Perdition Mods (perdition_mods) wrote in perdition_rpg, @ 2009-05-01 20:54:00 |
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Anthony, Eustace, Malcolm, Sun Hee, Tobias (appearance by Padma) Most of the Ravenclaws had already left the Room of Requirement and made their way through the passageway, although there were still several students lingering around and whom Anthony was now attempting to usher out before the Hufflepuffs arrived. The thought of the upcoming (and hopeless) battle and how he might very well be returning to fight in it shortly -- too shortly, really, and each passing moment had him wishing he could stay in the room for a little while longer to delay the inevitable, or even to escape through the tunnel himself -- made him feel sick. However, he still had to fulfil his duty as a prefect and ensure that the students under his watch were evacuated safely, and concentrating on the task at hand kept him relatively distracted enough to stay at least seemingly calm. 'I obviously cannot enforce orderly behaviour if you do not wish to follow my advice, but I am thinking it would be in everybody's best interests to continue moving as quickly as possible before the next house gets here,' he said in a clear monotone as he gestured towards the passageway. 'We do not have very much time left before Death Eaters arrive, and I can only assume most of you would not wish to be here when that occurs.' One of the first-year Ravenclaw boys stared with wide eyes at Anthony, then the entrance to the tunnel, and finally back at Anthony. 'Are you going to Imperius me to go in there or use the Cruciatus Curse if I don't?' he asked in a nervous whisper. 'Don't be ridiculous,' Anthony scoffed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes and pick up the boy to place in the passageway himself (or carry him out so he could have a decent excuse for leaving). 'Of course I'll do neither, but if you don't leave now, a Death Eater would most likely be more than happy to do so him- or herself -- I would expect a Ravenclaw to understand that the most rational thing to do right now would be to evacuate before it's too late.' If only he could follow his own advice, but he didn't know if he could face the rest of the DA if he ran away, even though he knew it was his choice and his alone to make. It hadn't taken Malcolm MacFusty long to decide whether he was staying or going. Really, it was a no brainer; staying and fighting with those ridiculous Dumbledore's Army members against You-Know-Who? MacFusty had never been very good at most kinds of spells, he had only been taught the ones of use to him in dragon husbandry after all, and going home seemed infinitely preferable to probably dying where he stood. In a hot second he had left the Ravenclaw table and was being ushered up to this bizarre room that he had no idea existed. Oh well, a way out was a way out, after all. In his impatience, he pushed some of the younger years aside who seemed to be loitering. "Out of the way, I'm not NOT dying due to your ineptitude!" he commanded, climbing into the tunnel. He only needed to be beyond the castle grounds before he could Apparate home, and sit with a nice big bowl of his Mum's stew, waiting for the list of the dead to be announced on the wireless. Yes, staying was a ridiculous idea. A few moments later and he was gone, without so much as a good bye. Over the last few days, Sun Hee had taken to silently observing the people in her own house. She wasn't one to start a conversation lately, do in part to the fact that everyone seemed to have varying opinions on things and she did not want to be the one who started some sort of chaotic...chaotic...well, chaotic bit of chaos. Chaos was, of course, her new favourite word, if only because there was just so much of it unraveling around them and it seemed like it was just going to keep getting worse. There were people that she was worried about, of course, as she wasn't exactly as unfriendly as she often appeared to be; she just didn't like getting stuck in the middle of things and had the tendency to hyperventilate when she was nervous and/or panicked and/or frightened. Anthony Goldstein seemed quite good at playing the leader card, so Sun Hee had absolutely no qualms with just listening to what he said before she had to witness walls collapsing and people dying and things...getting...chaotic...If only she'd taken a moment to untangle her hair. There was a giant knot in the back that she was casually clawing at as she walked forward and nodded at Anthony. She took a large step to the left when Malcolm came barreling by her without asking to see if she needed assistance, but the only reaction he got out of her was a brief scowl. Ignoring him, as he was already gone, she turned and nodded at Anthony again. "Be careful, Anthony." 'Of course I'm going to be careful,' he snapped, waving his hands to indicate that everyone should keep moving. 'I don't need to be told to do the obvious in a battle if I would greatly prefer to be alive by the end.' He hadn't meant to lose his temper in an irrational fit like that, but the stress of the situation and the impending decision he would have to make about whether he stayed with the others or not was getting to him more and more with each passing second. Sun Hee, unlike others tended to be, was not surprised by Anthony's snappy reply. She hadn't been expecting him to burst into tears and demand that the Ravenclaws all gather again for a long embrace, so she hardly even batted an eyelash at him and simply waved a hand. "It's good to know you have your priorities sorted out, then." With that, she continued to follow in the footsteps of Malcolm, only more carefully, not keen on the idea of tripping over someone's foot or running into a wall. She had no idea what was in store for her once she reached this unknown destination, but anything had to be better than the pandemonium she suspected was going to take place behind her. Eustace had been rather too busy chewing on his fingernails to pay attention to anything. He was leaving, definitely definitely. No questions asked, no nothing. He wasn't sure why anyone would want to stay. He certainly didn't know (or care much) why Goldstein was staying. He was out of there. His sister probably needed him anyway. "Be careful," he said vaguely, to anyone staying. Mad, all of them! Absolutely bonkers. After an awkward moment of continuing to stand, arms crossed and chewing on his fingernails, he followed after Sun Hee. Practically ran, actually. He wasn't going to stop and hug people or get all sentimental. He wanted to find his girlfriend and his sister and wait this out. The other Ravenclaws could do what they did. Though the Slytherins had already passed through this tunnel and were allegedly safe, Tobias couldn't help but be a bit skeptical -- after six years at Hogwarts he had no knowledge of this room nor this passageway. He wasn't exactly an expert on the castle's secret passages, but all the same, he would feel better once he was through the tunnel and could find his sister in the crowd of students. She needed him right now. Of course, this didn't mean Tobias was pushing and shoving to get to the tunnel. Attack on the school or not, he still had some dignity. So he stood to the side as many of his more eager classmates rushed forward. He took a moment to wonder why the Professors Carrow had forced their students to sleep on the floor of the Great Hall when Hogwarts had a room full of hammocks -- but of course, they wouldn't know about it, or else the would know about the passageway, he reasoned. When he again turned his glance toward the tunnel, Tobias saw that most of the Ravenclaws had climbed in already, and so he followed after them, mentally preparing himself to comfort his sister once he reached the end. There were only a few Ravenclaws left who had yet to enter the tunnel, and at this point, Anthony had no qualms about pushing them in himself in order just to get the job done. A part of him still wanted to prolong the moment in any way he could, but he knew he would just be fooling himself -- try as he might, and no matter how much control he tried to exercise, he could not delay the inevitable any further. He did, however, pull one of the last students aside -- a second-year boy he had tutored during the last two years -- and looked at him for a moment before taking his journal out of his pocket and shrugging his school-robes off his shoulders. 