LOST ↝ G. WEASLEY [1]

29 | Premonitions

After the news of Harry and the others leaving Shell Cottage, all the group could do was sit and listen for more updates. Seamus and Tommy tried to lighten the mood by telling jokes, but a chill had fallen over the entire group, leaving them to just sit and wait for whatever was going to happen next.

"It's happening," Nicolette said finally after a while, breaking the silence. "it didn't feel like this before. When they were off doing Merlin-knows-what, it didn't feel like this. Something's happening. War is finally here."

"We don't know that for sure," Lavendar pointed out. "for all we know, they're doing whatever they've been up to this entire year. It could be months before this war comes."

"You can't deny it's changing." Nic pressed. "This is different. You can all say I'm mad, but it's here."

The radio finally crackled to life again, bringing everyone's attention with it.

"Password?" the radio asked.

"Moody," Rowan said into the mouthpiece, causing Joey's focus to shift back up, her eyes locking with Rowan's.

"Hello, everyone, this is Rapier." Fred's voice came over the waves. "We are back with some news today regarding Harry Potter and his comrades. It seems the group had an interesting run in at Gringotts Bank earlier today. 

"Locals to Diagon Alley heard signs of an uproar inside the bank only moments before a dragon came breaking through the glass roof, with Harry and friends reportedly riding on its back. The dragon took off, flying them all off into the horizon."

"Well, that just sounds quite romantic, Rapier." George's voice added in. "You heard it here first, folks! This has been Potterwatch. Be sure to tune in next time, with the password being 'Sirius.'"

The radio sputtered a bit, crackling once more before going silent.

"See?" Nicolette asked, standing up and pacing around the room. "They've been seen in public, meaning others know where they've been, and can start tracking them down. They're not as careful about being caught, which is going to lead to an uproar and a confrontation once it happens. War is coming."

"She's right," Joey added, standing up next to her and looking down at her fellow classmates, many of the first years watching the pair with horrified expressions. "Harry and the others being so close means they're bound to come to us eventually. They were in Diagon Alley for Merlin's sake. They spent this entire year off the radar, and now they've shown up again. Whether we like it or not, things are changing. This is what we've been practicing and preparing for."

"But until they come here we must act the same as we have so far." Ginny said. "We can't just go picking fights with the Carrows or Snape if we don't have a reason to. It'll only make things worse for us, and reveal what we've been up to. But we can start training harder, and we can be that much more ready for when it does happen."

The sound of the door opening caught the group's attention, causing everyone to turn towards the doorway. The others stood up, watching as Magnus walked in with Daphne and Astoria Greengrass on either side of him, fingers intertwined with the former, causing a few members to grab their wands and hold them at their sides, alarmed at the presence of Slytherins in the room.

"What are they doing here?" Lavendar asked as Astoria shut the door behind them.

"We're not here to alarm any of you." Magnus said, releasing Daphne's hand and putting both of his up in surrender, assuring the group he posed no threat to them. "It's just... it's not safe for us in the dungeons anymore. They know about Harry and the others at Gringotts, and Crabbe, Goyle... they want to take him down. Said if anyone wasn't for them, they were against them. I've always been on your side, and these two are as well. So if you'll have us... we're here to fight."

"We've always got a spot for you." Neville said, stepping forward and clapping Magnus on the back. "Welcome to Dumbledore's Army. Let's get you lot a place to sleep."

"We can put them over here." Tommy said, gesturing them over towards where he, Seamus and Dean usually slept. "You can set your things down here too."

"Thank you," Astoria said in a small voice. "thank you all for this."

"This is about doing something real." Joey told them. "And in here, we're ready to fight for what's right."

"We shouldn't go to the Great Hall for dinner tonight." Monty said. "Not if the Slytherins want to fight against us. That's a battle in itself just waiting to happen."

"So what do we do?" Daphne asked.

"I think another run to the kitchens is in order." Rowan announced. "What do you say, boys?"

One by one Rowan, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Wayne Hopkins picked up the bags enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, bidding the group goodbye before heading out towards the kitchens. 

Simply put, during this time it was much easier for a group of Hufflepuffs to grab food from the kitchens, because it was near their common room. The odds of being caught was much less for them than it would be for those from other houses, because they could just claim they were on the way to their dormitories. So, the boys were usually the ones to volunteer their services.

"So they just steal food from the kitchens?" Daphne asked, crossing her arms across her chest with an intrigued smile. "Who knew Hufflepuffs could be so deviant?"

"I wouldn't say they steal it, exactly..." Tommy said pensively. "More like... it's given to them."

"You could say the house elves are old friends." Joey chimed in with a grin.

When the boys finally returned, they emptied the food onto the tables to reveal a feast fit for the Great Hall. Lining the table were platters filled with chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, and, of course, the house elves' famous blueberry pie, per request from Rowan. Everyone gathered around, taking their seats and chatting with one another about anything and everything imaginable, eager to say everything they wanted while still given the chance.

"A meal fit for kings," Monty said between bites of mashed potatoes. "well done, boys."

"Yeah, well, eat up," Rowan said. "we've all earned it after the hell we've been through this year."

"This room is amazing," Astoria said, looking around in awe. "I can't get over it. So you just... tell it what you want? And it does it?"

Nicolette nodded towards the younger girl. "I believe Dumbledore stumbled upon it once looking for a toilet. Neville here found it back in fifth year looking for a place we could practice to get away from Umbridge." she said, gesturing to the boy sitting at her side.

"And you guys just hide out in here all the time?" she asked then.

"Yeah," Joey said, nodding, "we pretty much only go out for classes. We used to eat in the Great Hall sometimes. Other times we have food brought to us."

"We've got a tunnel that goes straight to the Hog's Head." Neville added.

"Speaking of which..." Seamus said, nudging Joey and pointing over to the painting, where Ariana stood, an anxious look on the girl's face. "She's back."