CHAPTER TWELVE.
VEILS COULD TALK

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  The plan was set, now they just to enact it. Amandla got her two friends and was beginning to drag them to the hallway that Ginny and Luna were guarding when they saw the twins laughing and Filch, plus Umbridge, looking at them with anger.

    "So, turning a hallway into a swamp is funny, is it?" Umbridge sneered at them.

    "Fairly amusing, yeah," one of the twins agreed, only for the other to laugh.

    "Well, now you're going to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school," the toad-like lady grinned.

    "This was never your school!" the one who made the comment earlier yelled, "Hogwarts is Dumbledore's school!" a loud cheer followed from the students.

    Umbridge turned around, livid, "Well, now you're going to get your punishments here, in front of the whole school!"

    One snorted and the other said, "You know, I don't think we are."

    "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education," one twin (Fred! It was Fred!) turned to his brother, "Wouldn't you agree?"

    "Completely, Fred," George agreed.

    "Time to enter the real world?"

    "Definitely."

    They raised their wands before yelling together, "Accio brooms!" only for their brooms to go zooming around the school and into their hands. They jumped onto them and began to fly.

    Fred glares that the pink lady, "We won't be seeing you," he told her.

    "Yeah, don't bother writing," George finished. They waved their wands again and the great doors open, revealing the outside of Hogwarts; a beautiful sunset over the Forbidden Forest. First year Amandla would've been frightened by the sight of the forest, but now she was older. There were greater things to fear.

    "Be sure to visit us at our new premises on Diagon Alley!" Fred yelled to the students, and they dived on their brooms, sailing out of the doors - out of Hogwarts, and to Merlin knows where. They were actually gone. They were truly, really gone.

    But Amandla didn't waste time. They had to get back to the hallway, the distraction of the twins had done more than distract Umbridge; it had distracted Amandla as well. No matter then, she grabbed ahold her friends' arms and ran to the hallway where Ginny and Luna waited, now with Neville and Ron.

    She nodded towards them, "The twins left. We don't have much more time."

    "What do you mean the twins left?" their brother, Ron, asked with a red face of anger.

    "They're leaving school, had a whole announcement. Have a new shop in Diagon Alley apparently," Amandla nonchalantly said, not finding the problem with that. Unless, of course, Ron didn't know that they were leaving. What a rude awakening for him.

    "Ah-ha!" they heard behind them; Umbridge. Along with her, there was Filch and the Inquisitional Squad, also known as Draco and his 'friends'. "What do you few think you're doing?"

    "Nothing," Ginny answered, only before saying a hex and running, but Umbridge was quicker and casted a spell that made them unable to move.

    "Mind telling me why you're here?" she asked them, "You, get hold of them!"

    She directed Draco and his friends to them. Amandla and the members of the DA tried to run away, but with their feet stuck, they couldn't move. She saw Draco coming towards her, grabbing her arms and placing them behind her back. Feeling the spell lifted, her feet began to move as Draco held onto her tightly, but not too tight. She knew that he would never physically harm her, but he had harmed her emotionally, and that was all that mattered to her.

    Umbridge walked into her office to find Hermione standing over Harry with his face in the fire, trying to contact Sirius Black. The others were brought into the room as well, seeing Umbridge yank Harry away from the fire.

    "You think you could simply walk into my office without me knowing about it? Foolish boy!" she shrieked at him, causing Amandla to wince at the pitch of her voice.

    Harry looked around to see how the members of the DA that were present, his friends and acquaintances, being held by Draco and his friends with their wands piled on the fire and them all squirming in the grasps of the Squad members.

  "Accio wand!" Umbridge called. Harry's wand flipped from his pocket and into her hand, causing her to smirk. "Who were you trying to contact?"

   "It's none of your business," Harry shook his head. Wrong answer, Amandla thought in her head.

    "Draco," she turned to the boy holding Amandla, "would you fetch Professor Snape, please? Leave the Stature girl here, she won't try anything under my watch."

    He nodded, sending a look to Amandla as if saying not to try anything. She looked at him as if saying she wouldn't, not giving any other indication they were silently speaking to each other. And then, he left to fetch the Potions teacher.

    Once he was gone, Umbridge turned back to Harry with a sickening smile. "Very well, Potter. I have been patient enough with you."

    There was silence after that until Draco returned with Snape, who held an emotionless face. "You wished to see me?"

    "I have just caught Potter trying to communicate with someone in my fire. I need some Veritaserum. Truth serum," Umbridge ordered him.

    "Well, it appears that I cannot help you," Snape told her, "I have none."