'Aaron, do you think you could take these for me in the meantime?' If he stayed -- which wasn't likely -- he wouldn't be needing a journal, and the robe would just be another inconvenience that could catch on fire or get caught on something; if he left, he'd just retrieve them from the boy on the other side of the tunnel. 'I have not decided what to do yet, but I'll need you to hold onto these if I stay and fight. Do you understand?' The boy nodded solemnly as he took both items, and for a moment, it looked as if he was going to say something in return -- but instead, he gave Anthony's arm an awkward pat (he couldn't reach his shoulders) before stepping into the passageway and disappearing. With that done, Anthony then walked over to where Padma had been standing and leading her charges. For a second, he thought of pulling her to the side by the wrist, but thought better of it and motioned to her to stand in a corner with him instead. Most of the Ravenclaws she had been leading had already entered the tunnel when she noticed Anthony motioning to her, and she immediately joined him over in the corner. She leaned up against the wall so she could look at her friend while still keeping an eye on the other Ravenclaws in the room, her hands clenched behind her, apprehensive. "I should be excited, shouldn't I?" she asked Anthony, softly. "For the chance that tomorrow might not have any more Carrows or Death Eaters or Unforgivables?" She looked down, away from him, embarrassed of her own fear, then back up. "Where's your cloak?" 'No, I'm thinking that would that would be blind and irrational optimism, but you ought to know me well enough to know that I do not put any stock in hope at the expense of realism,' he said, ignoring the question about where his robe was -- that wasn't important right now. 'Of course there is the small possibility that what you said might occur, but a sensible person would realise just how overwhelming the odds are against us given all of the factors involved. We discussed this already when we were in here earlier, but think about it -- all we have is a haphazard last-minute plan, and for all we know, the Death Eaters have been planning something like this for ages. You-Know-Who's forces are all much more experienced than a gang of students who have not been taught defence very well and most of whom will not be willing to kill like they would be -- and that's not even getting into how they have all of the resources of the Ministry of Magic behind them, not to mention giants, werewolves, and Dementors as their known allies. 'Let's be realistic, Padma -- we are not going to win. This is not going to be a real battle so much as a massacre, and there'll not be anybody left to fight against them properly afterwards if everybody willing to take action dies tonight.' Padma closed her eyes, taking in his words - words that she put a lot of weight in, since they came from Anthony. It wasn't what she wanted to hear though; in fact, it was exactly the opposite. She put her hand to her forehead, sighing. "What other options do we have, then?" she asked him. "If we just let You-Know-Who get Potter, that's it, it's all over." She frowned. "Maybe he can't even do anything more than we can, but he did break into Gringotts. He said he has something he has to do, and maybe it's all just bollocks but if he dies, I truly think that's it and everyone else will just give up. Then what?" 'I don't know, given that Potter will not give us any details about what it is he has to do so that we might be able to help him now and in the grand scheme of things, but this cannot possibly be the only way. Things are rarely that simple.' Anthony thought about going into another one of his lengthy discourses to elaborate more clearly on his point, but he knew there was no time before they had to make their choices about what to do -- You-Know-Who's forces were as good as at their door. 'But it's not my place to tell everybody else what to do even if I strongly disagree with their decisions, given that I respect free choice. And even if it were, nobody would listen to me anyway. But on a personal level, given the odds and looking at the potential costs and benefits, I'm thinking that the smartest thing to do would be to leave -- and that's what I think I will do.' He almost added that he hoped she would do the same -- both of them could easily leave now with the rest of their house -- but he didn't want to bias a decision that was only hers to make. "I meant more that I feel people might lose the will to keep fighting. Potter's a symbol if nothing else but -" she stopped, noticing her voice sounded a bit louder. The other Ravenclaws were about through the tunnel and into safety and the room was becoming emptier. "I don't know," she admitted, feeling like that was all she could ever say any more. She looked toward the exit of the Room of Requirement, the one that led back to the castle. "I'm staying though," she said. "I have to - if something were to happen to Parvati and I had just left..." she pressed her lips together. "I'd never be able to forgive myself." Anthony frowned, but he had figured as much -- not that he knew very much about twins and their thought patterns, but he knew enough not to question Padma's reasoning; it was also ultimately her own choice and he had no right to force her to choose otherwise. 'What about me though?' he asked, speaking more quickly now. 