Perdition Mods (perdition_mods) wrote in perdition_rpg, @ 2009-05-01 20:53:00 |
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Slytherins Blaise, Daphne, Millicent, Pansy, Theodore, Tracey Pansy was furious. "Do they think that we're just going to stay? They should have let us throw Potter to them. Then we wouldn't have to be--" she stopped speaking as a younger Slytherin hurtled past her. "Eeeergh!" she shrieked. Pansy had been terrified enough at the idea of dying when the Dark Lord hadn't been at the doors of Hogwarts. Now, with him nearby, she knew that while she would never be hurt since she was a Parkinson and her family were loyal to the Cause, there were often accidents and she was not going to let one of the befall her and end what was going to be a fabulous and wonderful and very, very, very long life. As other students swarmed her, she started to get even more nervous. "We need to get out of here and fast," she said, wishing very much so that someone would hold her hand. What. The. Hell. There was a buzzing in Blaise's brain, and no matter what he did, no matter who he looked at, no matter what he tried to say, it wouldn't go away. The only scenario he had been picturing in his head over the last few days was one that left him looking horribly disfigured, perhaps even scarred like that Potter bloke who apparently wasn't dead. Why wasn't he dead? Ridiculous. There was supposed to be so much manpower out there searching for him and now this was about to occur. And what if a paranoid little child with a bratty streak and a need for tugging at his clothing suddenly decided he or she needed comforting? No. Blaise had hardly even noticed that Pansy was shrieking; it wasn't until he had actually seen her dart up quickly that he too shoved himself to his feet. "I am not staying here for one second longer than what is required," he spoke, sounding much, much cooler and calmer than he felt on the inside. "Can we go yet? Now?" Daphne chimed in, finally speaking up after a quiet night, surprising considering how chatty she usually was. She looked to Pansy and Theodore, the two she viewed with the most authority, with a pleading look in her eyes. She went back to nervously marching in place while waiting for an answer, her shoes making a barely audible clack, clack on the Great Hall's floor. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest. She was dimly aware that as a prefect, she was supposed to show some initiative, but "be a leader" was much lower on her to-do list than "not die" and "be a damsel in distress." Millicent bristled visibly with all the talk of high-tailing it out at the first sign of a fight. "Are you fuckin' kidding?" she finally blurted after seeing so far, she was the only Slytherin who wanted to stay and help their side. "This is what we've been waiting for all year!" she called out over the rest of the noise elsewhere. "Isn't this what we wanted? You-Know-Who to come take down all the mudblood-loving prats who've been safe at Hogwarts this whole time? I'm not leaving," she declared, rolling up the sleeves of her robes. "I'm going to help Him take them out - maybe I can kill a few Gryffindors," Millicent finished growling, upper lip curling dangerously. "That's You-Know-Who's job!" Daphne protested. No way was she going to be coaxed into staying, not the least of which because "their" side hadn't done all that much for her that year. She was still sour over the jarvey incident, and there'd been enough blood and gore during the Muggle Studies demonstrations to last them all quite some time -- it didn't need to be their own entrails littering the Hall on this occasion. "He has people to kill Gryffindors already. We aren't those people!" Her voice had taken on a whine and she raised her eyebrows at the gentlemen in their company, expecting them to agree, or at least fight on the ladies' behalf. Even if it was arguable that Millicent was a lady. "No, Millicent!" Pansy said, snapping unintentionally at her friend. "We need to get out of here and let him just clear them all out. He'll do it in no time. Potter might have done something when he was a baby but there is no way he'll be able to win him now. The Dark Lord is too powerful. Let's go-- Well, we can go to my house. How about that?" She was trembling and she hated that it was probably evident to her friends just how nervous she was. "Theodore, Blaise? Come on!" She started marching, taking it for granted that her friends would follow behind her -- indeed, that they would be right at her side in moments, since she did not like the idea of being swarmed by younger students or having any of them suddenly turn to their Head Girl for help. "Pansy's right," Tracey chimed in - not exactly an uncommon phrase for her. "It'll be faster if we go and not get in the way. And not get possibly hurt on accident if something happens. Er- not that you would be in the way, Millicent, but there'll be plenty to do later." She was nervous; everything had suddenly turned to chaos and she did not appreciate it one bit. "I don't want to be here right now, but where are we going?" There was nothing here but trees and more trees and a lake. Groaning, completely frustrated, Millicent balled her hands into fists and glowered at her friends. This wasn't supposed to be how she ended the year - if the Death Eaters were attacking, she was supposed to be one of them. If she didn't become a fighter, what else was she? Setting her jaw her eyes gazed over Tracey, Pansy, and Daphne then to Theodore... then she glanced to where the 6th years were moving and took a deep breath. Maybe they were right... how would Voldemort's forces even know what side she was on? What if they knew but didn't care because she wasn't completely pure... Pansy, Blaise, Theodore, they were all safe, but Irwin, Hortense, Tracey, herself... not as much. She'd always pictured herself fighting along people like Bellatrix Lestrange. But maybe she was a better