?”
“Jus’ some business in the forest – need to find some –” He was cut off by a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he asked with a little panic in his voice.
“Professor Carrow, I demand you open this door at once” He looked alarmed at me.
“Out the back door – now!” He said hoarsely. I got up at once and had to push against Fang who was trying to knock me over. “Get out of ‘ere” he said desperately. “Don’ get caught leavin either” he said.
“I won’t” I said running to the back door. I opened it quietly and shut it behind myself. I ducked down low and jumped behind the stairs so the Carrow's weren’t able to see me. Hagrid let them in then roared at Fang to leave them alone. Down on my hands and knees I crawled behind all of Hagrid's old cages staying as close to the hut as possible. I stopped at the open window so I could get a good listen as to what was going on.
“Hagrid?” Alecto said formerly.
“We have come to relieve you from your detention tonight – we’d be more than happy to take Mr Longbottom, Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood off your hands for their punishment” Amycus said.
“That’s not happenin’” he answered.
“It is our responsibility to hand out all punishments to the students” Alecto protested.
“Professor Snape has asked me to take the three for their detention and I will not betray his trust by handing them off to someone else” he growled. I heard them both cackle.
“Please Hagrid – you’d be doing everyone a favour” Amycus laughed.
“How’s that?” he asked ignorantly.
“Well, you and the twerps wouldn’t have to go out into that forest tonight – and Amycus and I would be delighted to serve out a well deserved punishment”
“No!” Growled Hagrid. “That’s not goin’ to work for me – Neville, Ginny and Luna have earned a punishment and tha’ punishment, ordered by the head master is ta serve time with me in the Forbidden Forest, and that’s the way it’s goin’ to be – I suggest yeh both leave” he said quickly. I smiled to myself.
“Very well”
“Watch your back” They warned. I heard the door fly open so I laid flat on my stomach and slid under the hut to hide from view. Once they were all the way out of sight I slid back out and ran back to the castle to tell Neville that the Carrow's want to punish us themselves.
Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I've had a few reads which is exciting, I'd love some more reviews to go with it though :) please review.
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