'Are there any good reasons for why I ought to stay other than the fact that I am a member of the DA, which is really not sound enough justification on its own? I don't think fighting in a hopeless battle against Death Eaters is a necessary condition for membership per se, and if it is, we were not informed of it before we signed the various contracts, nor was such a condition ever stated in those documents.' There was also the fact that he had become completely jaded and cynical about what the DA could actually do -- they hadn't even been able to save one Muggle or even a newt from death, nevermind taking on You-Know-Who's legions and expecting to win -- but he thought that was obvious enough, not to mention that they had discussed the issue before. Padma blinked. Was he asking her to convince him to stay? She didn't want that burden. Perhaps he wasn't - after all, he never really seemed to let himself be convinced by anything before. He always made his own choices. But to answer his question - "Of course there are," she told him, surprised he didn't see them for himself. "Anthony, you have spent the last I don't know how many years of your life wanting to do social justice work and help make things better for other wizards - is that not what this is? And - Rowena - we've spent the last how many months talking about how we may never be able to atone for what we've done, but," she paused and her voice got quieter. "But maybe this would start. If we just left, wouldn't we really be just like the real Carrow supporters?" She shrugged, her mind racing through all the different reasons she had convinced herself to stay despite how scared she was. "And we might not be that bad off - we have all those people on our side, the Order or something, and the professors here. And... and even if we lose, maybe Potter will win and.. and that's what we want, right?" Had the time to make a final decision on whether to stay and fight or leave and stay safe (and alive) not been at their door -- it might even have passed already, though he hoped not -- Anthony would have started on another one of his characteristic diatribes to counter Padma's arguments. As it was, however, he felt he had already exhausted his explanations from earlier, not to mention that there simply wasn't any time to address each of her points; he went straight to the the answer to his question. 'Given how many other people here are willing to fight, I do not see how I, as an individual, can really help society by running into battle and getting myself killed. There is much more I could do in terms of social justice if I stayed alive and organised some sort of effort on my own terms. Social justice is not about rushing blindly into every battle as if that alone will make the world a better place -- that sort of well-intentioned, but ultimately impractical and overly simplistic mentality is what got the DA into all sorts of trouble by the way of failed operations this year. One still has to know how to pick and choose one's battles, and this is one that I'm thinking will be a wasted effort.' She wanted to ask what sort of social justice would even be possible if You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters won completely, but she knew it would be fruitless. They needed to get back - or she needed to get back, if Anthony wasn't coming. She leaned her head against the wall, suddenly realising that this could be the last time she saw Anthony if he left and something happened to her. The thought made her stomach churn and she swallowed hard to tell her body to stop it. "I won't think badly of whatever you decide," she told him despite her sneaking suspicion that she would. It was rather preposterous, since she knew she didn't hold anyone else's choice against them, but for some reason Anthony was on a different level. She held different standards for him despite what she told herself. "But you would leave all of us here to fight and die? You'd leave Terry and Michael and Morag? You'd leave me?" Though Anthony was trying to stay calm and rational, there was a flicker of annoyance -- was she trying to manipulate him emotionally into staying? There were few things that angered him more than that, but as the Hufflepuffs began to enter the room, he took a moment to consider what she had said. He knew and had always been honest about the fact that he had a strong sense of self-preservation and was unlikely to sacrifice himself even for his friends -- there was a reason why he had almost been Sorted into Slytherin when he was eleven -- but that didn't mean that he was lacking in concern for the well-being of those closest to him. He was worried about Terry, Michael, Padma, and Morag's safety -- and lives, really -- if they would be staying behind. He couldn't bring himself to leave them behind and quite likely never see them again -- he had almost done that before the holidays and hadn't been able to abandon them then, despite his protests about how he would. And hadn't he also insisted after that incident that he wished to do something for each of them to atone for his animosity and cruelty towards them? Perhaps staying for the purposes of trying to look out for and protect them -- he could not and would not make any promises to anyone there -- could be his way of redeeming himself to them and earning their forgiveness, as distastefully patronising as that seemed with regards to their ability to take care of themselves. In the end, he simply did not want any of them to die -- especially not in a flash of impulsiveness they would later regret -- and if he could do something himself to prevent such a tragedy, then he had a responsibility to seize the opportunity to do so. 'I suppose,' he said slowly, feeling knots fluttering furiously in his stomach, 'I could stay, but I'll not be doing any actual fighting if I can help it. I'll just remain inconspicuous on the sidelines and help where I can without being noticed -- things like throwing up Shield Charms and helping with Healing, seeing as I did get a great deal of practice with that one this year.' A nervous smile flitted across his face, although Anthony being who he was, it was more like a slight nervous twitch of the corners of his mouth. 'I'll be careful, but you know it would be unlike me to behave otherwise.' He wasn't arrogant enough to think with complete certainty that he was too smart to get himself killed, but it was a thought that gave him a little more confidence and kept the sick threatened to choke him at bay. Padma nodded, trying to suppress the small smile that she felt creeping up on her without her permission. She didn't like that they were fighting but the thought of Anthony abandoning them... well, she didn't like that either. Anthony had been at her side the entire year, save that one small period of time where he wasn't, pulling her through. His words may have not always been the kindest, but they were what she needed to hear, what she had to know, and she needed him there beside her. She'd told him as much the day he apologised coming back from hols, the day he asked for something to do to make up for his words and actions, though she hadn't known any sort of action that could fix things. She'd forgiven him though, she realised, somewhere along the line. Fully forgiven him, and yet... "Remember when you asked what it was you could do to make things up to me? I think I have forgiven you but..." Rowena, she felt so uncomfortable asking this, since she knew how much he didn't like physical contact, but she knew there was a possibility she might not have another chance. "Can I have a hug?" Anthony had almost smiled again when Padma mentioned the time they had awkwardly attempted to repair their friendship with each other after the holidays; he had been prepared to tell her that he had just been thinking of the exact same thing in terms of the reasons for why he would stay, but not fight, until she asked for a hug -- that was not exactly what he had meant when he had explained his belief in doing something practical to make up for a wrong rather than simply expecting forgiveness. However, with the Hufflepuffs beginning to enter in droves, and the fact that now was not the time to cripple someone emotionally to their detriment -- although with the battle starting in less than half an hour and undoubtedly worse to come, she ought to have been steeling herself anyway -- he decided not to start another argument and chose to hold off on her request as discreetly as he could for now. 