defender than attacker. It wasn't something to ponder now though, her decision needed to be made: Voldemort or her housemates. In that moment, the decision suddenly became obvious. "FINE," she snapped, trudging quickly up to Pansy's side, wand out, fists ready. "But I call dibs on knocking out anyone's teeth who gets in our way." Blaise had absolutely no concern for anyone but himself, and nor did he care who decided to flee and who decided to be stupid and stick around to hold Harry Potter's hand and guide him to victory. Certainly saving yourself was the only option in a situation like this. If you didn't save yourself, then who could you count on to do it for you? Pansy? Her guidance wasn't exactly reassuring. It didn't bother him, but it didn't really get him motivated any more than he already had been. Nevertheless, he nodded at her and didn't waste a single second in putting his legs into motion. Millicent's boiling frustration was actually a tad bit amusing, if only because she was so easy to frustrate. "You better watch whose teeth you end up knocking out," Blaise warned, eying the manly girl as he sauntered up to the group of girls. Without stopping to engage in a new fascinating conversation, he picked up the pace and sauntered right by them, no longer caring to concern himself with them. Theodore hovered on the outside of the crowd as he was wont to do, giving Daphne a reassuring nod as she looked to him and Pansy for guidance. "Millicent, I am certain that once the younger years are safe, no one would object to you returning should you desire to do so." He moved through the clot of Slytherins towards Daphne and offered her an arm, wondering why anyone would bother returning. Things had gotten decidedly ugly, and he had absolutely no intention of waiting around to watch things crumble, regardless of who was on the winning side. Allegiance wasn't something he pledged easily, and he had just as little interest fighting for the Dark Lord as he had for the side of good and righteousness. He had better things to do (though in the back of his mind was the ever-present niggling that his father was very likely out there) -- like make sure the girls got out of here safe and sound and unharassed by tiresome Gryffindors. "Everything will be fine," he assured no one in particular. Millicent liked Theodore's reasoning the best. Nodding, she stood straighter and marched to the front of their small group, sleeves rolled up and hair wild. "Where the hell are Vince and Greg, anyway?" she asked, acting annoyed but in reality slightly worried. They better be leaving too. She'd be pissed if they got to beat people up and she didn't because she was protecting the girls. Though, seeing as how they followed Malfoy everywhere, and that bloke wouldn't fight unless he knew he'd win, maybe they all left at the first sign of battle. Jerks. "They'll follow after us," Pansy said. She clapped her hands, looking absolutely infuriated, because that was easier than looking flustered. "Let's just all go to my house right now. I'm sure they'll come right away." She clung to the two closest to her and hurried them all on their way. Blythe, Charis, Gus, Hortense, Irwin, Sebastian, Will For the first time in his life, Augustus Urquhart had absolutely no idea what to think. What was he SUPPOSED to think, after all? The Dark fucking Lord was coming to Hogwarts, and Death Eaters, too, and though Gus was a purist through and through, he really didn't like the idea, especially since, with Potter and his friends running around the castle, "Don't kill me, I'm pure!" might not be the best way to grant himself mercy. Needless to say, he was more than glad to be getting the fuck out of Hogwarts, even if he was reluctantly ushering terrified-looking first years out of the school. "I don't want to go in there," a first year girl with blonde ringlets whose name he had forgotten whinged, and Gus, as gently as humanly possible, considering his prickly nature and state of irritation, urged her on. "You have to, or the Dark Lord will come and kill you," he told her, and gave her a slight push between the shoulders to encourage her through the tunnel to the Hog's Head. Her eyes wide as saucers, the girl walked in, looking rather terrified. Gus had to take a deep breath and steady himself against the wall to the side of the entrance in spite of himself. More first years were filing through one by one. "This is fucking bullshite," he muttered, not particularly caring if any of the younger students heard him. Having Death Eaters knocking on your door and insane professors intent on defending Harry Potter was far more traumatic than hearing a prefect swear. "Tell me about it." To say Irwin Harper looked ticked off was a severe understatement. Except it wasn't about moving all of the younger years through an underground passageway, it was more about the fact that he was unable to fight for himself. How the hell were Halfbloods going to survive in this Purist war? Was he even in the Carrows good graces after everything he'd done for them? Or maybe he was still expendable. There was no fucking way of knowing anymore and he needed to know. He needed to know his mum and people close to him would be safe after all of this was over. "Would you move? What the hell is your problem? Are you scared of the dark or something?" he spat at a younger year boy who looked rather twitchy. Irwin really wasn't the right person to be doing this job right now, especially after he manually picked up the kid by his robes and shoved him inside the dark cave-like passage. He also had his friends to worry about. Luckily most of them were nearby right now, but there were others. Where the hell was Millicent? Crabbe? Goyle? Daphne? Tracey? A part of him wanted to stay just to make sure they got out all right. "Fuck Slughorn," said Irwin angrily. "Why can't we stay if we want to fight for Voldemort? This is absolute horseshite. Yeah that's right I said horseshite, do