HEATHENS - Harry Potter ✔

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"You know, what happened with Michael was really bad," said Seamus in a low voice as he and Kiera headed for Transfigurations.

"What? Why?" Kiera asked in a panic. "I thought he would be fine. I managed to heal most of his cuts -"

"No," interrupted Seamus quickly. "No, I didn't mean it that way. I meant it was really bad for the DA."

Kiera still did not quite understand. "What do you mean?" she asked, confusion and worry spreading their familiar coldness into her body.

Seamus shrugged his shoulders. "It really scared people off," he said. "I tried to arrange a meeting for today, though that we should strike again but everybody seemed to be busy with something or the other."

Kiera sighed, she had seen it coming. "Well with Luna and Ginny gone, and Neville hiding in the Room, you can't really blame them..."

"But we can't give up now!" said Seamus, maybe slightly too loudly. "If we give up now, we let them win. We have to strike again."

"Yeah," Kiera agreed quietly. "You're right. We can leave another message, that won't require too many people. The two of us, and I'm sure that Hannah, Astoria, and Anthony will be up for it."

"Okay, great," Seamus said, evidently relieved that the Slytherin hadn't given up on their cause. "We should do it as soon as possible. Try tonight, if we can find them by then."

"Sounds good," Kiera said with a nod of her head. "I'll meet you in the Room after dinner with the others." They entered the Transfiguration classroom and sat at their designated seats; Kiera next to Anthony.

"Hi," he said as she sat down.

"Hey," Kiera responded and then continued in a lower voice, "Meet me in the Room after dinner. DA."

He merely nodded in response. As McGonagall had just begun the lesson, there was a knock on the door which opened a second later without an invitation. In the doorway stood both Carrow twins with identically evil grins on their faces. "We'll need to borrow Miss Walker for a while, Professor McGonagall."

A look of anxious worry took over the teacher's features as she turned to quickly glance at the Slytherin student and then turned to her colleges the expression fading. "Can't it wait until my class as finished," she said sternly. "This is a rather important topic for them to know in their NEWTS."

"Sorry," said Amycus, feigning and an apologetic tone. "No-can-do." He then turned to Kiera. "Miss Walker," he said gesturing for her to follow them. With shaky hands, she gathered her parchment, ink, quill, and books and stuffed them into her bag. She was too weak, too exhausted for more. Yet her legs supported her without falter. She gave a glance behind her at the scared and shocked faces of her fellow students before the door was closed by the sister. "Let's go," she said with a wickedly. "I'm sure you know the way."

So, with steady legs but a drumming heart, Kiera began toward the dungeons with the Carrows following closely behind her. Once they made it to the cell like door she paused and Alecto walked past her to unlock it and open it. She sneered at the girl another time before nodding toward the chair in the middle of the room. She knew she didn't have a choice, so, knowing fully well that it would not end well, Kiera walked toward it and sat down.

The leather restraints shot out immediately, immobilising her on the chair. But the Carrows were still standing outside the chamber, Alecto still holding the door. Usually, they would have entered the room by now, wand out and pointed at her. But not this time. Still grinning, Alecto said, "Have fun," and shut the door. For an entire minute, Kiera sat there in the darkness, not even able to see the tip of her nose, trying to understand what was going on. Were they just going to starve her to death?