'We need to return to the Great Hall now to meet back with the others if we're both going to be staying for this. And I think I'm going to be sick in a few moments, so we had better find a lavatory right away before I die of embarrassment before anything has even begun.' Padma nodded meekly, knowing she shouldn't have brought it up. "Sorry," she said softly, fully aware that if the Hufflepuffs were still leaving that they had more time. She had been selfish to bring it up, she thought, so she fell back into silence, glad at least that he was next to her just like always. 'Let's just go now and perhaps talk about this later, please.' They finally left the room together, side-by-side rather than arm-in-arm, and ready to fight against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters without hiding behind lies for this last stand. Hufflepuffs Eloise, Ernie, Tristan, Zacharias It was hard for Ernie to believe how quickly things were progressing, and it was somewhat overwhelming. Ginny had told them over the journals that something like this would likely happen, and at the time Ernie was inclined to agree with her, but he could never actually visualize it, and he certainly didn't think it would happen all at once, which was precisely how it was playing out right now. All of a sudden Harry was back, and Death Eaters were coming to Hogwarts; You-Know-Who was coming to Hogwarts. Ernie wasn't sure whether or not he was completely daft for wanting to stay as he led the Hufflepuffs who were returning to the Room of Requirement, but he knew beyond a shred of a doubt that he wanted to stay and fight. Now that they actually had the opportunity to fight, Ernie wasn't going to let it pass him by after a year's worth of trying- and usually failing- to make a difference in the school. Ernie's younger sister Hayden clinged to his hand at the front of the group as Ernie led her and the rest of the Hufflepuffs to the Room of Requirement. "Where are we going, Ernie? What's happening?" she asked for about the fifth time since they'd left the Great Hall. Ernie squeezed her hand reassuringly as they entered the Room of Requirement. "You're going home to Mummy, Daddy, Maegan, and Pippa, and Mallory will be there soon too. Hogwarts isn't safe anymore," he explained to her. The truth was, Hogwarts hadn't been safe in a long time, but it really wasn't safe now, and Ernie was glad that Hayden and Mallory wouldn't be there. He didn't quite know how he was going to explain to Hayden that he wasn't going with her, but he knew he couldn't just go home with his sisters. Ernie had to see this through to the end, and he wanted to be there to help ensure that the battle ended in their favor. "Okay everyone!" Ernie called as he turned towards the group, and the younger years began to gather around in front of the tunnel. "You're all going to make it home safe and sound, I just need you all to stay calm and listen to my directions," he said. "This tunnel will lead you straight to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, and from there you will be able to return home to your families. It will be a bit of a walk, but all you need to do is walk straight and you'll arrive safely at the Hog's Head. Stay together and walk in groups," Ernie told them. Listening to Ernie was something that Eloise had grown used to over their years at Hogwarts, so in a way leaving was as easy as that. As he led them from the Great Hall to an unfamiliar room on the seventh floor, it was easy to follow. Left foot, right foot, repeat. What was harder was leaving Wayne. He was going to stay and fight, and Eloise knew that whatever questionable actions the DA had undertaken over the course of the school year, it was the right thing to do. You-Know-Who had to be stopped. But Eloise was scared, and she wouldn't be helpful in battle anyway, and besides, she just wanted to live to see her eighteenth birthday. She checked her watch. Half an hour. The reason Zacharias was there was because he was scared. He couldn't give himself any further excuse: he was scared, he didn't want to fight -- he wanted to keep himself safe. When he had been with the D.A before, he had felt like fighting -- for one second until he wondered what was the point of it all. Surely other people could be of more help than he was. Surely he had gone through enough that year to escape this unscathed. But he couldn't face Ernie, because he knew that he was probably disappointed in him -- and Zacharias couldn't deny that he felt disappointed in himself. But he couldn't help it; he didn't dare go back to where people were getting hurt and killed. He stared at the tunnel that lay ahead of them -- at the path that would lead him to freedom and make him forget about the nightmare of this whole year. He took Hayden's hand and said re-assuringly, still not looking at his best friend; "It's going to be all right now." Ernie turned to Eloise and offered her a small smile. "Do you think you can look out for the younger students with Zach and Tristan?" he asked. "They're probably going to get scared, it's really not so bad in there, but it's dark, and I don't think most of them will like that," he explained. Ernie then let go of Hayden's hand and passed her off to Zacharias. "You're not coming with us?" Hayden asked, and looked up between Ernie and Zacharias with wide eyes. She knew Ernie had been the one who asked Professor McGonagall about what they should do if they wanted to fight, but she never even considered what it would be like to leave without her brother. "No," Ernie frowned. "I'm going to stay and...help," he explained. "But I'll be home later, and Zach will be there with you in the tunnel, and then Mal will be at home too," Ernie told her and kissed her on the top of her head. "It'll be okay," Ernie reassured her, and then looked up at Zacharias. Ernie tried to make eye contact with Zach, but Ernie got the feeling that Zacharias purposely wasn't looking at him. Ernie was disappointed that Zacharias wasn't staying, he never thought that Zacharias would leave them. Ernie assumed that they would all see the battle through together, that they would all finish what they had started, but now Zacharias was going home. At the same time though, Ernie's disappointment wasn't exactly anger. Ernie wasn't mad at Zacharias. He knew that in the end Zacharias had to decide for himself, and he had to choose what he thought would be best for himself. Ernie only wished that they would stick together, but at the same time, at least Ernie knew Zacharias would be safe. "Take care of her for me," Ernie told Zacharias, and offered him a half-hearted smile. "Of course I can, Ernie," Eloise replied, trying and failing to return his smile. She wasn't exactly enthused at the prospect of entering this dark passageway either, but compared to what lay behind them, it was nothing. So she could pretend to be brave, even if the brave thing to do would really not involve the tunnel at all. She could hold hands with younger years and be as comforting as Eloise knew how to be. I wish Sally were here, she thought to herself, she'd know just what to say. She felt a pang in her stomach at the thought of Sally-Anne — another person she was letting down. But she'd made her choice and