you have a problem with it four-eyes?" The younger year who had been looking at Irwin kept very quiet. "Keep moving." This was not supposed to be happening. This was not supposed to be happening. The words chanted and rolled around inside Charis' head as she stood by the table, her hands wrung around each other in a sense of shock she couldn't make out. This is what she had wanted. As her mouth dried to cotton from fear of what was occurring around her she couldn't help but remember what her brother and uncle had told her over the holidays when she expressed interest in one day joining their ranks. Lord Voldemort weeded out the weak and there, as she stood lamely waiting to flee the castle, she realised she was weak. Her face was drawn into a tight look of shame as she kept her eyes downcast from those around her. While some senses soared - touch (her skin was prickled and the slightest movement seem to reverberate off her flesh) - others were souring. Her eyesight was blurred and her hearing was deafening. Was Cam here? Her uncle? Instinctively she moved closer to Irwin, attempting to catch his eye and desperate to have him take care of her in this. She had never been so scared in her life despite how pure she was, despite how much game she had talked, despite the amount she believed in the cause, despite everything: she was terrified. But Irwin was busy and so she turned away from him, back into the crowd. "Blythe?" Charis asked out loud, desperately looking around her for one of the few people she trusted. She sought out the other girl, hopefully glancing for her so she could grab her hand and feel safe for just a minute in this nightmare. Would they really kill purebloods? What set them apart? Was she supposed to have a card that announced her? As she looked for the other girl, her vision refocused and she immediately sought out someone important, someone far away. Her eyes prickled as she couldn't find him at his table and a bubble of an emotion she couldn't name rose in her throat. No time to continue looking. She just wanted Blythe to take her hand and get her out of this mess. Blythe dumbly took Charis's hand in hers, but there was no leading her out of any mess. Where could she possibly take the girl besides away? They were already doing that without any input from Blythe. She shivered and shuffled closer to Charis, leaning into her friend's arm in a rare moment of weakness. The entire year felt as though it had been one rare moment of weakness after another, but this one was different. This was far more serious than any of the other situations she'd found herself in that year and she was in place far beyond the dramatic sobs that had peppered a few of them. "You shouldn't talk like that," Blythe murmured, glancing from Gus to Irwin. Her mind had only half-registered what the two had said but the curse words had managed to make it through the haze. She could only clearly hear the echo of Pansy's shrieks in the Great Hall and the scraping of the benches as the other three houses stood against the Slytherins. The very thought of so many people standing against her house made her eyes sting with tears and she hastily swiped at them with her free hand before anyone else could see. What if her daddy was out there now? After the incident in the girl's lavatory earlier that year, Blythe had no interest in fighting for either side, but she couldn't help but wonder about her father. Would her sister be with the nanny or would the nanny be preparing to destroy her father's dark objects just in case? "I want to go home," she murmured, voice lower still. Hortense's maternal instincts were in overdrive. This whole situation was ridiculous and it was so unfair that children be forced to endure these sorts of things. She might have wanted to find someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay but she couldn't help but think of the younger years first. She'd taken hold of two sets of hands and held onto them. She might not have been chosen as prefect but she did care about them. It gave her something to do anyways. It wasn't as if her best friend was there to comfort her. She didn't appreciate the foul language that was coming out of anyone's mouth one bit! They were frightening the younger years and they (especially Gus) ought to know better. They were supposed to be calming fears not stirring them up. Wasn't that what authority figures were there for? It wasn't about punishments or detentions! It was about caring about the people that were around you. If there was ever a time someone needed compassion it would have been in that instance. She didn't have time to observe or deal with him or Irwin though. She had bigger problems. "C'mon, sweetheart," Hortense said to an unfortunately ginger haired first-year boy who had started to cry about how much he wanted to see his mummy! He'd started to stall and cling to her leg. She had no choice but pull him aside to not block the flow of traffic and crouch to his level. He hadn't even hit puberty yet! "Don't listen to Gussy or Irwin, everything is going to be fine," she said with a motherly pat, brown eyes meeting a similar shade. "We're going to get you somewhere safe and then when we get out everything is going to be all better. I promise! C'mon!" She then went back to full height, giving the kid a gentle push back into the flow of traffic. She waited a few steps before diving back into the crowds herself. William wanted to vomit, but not out of a disgusted feeling. It was definitely nerves. This was it, this was definitely going to be it. There was no doubt in William's mind the plan he was going to take. The first thing he was going to do was apparate to his brother's place and then they were going to return to Hogsmeade, to help like he had promised Ginny he would. But first he had to get through all of this - he had been seconds away from leaping out of line and running back to the Great Hall to see where he could