Dark Side

The Battle Begins

Draco

I'm leading my group onto the grounds, to a spot directly opposite to the hill the Death Eaters are set up on. The Slytherin girl who stood up earlier runs over to walk beside me. I think she's in my year, but I don't remember her name.

"Hi." She says.

"Hey. What you did in the hall, that was amazing."

She laughs, "All of the pent up rage of seven years just broke I guess. I didn't plan it or anything. I didn't expect any of the Slytherins to join me. I was as amazed as everyone else."

"I wish I had the guts to do something like that."

"You punched Voldemort in the face. I wish I could have done that. I always told myself that I would stand up for myself, I planned on punching you in the face a few times over the years, but I always get so anxious and my mind wanders to the worst scenarios, then I end up getting so freaked I chicken out. I can only do things when I get so mad I stop thinking. Sorry, I talk a lot. When I start talking I just can't stop."

"It's okay." I smile. "You were pretty badass. Do you think you can do this?"

She pulls out her wand with a deadly grin on her face. "I'm the awkward introvert, I spend all my time learning spells, practicing. This is what I've been waiting for. I have plenty of rage to fuel me."

We both laugh. "Oh sorry," she says, "you probably don't even know my name. I'm Lex. My name is actually Alexandra, but I hate it, sounds too posh." She offers me her hand, and I take it.

"Pleasure. I wish I'd been your friend in school. I hate the me I was then."

"I hated you too. I could tell you'd changed, the moment you spoke in the hall."

"Twenty minutes to midnight." I say grimly.

"Twenty minutes until my eighteenth birthday." says Lex.

"What day is it?" I ask.

"In twenty minutes it'll be the 10th."

I laugh a bit. "My birthday too. I didn't even know."

"You've probably had a few more important things on your mind recently."

"Yeah."

"Do you know what's been going on at Hogwarts?" she asks.

"Not really."

"Good, I need to keep talking."

Lex explains everything that went on with the D.A.

"You joined the D.A.?" I ask incredulously.

She laughs. "Yeah, Neville let me join. He's pretty badass himself. I'm Slytherin, so I knew all the gossip. It was just me, Neville, Ginny, and Luna when it started."

I laugh. "You are unbelievable."

"Yep. The socially awkward Slytherin who somehow rebelled against the rest of Slytherin's evil ways."

We reach the spot and stop. "Okay people, gather round." I say. Everyone shuffles into place, waiting for me to go on.

"There's twenty minutes to midnight. This is your last chance to leave. If you want to go, do it now." I look around at everyone, at their determined faces. Nobody leaves.

"Good. Tonight we will be fighting for our lives, our school, our world, alongside one another. Tonight we all have the same goal, a common enemy. We have to work together, fight together, have each other's backs. We need to stick together, if I tell you to do something, you do it. We won't have time to argue, so you have to agree now to do what I say. Can you do that?"