there was no way she could turn back now. Eloise looked at Ernie for what could be the last time. "Don't worry about us, okay?" she told him, "Just take care of yourself." Zacharias finally lifted his gaze from the ground to look at Ernie, and nodded, an almost determined expression on his face. "I will," he promised, and wondered if he was going to see Ernie again. He was tempted to ask Ernie to come with them and to stop this nonsense once and for all. This wasn't another Inquisitorial Squad problem or the Carrows -- this situation involved Death Eaters. How could he -- and the rest of the D.A -- not see how dangerous this all was? Then again, he also knew that Ernie had made his decision, and he knew that he was going to stick to it. "Be careful," he told Ernie urgently, and was tempted to say 'don't die', but the prospect of Ernie being killed was too horrible to even comprehend that those words never left his lips. Ernie nodded "I will," he said to Eloise. Ernie really had no idea how things were going to turn out for him, but he was going to fight his hardest to make sure he lived to see the day that all of this came to an end. He wanted to be there to see things get better, and he would do whatever it was going to take to survive the battle. "Thanks, Zach," Ernie said. He didn't know how to say good-bye to Zacharias and Hayden. Besides being one of Ernie's best friends, Zacharias was his cousin, and Hayden was his little sister. Ernie didn't know how to say good-bye to these two people who were so important in his life, especially since there was that unspoken fear that this particular "good-bye" would be permanent. "I will," Ernie promised Zacharias. Ernie gave Zacharias the manliest hug he could muster, and said, "I'll see you...when this is all over." He then pulled away from Zacharias, and squeezed Hayden and gave her another kiss on the head. "I love you, Hayden," he told her. "I love you too, Ernie," she told him and kissed him on the cheek. Ernie turned back to the crowed "Everyone ready? Tristan?" he asked. Tristan had listened quietly off to the side as the other Hufflepuffs talked. He didn't really know what he was meant to say in a situation like this. He knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn't be staying. Perhaps it was selfish, but he hadn't lied that entire year about his blood status only to die before the year was even over. Besides, someone had to look after the younger students and, since he wasn't staying, why shouldn't it be him? He refused to feel guilty about, but even as he thought it a pang of guilt was building in his chest. He heard Ernie say his name and shifted his attention to the prefect, nodding without a word. He held out his hands to two nearby younger students and stepped through the entrance of the tunnel, glad that at least two of his fellow Hufflepuffs were following. Grayson, Holly, Portia, Regan (appearances by Ioan and Mona) Portia never dealt well with change or chaos and so, needless to say, the entire year had been trying for her. But if that hadn't been bad enough, the idea of Death Eaters storming the school had her in a complete panic. Taking deep breaths, she made her way through the crowd of younger Hufflepuffs, tapping them each on the head to get their attentions and nudging them into a line. "Just stay calm," she told one of the third years who was crying. "Everything's fine." She hated having to lie, but that was better than the alternative, which was letting on to how frightened she was and scaring all of the younger students even more. She had to stay strong, at least until they were all safe. After the rest of the House seemed ready to leave, Portia walked over to the rest of the sixth years. "We should go, now." Holly looked at Portia as though she was out of her mind. Everything wasn't going to be all right. You-Know-Who was at the school and was going to attack and kill anyone and everything who got in his way and they were all going to die unless they happened to be from well-off purist families. What was the point in lying to them? Holly certainly didn't want any third years' final thoughts to be "Holly Callahan lied to me." That's how curses got placed on families, and Holly's luck was bad enough as it was. She stayed silent, though, keeping close to the other sixth year students, hoping that they'd make it out of the school without the castle collapsing on them. Grayson was helping Portia assort the younger students into a line, but he was somewhere else completely. Any first year that asked him a question was promptly snapped at. He didn't have time for this, he didn't want this. Turning back towards the other sixth years, people he hadn't ever particularly liked or cared about, and knowing that they had to stick together made him more irritable. They were all overreacting, he thought. It wasn't like they were going to die. There was more of a chance of him dying at home with Graley than there was at Hogwarts, even if Death Eaters were flooding the castle. "We should hurry up," he said coldly to his fellow prefect, crossing his arms over his chest. After doing her part, Portia had time to stop and observe her fellow prefect. It took her a moment to realize what Grayson was doing and to place a hand firmly on his arm. She knew that he must be frightened, but that was no way to treat the children, who were obviously just scared themselves. Maybe he just needed some comfort himself -- they were only human. "Please calm down, Grayson," she said, giving his arm a squeeze. "You're scaring them." "They should be scared," he snapped, jerking away. But he took a deep breath and tried to keep a more level head. "But yeah, I'm calm." It was a more forced calm, but he turned away from the younger students, knowing he would only get more aggravated if he had to talk to them. Though he doubted anyone in Hufflepuff would be a treat to talk to during all of this. He wanted to be around Gus and, hell, he'd even trade dealing with the first years for being near Blythe or Hortense at this point, even if they were unrealistic and hysterical. "Did you count everybody? Everyone is here? We should really move out." Portia had, indeed, counted everyone to make sure they were all there -- it'd been the first thing she'd done. Everyone who was leaving was ready to leave and she was comfortable turning her attention on him to make sure that he was all right, since he certainly didn't seem like it. As good as she may have been at making the younger students feel better, she wasn't sure how to go about it now. If it had been her sister, she'd have just hugged her. Well, maybe that would work. Quickly, before he could protest, she fixed him in a tight hug, which she held for a moment before looking over her shoulder at the others. "I think Grayson could use a hug." She grinned a little to herself as the comment prompted several first years to step forward and wrap their arms around his middle. Regan, a few steps behind them walking with Holly, could not help but to giggle at the sight in front of her - first years hugging Grayson Rosier. If there was anything that would lighten the mood when Death Eaters were coming into their school (and possibly even Fenrir Greyback), it was what she was seeing right in front of her. She sped up quickly to fall into step next to her sister. "You are cruel," she told Portia with a smile. "I wish I had a camera." Grayson glowered