help, but a couple of first and second years grabbing his hands for support made Will follow the crowd. Those hands also kept Will from punching Irwin in the nose and slamming him against the wall. He could vaguely understand the idea of posturing oneself to be on what was deemed the winning side (the dark) but Will couldn't deal with that. He let the kids go through the tunnel before joining his roommates and watching the other children walk past. It was only fair to let the little ones go through first and make sure everyone was out, even if he wasn't a prefect. He had to say good-bye, right? "I'm going to fight," Will said quietly, scanning the crowd before turning to them and giving them a level stare. He reached out and clasped Gus on the shoulder tightly, scared that if he touched Irwin he'd end up choking him or something. "I guess I'll see you lot on the other side," he said vaguely, giving Sebastian and Irwin tight nod before turning away and following the crowd out. He had to hurry now. Gus just stood there, staring at Will in what was something between utter disbelief and disgust. Fight? Gus didn't dare ask what he was going to fight for, because... he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Unlike Irwin, he didn't really have any desire to stay and fight for the Dark Lord... that was a good way to get yourself killed. And he certainly wasn't going to be fighting against him, either, because they would probably want to make him marry a mudblood after that... disgusting. "Is he fucking mad?" Gus asked, looking utterly bewildered, though he was worried in spite of himself. If Cresswell wanted to get himself killed, that was his prerogative. "Keep going, keep going. Quickly, quickly," he said to the fourth years who had stopped to stare at him in shock at a prefect swearing, and they continued. "Where the fuck is he going?" said Irwin looking extremely shocked and pale as Will disappeared into the crowd. "WILL! WHERE ARE YOU---GET BACK HERE! WILL!" Was he really going to fight on the losing side? Did he have a death wish? For Merlin's sake, Irwin understood everything that happened with his father had really affected Will, but committing suicide really wasn't going to help matters was it? He looked over at Gus and then at Charis and gave her a look so as to say he'd be right back, and he started off after his dorm mate. He hoped by some miracle he'd be able to catch up with him. To say Sebastian was not prepared for a moment like this was a huge understatement. He'd always conveniently ignored the fact that people were really dying, or at least pretended that he didn't mind it at all. If he'd really sat down to think about it, he'd have probably started to wonder why couldn't they just be content with snide comments about inferior blood instead of waging a war? After all, maybe all those mudbloods and halfbloods were there to make purebloods like him look (and feel!) better. Not that wars couldn't be fun, but it is rather difficult to believe that whilst in the midst of one. It was actually hearing Voldemort's cold voice that really drove the point home that they were in the midst of such a war. It both scared and excited Sebastian, which had the unfortunate side affect of making him wee himself a little bit. So naturally, he busy making sure no one else noticed while the Slytherins made their way out of the castle. Irwin's shouting at and subsequent leaving to follow Will grabbed Sebastian's attention, though. "What in Salazar's name do they think they're doing?" he asked no one in particular. "Idiot halfbloods!" Gus stared in shock and horror as Irwin ran off after Will... If Cresswell was on a suicide mission, well, what exactly were they supposed to do about it? "Our dorm's going to be miserably empty next year, Sebastian," he said flatly, shoving a third year girl into the tunnel unceremoniously. Thankfully for Sebastian, he was far too preoccupied to notice thing that anything with the other bloke was amiss. "Fucking idiots. I can't believe... Cresswell should've been a Gryffindor." Blythe had watched quietly as Will went completely bonkers and had tightened her grip on Charis's hand as Irwin chased after him. There really was no telling what Charis might have done if Blythe hadn't been holding onto her so tightly and, even in such a tense moment, her thoughts were on her friend's future. The swearing, however, genuinely was getting to her. "STOP SWEARING!" she shouted, releasing Charis's hand and crossing her arms sternly over her chest. Now that she'd made her opinion known, though, she realised that Irwin had left and it was Gus who she was shouting at now. Feeling a bit embarrassed, her cheeks turned pink and she looked for something else to talk about. "I think one of the first years must have wet themselves," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I'm not swearing!" Sebastian replied, defensively, before realizing that Blythe hadn't been referring to him. "Oh. I think she meant you, Gus. Tsk tsk!" He couldn't help blushing at Blythe's mention of someone wetting themselves, though. "Yes, it must have been one of the younger ones!" he said, passing the blame on and laughing a bit awkwardly. "They must have gotten scared or something. Poor things! I hope they know a good cleaning spell for that once we get to wherever we're going!" Gus frowned at this turn of conversation, not really understanding why any of them cared if a first year had wet themselves. "If any situation calls for swearing, it's this one," he said brusquely. It was with great reluctance he pried himself away from the support of the wall, and grasped Blythe by her free arm. "Let's get going. The seventh years will see to the rest." He honestly had no inclination to stay, and if he pulled Blythe along with him, Charis would come, too. And, well, he wasn't about to take Sebastian's free arm, but he had never really been one to go against the grain, so, tucking his wand into