Little Phoenix (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

57. The DA

The first meeting of Dumbledore's Army was a huge success. Harry was a much better teacher than anyone had really expected, but he managed to get everyone to learn and understand. Tyriq had joined as well as Hannah and Susan and another fifth year named Ernie. Instantly after the meeting, Nic received an owl as she walked down the hall. "Who's it from?" Ty asked.

"Siri," she whispered back, opening it. "He needs to see both of us now." With a sigh, she turned to face him. "Are you up for pulling an all nighter?"

"To fly to London?" Tyriq clarified.

"We don't have another choice," Nic whispered back.

"Okay," he agreed. "We can fly out of the dorms." In the dorm, Nic checked that the other girls were asleep and flew out the open window. Outside, they met up and began to long flight to London. Around one in the morning, they arrived and flew to Grimmauld Place. Once inside, they found Sirius pacing in the kitchen.

"We're here, what is it?" Nic cried, running into the kitchen. Dumbledore and Snape were there as well.

"We have some information that the two of you should be aware of," Snape drawled in his same, emotionless voice.

"And you couldn't tell us at school?" Nic retorted.

"Nic," Sirius sighed. "Just listen."

"Harry had a meeting with Sirius through flu powder," Dumbledore explained. "Sirius was almost caught."

"How?" Nic asked, her voice sharp and cold.

"Umbridge has the fires being watched," Sirius explained irritably. "And we have reason to believe she thinks there are spies in the school."

"Does she know who?" Tyriq asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, she suspects Harry," Dumbledore admitted. "But it would be wise to be more cautious."

"Now, what have you discovered, Hufflepuff?" Snape asked.

"Goyle's a Death Eater," Tyriq admitted. "He's lousy at hiding it. I saw a letter to him from Voldemort poking out of his bag. I managed to snatch it and read it."

"What did it say?" Dumbledore asked.

"The expected," Tyriq replied. "Watch Harry and Nic, keep an eye on everything going on."

"So he is Voldemort's version of us?" Nic clarified.

"Basically," Tyriq agreed.

After a pause, Dumbledore offered, "I can take you both along to Hogsmeade by side-along apparition so you can get some sleep before tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," Nic replied. Nic and Tyriq were beyond stressed out as December approached. Aside from their now daily reports to the Order, they had to fly out to London every Friday night after Quidditch, they had practice, games, Dumbledore's Army meetings, prefect duties, and the absolute mountain of homework that had been dumped upon them.

Two days before the end of term, Nic and Tyriq were sitting on the couch working through essays for Transfiguration, DADA, Charms, and Potions. "I'm never going to finish this," Nic groaned, tossing aside her finished Charms essay and pulling her half-finished Transfiguration essay towards her. DADA was completely untouched and the Potions essay had only a few sentences.

"Me neither," Tyriq sighed. "Can't McGonagall and Snape give us an extra day? They know why we're behind."

"They can't show favoritism," Nic replied, scribbling out another line. "Let's just get these over with."

"Nic, we can take a break for a minute," Tyriq countered with an irritated sigh.

"Then I'll never get back to it," Nic countered, finishing off with a bs last paragraph and starting the Potions essay.

"Here, copy mine," Tyriq offered, sliding it over to her.

"Ty, I can't," Nic protested.

"Hey it's not without a price," Tyriq laughed, stealing her Charms essay. Nic rolled her eyes playfully and paraphrased and copied and filled in until half an hour later she had a half-decent Potions essay. At long last, she had come to the DADA essay. She had pushed that one to last as it was the most irritating. It was an essay over the dangers of "Half-Breeds" such as werewolves, centaurs, and Giant-Human hybrids like Hagrid.

"This essay is stupid," Nic muttered, scribbling out a paragraph about how humans are superior, which she didn't believe, and that anything not fully human wasn't fully good. She had to shoot down so many retorts to her own writing as she worked that it became a sort of debate in her mind. At about three in the morning, they had both finished. With a groan, Nic curled up on the couch with her head on Tyriq's shoulder and began to simply drift off. Tyriq had lain back and his eyes fluttered closed. Soon without meaning to, they both drifted off into sleep.

Nic awoke in a cloud of warmth and comfort the next morning. Letting out a groan, she shifted in her sleep. Her eyes fluttered up to see the cold hearth of the common room before her. Next moment she shot up, unsure why she was there. Nic let out a sigh of relief when she saw she had just fallen asleep on the couch. Tyriq was sleeping next to her. "Ty, we got to get up," Nic said, shaking his shoulder.

"Nic, why are you-" Ty began before he opened his eyes and saw where they were. He groaned and laid back again with a sigh.

"Hey, it's the last day," Nic chuckled. "We can sleep all we want later."

"Fine," Tyriq agreed, sitting up. "I'll be back in a few, just need to change."

"Me too," Nic agreed. When she entered the dorm, the other two girls were already awake.

"Where were you?" Hannah asked with a small smirk. "With Tyriq?"

"Oh come on, don't even go there," Nic chuckled. "Besides, I'm not even ready for something like that."

Her smile fading, Hannah replied, "Right, sorry."

"It's okay," Nic replied. "I should be moving on, I just...haven't be able to yet."

"Hey," Susan interrupted, stopping me as I reached for clothes. "You are allowed to feel however you feel. If you aren't ready to move on, then you don't have to."

"She's right," Hannah agreed. "You feel how you feel."

"Thanks guys," Nic replied, giving them a quick hug. "I have to change so I can go down to eat."