down at the first years huddled around him, and a few of them backed away. A few braver ones continued the embrace for another few seconds before he swatted them away and squirmed away from Portia, glaring reproachfully at Regan as he did so. "This is completely counter-productive," he said, a bit on the embarrassed side. He wasn't exactly used to physical affection and he definitely wasn't generally well-liked enough to have a flood of first years wanting to hug him. "There are more important things to do than hug me." Mona and Ioan passed the group just in time to witness the first years hugging Grayson, and Mona had to bite back a smile at the sight. "Hi, guys," she said, giving them a little wave as she slowed down. They had just made sure Orla was leaving with the rest of the Ravenclaws, and Mona was still a bit teary-eyed from their goodbye, but she couldn't just walk by without talking to her fellow Hufflepuffs one more time. "Are you all set to leave?" She wrapped her robe more tightly around her small frame, the excitement along with the cold that came from waking at this hour of the night affecting her more than she cared to admit. Ioan was not exactly good with goodbyes. Not that he'd had to say goodbye to a lot of people in the past. He hadn't, but perhaps that's what made it so difficult. He didn't know how you were supposed to say goodbye, or how hard and long your final hug was supposed to be, or if you were supposed to do that platonic kiss on the cheek thing or even just shake hands and hope that your palms weren't sweaty. Mona hadn't left his side since this whole thing began, so, up until this point, it had been rather smooth sailing. It didn't look like they were going to part any time soon, either. But just because they weren't going to part any time soon didn't mean that everyone was going to be sticking around. Ioan noticed this the moment they returned from making sure Orla got away safely. "Um," he mumbled, eyes sweeping across the faces in front of him as though seeing them for the first time. "Are you guys not coming with Mona and me?" Portia had been in the middle of returning her sister's smile when Mona and Ioan approached. At first she was relieved, assuming that they were coming with them to safety, but as the opposite became clear, her expression fell and she stopped walking to talk to them. "You're staying?" she asked, eyes searching their expressions. Why on earth would they stay when there was going to be fighting and death eaters and other awful things? "Please come with us. We'll be safe." She took a step closer to them, betraying her attempt to hide the panic she'd been feeling for the first time. Ioan realized after a few moments that he had started speaking directly to Portia. Of all the other Hufflepuffs that were gathered, not including Mona, Ioan had probably talked to Portia the most in the past. They seemed to be two different people, though alike in the most unique and perfect of ways. He also took a step toward the other girl, abandoning Mona's side for just a second. "Portia." He spoke her name, but he didn't know what else to say. There had to be something to say, something that would make it all better. But he himself had no excuse for going back to the fight, only that he really thought nothing bad would happen. "We'll all be safe," he continued, half smiling, half chewing his bottom lip. "Well. Yes." was all Mona could say in answer to Portia's question. She gave her a half-shrug like that could somehow voice her motivations for her. Now they were all standing here it was so odd to imagine that in a few moments from now her dorm-mates would be home with their parents, or at least somewhere that was not here, while she would be doing Helga-knows-what. For a brief moment Mona wondered why everyone didn't just stay. Surely they would have a bigger chance of succeeding if they all worked together? Wasn't that the true Hufflepuff spirit? "We're staying," she said with a nod, sounding like nothing they said would possibly be able to change her mind, while in truth half of her was still hoping Ioan would change his so she would have a legitimate reason to go. "I hope you both don't regret this when you inevitably die," Holly replied, which was her way of trying to beg them both not to remain and fight. They'd all been through so much that year, and now they were going to lose each other and it would be awful. "People who aren't trained in fighting have really bad aim and you could end up getting killed by someone on our side. They really shouldn't call it friendly fire. It's just as painful and probably more humiliating." Grayson hadn't been paying much attention, but jerked up at the words "inevitably die". It was more sad that he agreed with Holly. "Don't do it," he demanded, furrowing his eyebrows. "You aren't trained in combat, you have no idea what the Death Eaters can do," he continued. Looking at Ioan and Mona, he frowned. If it were his father that caused their inevitable demise- how would that make him feel? Ioan didn't think that was a very nice thing for Holly to say, even if he wasn't exactly surprised that someone had said it. He still looked at her, eyes slightly wide and bottom lip still between his teeth. How was someone supposed to respond to something like that? Arguing the contrary would get him nowhere, as basically everyone who attended Hogwarts knew that Ioan could hardly even manage to tie his shoes, much less tie someone else's shoes. Or, you know, attack them. "What if we all went back together, though? And stayed together as a group?" He was facing Grayson now, eyeing him with a tiny bit of apprehension. "I won't go," said Regan firmly. "I hope Potter wins, but if not oh well - I'm definitely not going to fight and Portia's not either." She wasn't really trying to speak for her sister, but she was certain her sister wouldn't want to fight either. Their parents didn't need another dead child, or two even. "You can follow your convictions and I really respect you for that, but mine are leading me out of here and I'm not looking back." Mona could already see the conversation evolving into a full-fledged discussion, and that wasn't what she wanted, not when this might be the last time they would see each other. "We have to go, Ioan," she said softly, trying to draw his attention away from the conversation. "And they have to go as well." Stepping forward, she gave first Regan and then Holly, who stood closest to her, a hug, before holding her hand out for Grayson to shake, looking up at him expectantly. He didn't seem like the type who would appreciate a hug and while she hadn't always agreed with his attitude, he was still one of them. Shaking Mona's hand a little apprehensively, he looked between she and Ioan with wide, bright eyes. "Then I guess we'll see each other when this is all over," he said quietly. "I can't go," he said, just looking at Ioan. "I'm on the wrong side anyway," he added looking at his fellow Hufflepuffs. They were good, he wasn't. He had just been stuck with them. But it was inevitable, and it was apparent, that he wouldn't really wish death on any of the Hufflepuff sixth years. Ioan and Mona least of all. "Be careful," was the last thing he could say before he turned back to Portia and regained a more stoic composure. "No time for sentimental nonsense, they're going to be in trouble if we linger," he said forcefully, gesturing