his robes, he pulled the two girls towards the tunnel exit. "No." Charis finally spoke, reacting to the conversation around her as she planted her feet. "Not until Irwin is back." Her tone carried a stubborn edge to it, a hysterical note rising in the back of her throat as she blinked out into the crowd of people. Was this really how Slytherin was being treated? Stared at, like sheep and cattle, like villains and monsters? Unable to process how much bad her house had perpetrated in the year she remained there with her arms crossed to match Blythe and her chin set in defiance at Gus. "You go." She directed this to Blythe, knowing she'd capitulate to the other girl as soon as Blythe put her foot down and told her to go, but if she stalled for another minute, she might create enough time to catch sight of Irwin coming back. "He has to come, he has to be ok, or I won't be." There was the panic as she murmured her last sentence to Blythe, but with reluctance, she reached back out for the other girl with shoulders bumping. Gus stopped short of actually going in and stepped aside so that the younger years could keep going and gave Charis a glare. "Come back?" he practically yelled at her. "Harper's not coming back here, he went after Cresswell and they'll be wherever the other side of this Merlin-forsaken tunnel is and there's no way in hell they can get back with firsties stamping through the place. If you just come you'll see him there, I'm sure." She couldn't possibly be this daft, could she? Gus knew that Charis and Irwin had a... thing, but was that really worth the risk of staying here on the off-chance he'd come back for her? If Blythe had done the same thing, he'd have gone on without her and would have expected her to do the same to him. "You're mad if you want to stay here. The Dark Lord's coming and Death Eaters, too, and on top of that there's an orgy of mudbloods and good-for-nothings who I'm sure would love nothing more than to take a nice Slytherin pureblood girl hostage so that they could her use as leverage. If you want to be that girl, by all means." Gus gestured to the room they were standing in, as if she was welcome to stay. Not that he really expected her to. She was a Slytherin, after all. Slytherins always valued their own skin first. Charis didn't look quite swayed by Gus' passionate declaration. She matched his glare with an equal one, the attitude she was carrying manifesting in a distasteful pucker of her lips. "He is coming back, we can't just leave him!" She seemed dangerously close to throwing a temper tantrum, but this is what she was doing. If she managed to consume her thoughts on something else, it would take away from the sheer fright that infested every part of her mind. But after a moment, she let her arms fall from her chest with a defeated sigh. "Fine. I know. You're right. I'm coming, but we still shouldn't leave William and Irwin. It just.. whatever." What a nice time to grow a conscience. It was surprising what real war could do to you. Her mouth was cotton and she was torn between being thrilled at the imminent victory and terrified of the outcome. She skirted around a silently crying and stumbling first year, gently grabbing on to his collar as she pulled him along to where Blythe, Gus, and Sebastian were waiting. "Let's go." With a bit of a shove on the first year, she fell back into line with a sour look on her face. Hortense stood to the side watching everything as it went down, completely separate from her peers. The commotion had drawn her attention but it was easier to hide back and watch than become a part of it. Her body demanded to follow Will. Instinctively, she took a step in the direction of his now disappearing head. She halted again when she saw Irwin breaking away from the pack. She knew it was a fruitless effort to try to convince Will to do anything. He did what he wanted to do and when he wanted to do it. The multitude of times, he'd asked for space came to mind. Push him one way and he was going to push back in the other. It was simple logic. She wasn't going to crowd him or beg him to do anything no matter how badly she might have wanted to. She'd let Irwin handle it this once. Fear that he might actually be going to leave them there without a goodbye sunk it quickly, twisting her insides. It was nothing compared the the realization that she wanted to be confident enough to make such a decision herself. A fugue was at play between heart and mind. Was it better to be safe or to do the right thing? She was teetering closer and closer to the right thing. The weight of folded parchment in her robe pocket helped her to close in around the decision. "Me too," she thought aloud to no one at all. It was hardly above a whisper and undoubtedly never heard. Just a silence answer to the battle cry. A tug at her robes brought her out of her thoughts. With a nod her feet picked up movement again. She couldn't move backwards. She'd just have to find another way. Blythe was suddenly tired of standing in that awful room and she nodded at Charis. "Let's go," she repeated, yanking her arm out of Gus's grasp finally and moving towards the tunnel. She was frightened and worried that, if they stayed there any longer, Charis would actually refuse to leave again. "I'm leaving. We're all leaving." With a very stern look for all of the sixth years remaining in the room, even Hortense, she moved to flounce through the entrance to the tunnel and Merlin forbid anyone ignored her decree. Irwin Harper was seen jogging back to the group, looking rather pale-faced and angry. "I can't--fucking--find--him--" he said almost defeatedly when he finally caught up with the rest of the Slytherin ushers. "So...Cresswell's gonna die. Does that mean anything to any of you?" Irwin looked around at Blythe, Gus, Sebastian, Charis, and Hortense. Silence. Giving Gus a stony glare, he moved next to Charis, helping her usher along some third years. "God damn," he stated with heavy sarcasm. "Sometimes I feel like the other Houses are right about us. "What a bunch of self-preserving assholes we are." He kept looking over his shoulder, hoping to see Cresswell had changed his mind. "I hope he comes back," he muttered more to himself than for anyone to hear. Irwin then moved to help usher a few kids through the passage. "Come on, move. Quick now." It took a great part of Charis' self-control to not react when Irwin returned. Her visage immediately changed from its dour appearance to one of delight, and then to confusion as Irwin spoke. "...Irwin, don't say that." Her joy at him returning was matched by the reality of what he proposed, the simultaneous insult and appeal to them. "We can't look for him, anyway, can we?" There was a note underneath her words, a pleading one. They couldn't wait for Will or they'd all be caught in this. She wanted to go home, badly, to have her mum make her a warm milky drink, to curl up under a blanket, and to suck her thumb. She didn't want to be in this school when her hero came back. Somehow it didn't seem the Death Eaters would distinguish between bloodlines easily. Nor would the people on the other side. Still, what Irwin said cause something in her to snap. Never before had she felt particularly close to the majority of her year mates in her house, but the idea one of them would die? "That is IT. We all have to go together. I don't like most of you," a pause to glance at Hortense. Same old Charis! "but we all go together because none of us are being left here to die. At least, I AM NOT LEAVING UNTIL WE'RE ALL TOGETHER." Charis was shouting, nearly, and verging on the tantrum that had seemed likely. She stomped down hard and crossed her arms resolutely, thankful that Blythe was nearly through the tunnel and not there to order her about. She never knew how to say no to the other girl. "Not to mention we have friends in other houses, too." She finished this lamely, addressing it to Gus pointedly. If Charis was attempting to appeal to Gus's friendship with Grayson, it wasn't working. Grayson wasn't an idiot. He'd come through as soon as the Hufflepuffs were here, and they'd meet up wherever this thing ended. "Have it your way, then," he said brusquely, and with one swift motion, he grabbed Charis about the waist (this was dreadfully improper and he was sure he'd catch flak for it later, but better catching flak for this than letting her die) and swung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Let's get out of here. And you too, Charis. You haven't got a choice now." Blythe's mouth fell open in shock. It was improper and she couldn't quite believe that Gus was intimately touching another girl (because everyone knew that Charis wasn't quite a lady just yet) right before her very eyes. She had paused at the entrance when Irwin had showed up and now wished that she had simply flounced through as she had originally planned. "Gus!" She threw a pointed glare in Irwin's direction for bringing the situation about, before ungracefully stumbling into the tunnel finally and shouting Gus's name after him. Irwin had softened when he heard Charis's declaration to stay until Cresswell came back, and was about to tell her that she shouldn't stay because it was too dangerous, until Gus picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He would have said something about it had Blythe's reaction not been so hysterical. He managed a snicker, before turning back around to look again for William and caught Hortense's eye. He could tell something was up. Irwin gave her a warning look. "After you," he said as though daring her to counter. She wasn't going to be stupid enough to stay with Will, was she? Hortense had snubbed her nose at Charis since the since rumours of Hufflepuff sweaters got to her. It was so silly to be petty at a moment such as thing but parts of her couldn't help but resent her. Gus was determined to protect her. Irwin was infatuated with her. Grayson snogged her. It was easy to hate her more than Blythe these days because Blythe had never been her friend. She'd learned to shut her ears to her dorm mates. They ignored her and she ignored them. That was the way she liked it. She only vaguely caught the dramatic exit of her antagonists. No amount of shutting them out could take back the sting of being completely forgotten. Irwin's voice pulled her back to reality. It was fitting that he'd be the one to notice the fact she wasn't as quick to walk away as the rest. "Will has every right to fight. His father was murdered -- we should all be fighting instead of running away -- It's our school!" she voiced her opinion now that those who might argue were out of earshot. She moved in the direction he wanted but she didn't move in front of him. It was a silent rebellion. She was thinking aloud more than really speaking to Irwin anyways. "He won't be able to get back in that way . There are too many people trying to come out. He'll join us -- we'll make a plan. All following him would do is make him more determined to get in there -- I don't want to be like them. When this is over I want to be able to respect myself and not say I sat on my bum while my friends were murdered." Which friends though? The ones who weren't speaking to her? "Okay..." Irwin said, rather confused. "So uh...how about we talk about this while we're moving down the passageway! You can fight as much as you want where it's safe." Maybe he didn't get it, or maybe he was greatly worried by the fact that she was going to join Will in his endeavours to fight for his dad's death. Hortense shouldn't be fighting. Irwin was quite sure she would die if she fought and he was going to have none of that. There was a loud crash and some screaming down the hallway. Maybe the Death Eaters were already getting into the castle? "Come on, Hortense," he said with annoyance. Time was pressing. "Get in there now." Hortense let out a weak laugh. She used to fall in line