to the younger students. "You're right," Portia said, nodding at Grayson. She let her gaze wander sadly over Ioan and Mona's faces once more, offering them a small wave of her hand before she turned to guide the remainder of the younger students into the tunnel that would lead them to safety. She reached out to give her sister's sleeve a tug for no reason other than to remind herself that she wasn't alone in this -- she and Regan needed to stick together for their parents' sake, even if it seemed like Regan would never forgive their mother. "Please stay close," she whispered, voice shaking as the realization that there would be people dying here today really sank in. Regan didn't say anything to Portia, but she slipped her hand into her sister's, assuring her that she would be right there. She gave Ioan a one-armed hug, too, then stepped back (hand still in Portia's) and looked at the five of them, Grayson especially. He may not have always fit in, but he was still one of them, that much was clear. "We'll all go out for butterbeers when this is over," she told them all with a forced smile, assuring herself they would all see each other again, "or maybe we can even manage pints." Ioan had never been able to look at Grayson as being on the wrong side of things. He knew that the other boy wasn't exactly the most proud and willing Hufflepuff, but he had always liked him nevertheless. "We'll be careful," was the only thing he could respond with, sensing that Grayson didn't want to rush forward and have a hugging moment. They were all going to be separating now. This was it. Whatever it was. "Yeah, butterbeer and some biscuits. That sounds like a good combination. Then we can all go to the park and look for ducks." If he had thought about it, Ioan would have realized that the others probably didn't find the idea of going to a park and searching for ducks as alluring as he and Mona did, but nothing was working like it was supposed to in his brain and all he wanted to think about right now was them all being together after all this was over, no matter what it was they were doing. Anything was fine with him. "It won't be long," he added, raising his hand to wave back at Portia and Regan and Grayson again for the last time. Gryffindors Andrew, Bianca, Vicky (appearances by Ritchie and Demelza) It was difficult to even consider the thought of leaving when all Bianca could see was Sasha's face. She crossed her arms over her chest, inclining her head towards the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Hog's Head as the younger years stepped through. Occasionally they hesitated, but one stern look from Bianca had them reconsidering their hesitation. "Nobody better steal my stuff," she overheard one third year mutter to another and she rolled her eyes. "Your safety is far more important than material objects," she replied, waving a hand impatiently at the entrance without uncrossing her arms. The third year made a rude gesture in response but the situation at hand prevented her from doing anything more than rapping him on the back of the neck with the pad of her hand. "Go!" She didn't have time for gentleness when she had far more pressing matters on her mind. The longer she stood there, watching her house file through the entrance, the more she wanted to be back at Gryffindor table. It didn't make sense to her, but, then again, the entire year had been a series of nonsense. It didn't surprise her that this moment was just another link in the chain. Ritchie was frozen in place, watching his house split up. He heard Bianca's stern tone and it made him lean toward the line of people leaving... but when he looked back at Ginny and Sasha, his chest swelled and his eyes got moist. Jack and Andrew were next to him, and Demelza was close. He couldn't fight. He couldn't hurt anyone, he knew that, but he just... "I don't know if I can leave, mates..." he started, hunching over slightly. "I know I won't be of any bloody use here, but..." He glanced over at the Gryffindors staying once more and swallowed. Didn't he promise Sasha he'd never leave without her? He was terrified. And for the first time all year, he was completely and utterly sober. "What're you going to do?" he asked them in his usual curious, but nonjudgmental tone. Whether they chose to stay or to go was their choice, and Ritchie would never fault them for it. The idea of staying hadn't even occurred to Andrew - what use would he be if he stayed? And somebody had to go with the younger students. He was a prefect, so that was his job, right? He and Vicky had to help Bianca get all of the students away from the castle. He was of the opinion that Ritchie should come with them and be where they were safe. He was dumbfounded by the thought that he'd have to leave him behind. They were just kids. They shouldn't be fighting against Death Eaters. "You're staying?" Andrew asked after a moment, eyebrows raised. "I...I have to go." He made some movement toward his prefect badge, momentarily grateful for the excuse. He could have stayed, but the truth was that he was terrified. But if Ritchie was brave enough to stay, he didn't really want to admit that. "Are you high right now or something?" Vicky scoffed, folding her arms across her chest, looking at Ritchie as though he'd just suggested that tiny dolphins flew out of his nose on a regular basis. What was he going to do? Give the death eaters lung cancer? "If you want to stay and die like everyone else then that's your prerogative, but I have a responsibility as a prefect to make sure that the younger students don't do anything idiotic like trying to take on people who are trying to kill them by themselves." They weren't her, after all. If Vicky came face to face with a death eater, she'd be fine, naturally. But really. She had to look out for the wee ones. "If you go back, make sure no one shady-looking steals my manuscript." Ritchie swallowed heavily, face getting paler by the minute. His brows only furrowed at Vicky's accusation and he nodded quietly to her ridiculous request. "Course, Vicks, you know I will..." he told her quietly, before moving forward and giving her a tight but respectful hug. "Take care - you're gonna be famous some day, m'lady," he told her. Turning back to Andrew, Ritchie knew he'd probably never looked so sober in his life. "I know you've both got to go, mate, you're prefects... you're all responsible and stuff, man," he said with a slight smile. "I'm not though, and if there's any watchin' out for people I can do here... I just... I know I'm no fighter, but who am I to promote civil rights and world peace and then just... turn my back on it? For what I've been sayin' all these years," he said, gesturing at himself, "I gotta stay." He gave his best friends his best classic dimpled smile and he heard Kingsley begin to round up the other Gryffindors. "Good luck, lovelies," he told them, moving forward once more, he wrapped Jack in a big, tight hug, shoving a bag from his stash into Jack's hand and giving him a wink. He turned to Andrew once more and brought up his hands to put a palm on either side of the other boy's face, then planted a solid kiss on his lips. Grinning and patting Drew's shoulder, he cocked his head. "I'll be all right, Drew, you know I always am." Finally, Ritchie turned to Demelza, raising his brows questioningly because she hadn't said a word thus far. Red -- the signature Gryffindor