and let people tell her what to do but it felt like more and more she was breaking away from the little girl who listened. She was becoming a strong-minded, independent woman. This did not bode well for anyone other than herself. "What are you going to do if I don't?" she asked with hand gestures, "Are you going to stop speaking to me? At least, if I fight in there - the fighting gets me somewhere." Very likely if she went back, he wouldn't have to worry about following up on those threats. She knew as good as he did that no matter how or when she did it she was as good as dead if she went back. Slytherin girls weren't meant for battle even if they were starting to grow thick-skin. The sound of crashing and screaming did make her speed up. For now, she could only hope that was not Will screaming. "Yeah, fighting will get you somewhere all right. It'll get you killed." Irwin looked through the passageway. He could barely make his friends out at this point. It was dark and they were gone to...wherever this passage led. Would they be able to catch up with them? What if they were stuck here? He heard another loud crash, this time nearer. Screaming... "Look, I'm going," he said with widened eyes. "Follow me, all right?" He crawled through the entrance of the tunnel. Another loud crash, sent her scrambling behind him. This wasn't ideal but it would have to do. She certainly couldn't stay there in limbo and she certainly didn't want to stay there alone. "Wait for me!" Hortense called out from behind chasing Irwin into the entrance. Ravenclaws Lisa, Mandy, Padma, Stephen, Ruby "Stay together," Padma Patil called out, a bit harsher than she had intended. She looked down the corridor at the long line of Ravenclaws, worry and fear etched across their faces and, in some cases, even tears. The other prefects were scattered around the group, making sure no one got out of hand and started stampeding each other or, worse, snuck away. She was in the lead, being one of the two Ravenclaw prefects who actually knew where the Room of Requirement was located, and though she knew she should be focused on the task ahead of her, she could only think about the eyes she could feel on the back of her head. She had spent much of the term as an Inquisitorial Squad member and then finally gave it all up trying, unsuccessfully, to take out the Carrows, an act which many of her housemates likely saw, and finally disappeared for a few days... until now. She felt a bit bad that the younger years had spent much of the term being afraid of her (which was what she had wanted), but it was the sixth and seventh years she was most worried about. She stole a sideways glance about her - there was Stephen and Lisa, two of her yearmates she had lied to and felt horrid about, Ruby, who had given her a few hugs despite Padma's coldness to her, and Mandy, who had confided in her about her Squib brother and whom she had tried to make understand why she had done it. Padma stopped at a corner and ushered a few of the students around her, letting some of the younger years continue a few steps ahead. "My sister," Orla Quirke said, tugging on Padma's robe. "Is she...?" The fourth year couldn't bear to finish the sentence and Padma's stomach turned. Padma patted her on the head. "Don't worry," she said, trying to comfort the girl but not wanting to lie. She shooed her along, then frowned, catching Ruby's eye. Ruby still felt a bit wary around Padma, even though she knew perfectly well that the older Ravenclaw wasn't the evil harpy like they'd all originally thought she was, but she smiled weakly at Padma anyway. It was all so surreal. You-Know-Who was right outside of their school and he was going to come in! She hadn't even realised that You-Know-Who knew where Hogwarts was! She'd never even entertained the possibility of the Dark Lord's having once been a student there, but in the end it made sense that he knew where it was. After all, wasn't everyone always going on about how the Carrows were Death Eaters? "Are you staying, Padma?" Ruby asked softly, wrapping her arms protectively around her middle. Her eyes were damp and she swiped at them with her fingers, glad that it had been the middle of the night when they'd all been dragged out of their warms beds into the Great Hall. She didn't have any makeup on to be ruined by her tears. Padma nodded, her eyes closing briefly as she did. Now that it was being brought up, she was discovering how much more scared she was than she had originally thought, but there really wasn't a question in her mind about whether or not she was staying. "I am," she replied, forcing a small smile onto her face. "This is what everything was for, for me." She pursed her lips and stole a glance at the her yearmates who were close by, wondering if they heard. Mandy, who was walking in front of Padma, sighed inwardly and pretended not to hear. She had a headache. Not only had she had to find out that one of the few people at Hogwarts she considered a friend (and the only person she had entrusted with the truth about her family) had been lying to her for months now, but it appeared Hogwarts was about to fall apart. Why anyone in their right mind would want to stay, she just couldn't understand. But then, she didn't understand much of anything of the things Padma had done this year. She hadn't spoken to Padma at all since she had warded that journal entry to her, and she didn't particularly want to do so now, either, so Mandy slowed down a bit in order to end up walking next to Stephen. Whatever else might have happened this year, at least he had made the right decision in the end, and Mandy was hesitant to admit exactly how relieved she was that he would be safe. Everything had happened so fast, Stephen thought as Mandy pulled up beside him, giving her a weak smile. It felt as though hardly any time had passed between gathering in the Great Hall and hearing the Dark Lord's "request" and everyone scattering - some staying, some leaving. As much as Stephen hated to leave his friends behind, his own safety - and that of his sister's - was more important for the time being. Not to mention, he was sure he'd be completely useless if he stayed behind. That was a good reason to leave while he still had a chance, he decided. "Padma," Stephen said quietly, "I... please try to take care of yourself." Please don't hate me, he thought. What if he never saw Padma again? Anthony? Michael, Terry, Morag? He breathed in deeply, attempting to keep his composure. He did not want to get emotional around the girls, not if he could help it. He cleared his throat, "and everyone else too, yeah?" Padma forced a small smile at him and said "I'll try." Again she didn't want to lie, she was done with that from now on, but she couldn't promise him that they'd all be all right. "And, um," she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry I was a right swot all year." She couldn't apologise for the rest of it, for the deceptiveness and for the torture, since she wasn't sorry she had to act as an IS member and she didn't think she could ever really ask for forgiveness for the torture, but at least she could offer that. "Could I have a hug?" she asked, trying her best to ignore the gazes of everyone else around her. Ruby had stood quietly over the course of the conversation, mulling over the thought of Padma returning to the Great Hall and then fighting against the owner of that terrifying voice that still echoed in her mind. She'd just so recently started liking Padma again. What if she didn't survive? The thought made her shiver. However, Padma's request for a hug caught her attention and, being Ruby, she was more than happy to comply. She didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around the older Ravenclaw, reaching with her other to tug on the sleeve of one of the nearby older years. "Group hug," she said sternly. Lisa was one of the last to follow. Her eyes darted between her housemates once she reached them, trying to hide the fear that made her look like a newly inducted first year. She eyed them embrace each other, a gesture that couldn't have been initiated by no one other than Ruby, but couldn't bring herself to join in; instead, she lingered off to the side, looking a lot colder than she felt. "I'll see you when this is over?" she addressed everyone, but deliberately didn't look at Padma. Padma pulled out of the hug, glad that some people seemed to be all right enough with her to hug, and smiled at Stephen and Mandy and Ruby. She spied Lisa who was hanging back a bit and wanted to say something, to respond to her, but she felt suddenly a bit ashamed and turned away, going back to leading the group to the Room of Requirement. "Well, here we are then," she said after a moment, ushering students to the door. "The tunnel's right through here, in you go." Standing stiffly as she was pulled into a hug along with the others, as soon as she was free Mandy took the opportunity to put some more distance between herself and the others. She had never been very good with open displays of affection, but in these circumstances it seemed best not to make a fuss over it. Although she wasn't exactly on speaking terms with everyone around her, they had lived together for several years, and right now it was unclear when and if she would see them again. Giving Lisa a brief nod to acknowledge her question, she lingered at the back while the others made their way into the room. Moving to stand next to Padma, she allowed her eyes to meet hers for a short moment. "Try not to get yourself killed." Not giving Padma the opportunity to respond, she then brushed past her, following the rest of the students inside. Stephen allowed other students to enter first, lingering behind a little, almost as though he was second-guessing himself. It wasn't easy to leave his friends behind. Their seventh year had been difficult, but he had many wonderful memories of his year-mates. And now it was over. He felt the sudden urge to apologise - for leaving, for not being more like Padma and everyone else. "Sorry," he mumbled. He hoped they'd all understand why he had to go. "Write me when it's over," he said quietly as he slipped through the door, nudging a few younger years along in front of him. Lisa watched quietly as Stephen and Mandy maneuvered through the exit, along with a large crowd of younger students. She let the rest of them step ahead of her. When it was her turn, she stopped to glance at Padma, standing there for much longer than was necessary. She had a multitude of unanswered questions -- and if Padma died, which seemed quite likely, that would be it; Lisa wouldn't be able to apologise over and over again for how ridiculous they acted towards each other. But really, did that even matter at this point? "Take care?" Padma stood next to the door her hands hanging uselessly at her sides as she struggled to find words or actions that might make any of this even the slightest bit easier. They didn't come. "You too," she whispered, smiling faintly. "I miss you." She felt her stomach drop at Padma's words. She missed her, too, but she wasn't sure if she should say so. She didn't know what to say. "Yeah. Likewise," Lisa smiled. Padma nodded and opened her mouth to speak again, but her words were lost as two fourth years started arguing about something. Or about nothing. Padma knew it was worry and fear getting to them, and she separated them, sending one into the Room of Requirement straightaway and letting the other hang back for a moment. "All right, go ahead now," she told Stewart Ackerley, thinking suddenly of her brother and hoping he was all right. She wanted to go back and say something more to Lisa, but she knew it was no longer the time and she didn't really have anything to say either. Instead, she raised her hand, giving her roommate one last wave, then turned back to the rest of the students. They would be safe. |