colour, a signal of brashness and often foolish courage, and the current colour of both Demelza's hair and mood -- could she really leave? Suddenly time was no longer concrete -- or she had read too many science fiction novels lately -- and since the announcement that Death Eaters were invading the impregnable Hogwarts, everything became a jolted roller coaster. Time sped up, time slowed down, and now, in a sea of panic and fear, everything was frozen. "Leave? I couldn't do that --" and she couldn't. Adrenaline in her blood, and any sense of danger and self-preservation apparently lost, Demelza was an unstoppable force -- or at least in the narration of her own tale. "I have to stay," she said imploringly, and though that Ritchie was staying provided some encouragement, that Andrew was not had managed to shake a bit of apprehension into the redhead. "What can they do to us? We're magical; they can't really hurt us, I'm sure," she said, a reassurance she apparently believed. She cocked an eyebrow at Ritchie's demeanor and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't look so down, Coote -- this ain't the Last Supper. We're going to see you guys all in a bit." Ritchie's well-placed kiss elicited a solid giggle, a comedic moment in the scene of tension. "But it's okay if you don't want to stay, Kirke, just don't get too jealous when we get medals for Heroic Heroism In Battle," she said with a wink. For a girl so adamantly fearful of death, Demelza could be one rashly stupid little thing. Andrew's eyes were still wide from Ritchie's kiss and he barely acknowledged what Demelza had said to him. He certainly hadn't been expecting anything like that, although it was something of a relief to know that he wasn't shaken enough by everything happening around them to stop acting like his usual self. When he was sure that Ritchie was looking away, he reached to wipe his mouth with the back of his sleeve and made a move to hug Demelza. They'd all been such good friends over the last six years and the fear that he'd never get to see them again, in spite of what they'd both said to reassure them, terrified of what might happen if they left them. "I love you guys," Andrew said, looking between Ritchie and Demelza. He glanced at Bianca, whom he'd mostly been scared of and opened his mouth to say something to her before thinking better of it and returning his attention to the two Gryffindors from his year. "Please be careful." Ritchie stood up a bit straighter and tried his best to smile softly at Andrew as he nodded. "You too," he replied before taking Demelza's hand, squeezing lightly. "C'mon, Dem, they're gonna get going in just a second." With that, he brushed his fringe a bit off his face and turned to hurry back to the other Gryffindors, forcing himself not to look back. Bianca could feel her resolve to leave slipping away as she listened quietly to the sixth years' exchange. It wasn't really her place to weigh in on their affairs, but it was hard not to allow herself to be affected by their decisions, especially as she watched Ritchie and Demelza return to the Great Hall. She returned to the task at hand, herding the younger years onward with stern glances and an occasional swat, but her mind kept returning to the Great Hall. She wasn't naive enough to believe Demelza's words and she knew returning could very well mean her death. She didn't necessarily feel that stereotypical swell of Gryffindorly heroism either. She just wanted to be able to look back on the night without regret and every step towards the Hog's Head only make that potential regret all the heavier. "I'm not leaving," she said suddenly, her voice resolute as she turned to the other prefects. "I'll stay to make certain all of the younger years make it through, but I'm not leaving. Will you be able to handle things from there?" "Bianca, don't be dumb," Vicky gaped at the older prefect, not intending to come off as rude as she probably sounded. "I mean, of course we can take care of it; I'm here, but that doesn't mean that you should go back!" Bianca was one of the only girls in Gryffindor who ever made any sense; why was she pulling this now when it was going to get her killed? A shrug was all Bianca really had to offer. "I'll be fine," she added as an afterthought, attempting to force some of Demelza's certainty into her voice and failing for the most part. The idea of returning really did terrify her, but she'd made up her mind. She was staying. Jimmy Peakes chose that moment to attempt to sneak past them, despite his already being chased from the Great Hall, and Bianca firmly placed her hands on his shoulders, forcibly turning him back towards the tunnel's entrance without a word. "I am sorry for abandoning you like this, though." There was almost nothing that Andrew could say after Bianca announced that she wasn't going to go with them. He felt compelled to stay as well, but he knew that he and Vicky had to take care of the younger students, particularly if Bianca wasn't going to be going with them. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said, jaw hanging slightly open as he turned his gaze from Ritchie and Demelza to Bianca. He'd always thought she was kind of mean, but he didn't want to see her die because she'd made the decision, for whatever reason, to stay behind and fight. Sighing, Bianca shook her head. "No, it likely isn't," she said honestly, but even admitting that didn't change her mind. She straightened her posture, steeling herself for the journey back to the Great Hall. It wasn't going to be an easy one, but she refused to be talked out of it, even if it was her own inner monologue doing the convincing. "I have to though." It wasn't in her nature to share her reasons for staying, so she didn't and turned her eyes to the dwindling number of Gryffindors in the room. "We don't have to do anything but eat, breathe, die, and pay taxes," Vicky retorted with a frown, then with a shrug pushed Andy toward the back of the line of students. "You go man up the back, Andy; it's what you're used to," she shooed him to the end to the group of Gryffindors. She turned back to Bianca one last time. "Don't trust a shield spell to do anything for you. Your best bet will be to use their own weapons against them; you were in the Inquisitorial Squad all year. Make sure you show them what you learned." With that, she ran to the front of the line of younger students, pointed her wand straight up in the air, and shot off a loud firework spell, a few of the sparks hitting an already sobbing first year in the front. "ALRIGHT KIDS, WE ARE MOVING. YOU ARE NOT SEVENTEEN, AND YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK TO FIGHT, LET'S MOVE IT PEOPLE." Andrew paused to open his mouth even wider with offense at Vicky's comment and the fact that she'd called him Andy -- gross -- but he didn't have long to linger. With Bianca staying, he had to be on his game if they were going to keep everyone safe. So, without any additional complaint, he took his place in the back of the line and was content to let Vicky lead. He didn't know if it would be possible to get lost in the tunnel but if there was a way, he'd have probably found it, so it was better that he was at the back. Leaving was difficult enough as it was and as they moved away, Andrew couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder one last time at the three they were leaving behind. |