    He turned to leave when Harry shot him a desperate, pleading look before yelling, "He's got Padfoot at the place it's hidden!"

    Amandla didn't know quite what it meant, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it was about Sirius and wherever he was taken, like Harry had said earlier that day when Amandla wasn't being held by her cousin against her will.

    "What? What does that mean?" Umbridge wildly asked the professor.

    "Potter, if I want nonsense shouted at me, I shall inform you," and Snape left the office without another word.

    Umbridge turned to rage, "We've played nicely, Potter. You leave me no choice!" She drew her wand and moved closer to Harry, Amandla unconsciously stepped back slightly in fear. "You could have saved me a lot of trouble if those Dementors I sent to your house had finished you off!"

    "You sent the Dementors?" Harry questioned, and for a moment Amandla hadn't the slightest clue what they were talking about, and then she remembered the simpler times when she was playing Clue with Cevira and she had told her about the attack that happened on him.

    "Of course I did! Someone had to act!" she yelled, pointing her wand at Harry before yelling again, "Crucio!"

    Harry screamed, the pain washing over his body as he shaked wildly on the ground. Amandla grimaced, as did everyone in the room. She had never seen torture like this, but she had heard of it. She had only seen this curse on a spider with the imposter of Mad-Eye Moody last year, what a horrid day it had been. But this was much worse, this was an actual person being tortured right in front of her as she could do nothing to help. And another thought came to her mind, this would be her life when she became a Death Eater.

    "No! Please, stop!" Hermione yelled.

    Umbridge smirked, looking pleased with herself as she turned to Hermione. Amandla almost screamed out. Almost. "Well, well," the pink lady taunted.

    "Hermione, no!" Harry urged her to stop, but she sent a look to him.

    "We have to tell her, Harry..." Hermione pleaded with him, but he shook his head.

    "I would rather die!"

    "Shut up, Potter! Now talk, you silly girl! Who were you talking to?" Umbridge urged her to speak.

    "We were trying to find Professor Dumbledore. We had to tell him..." Hermione trailed off.

    "Tell him?" Umbridge looked at her with wild eyes, glee radiating off her at the thought of actually getting something off of the girl.

    "That it's ready," Hermione told her finally, "The weapon."

    The pink lady's eyes shined with eagerness, and she smiled widely at Hermione. "You and Mr. Potter will take me to it," she decided.

    The three of them moved out, Hermione leading them with Harry slightly limping from the curse that had been shot at him only minutes earlier. Filch left as well, leaving only the students, and Amandla felt Draco's grip on her release.

    "Go," he told her sternly after releasing her completely. She felt all eyes on them, but Amandla only nodded.

    "Draco, what are you doing?" Pansy asked, going over with Cevira to her friend. Or what she thought was her friend.

    He ignored her, "You can't be caught here, you know what they'll do. So go and hide."

    Amandla shook her head, "You know I can't just leave everyone else here. That's not who I am."

    Draco sighed at that. Why did she have to be so difficult at times? "Really?"

    "Yes, really," she snapped at him, only find herself feeling guilty, "I'm sorry I snapped."

    He nodded, looking at the others, "Release them!"

    "What?" one of the students from Slytherin asked, "Are you mad?"

    "Did I stutter, Nott? I said release them, now! Umbridge will never know, we'll say that they escaped. So let them go," Draco ordered, and soon enough, everyone was free.

    Amandla sent him a grateful look, her arms going around his neck as she hugged him and muttered, "Thank you."

    A smile was sent to her in return, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

    She shook her head, "Never. But I know that's the right thing, and I know that I need to do it. No matter what happens."

    "Be safe, Amy, for me," Draco pleaded and she sent him a nod, giving him one last hug before leading the others out of the room. Of course, the moment they started running, questions were fired at her, none that she answered, of course. It wasn't time for a history lesson.

    "Where do you think they'd be?" Amandla asked Ron, who was closest to Harry and Hermione.

    "I don't know...maybe the woods? We should check near there first," Ron decided and the others nodded.

    The group ran towards Hagrid's Hut, only to find that Harry and Hermione were already walking past there and to the castle again. "What are we supposed to do know?" they heard Harry asked the Granger girl.

    "That's just what we were wondering," Ron said, showcasing the group to the two friends. The two from the forest had a shocked expression on their faces, but as Ron tossed their wands at them, the shock faded.

    "I'd imagine we should fly," Hermione suggested, a very logical answer for the situation.

    But, of course, Harry shook his head and gave another point, "We've got no brooms."

    "There are other ways to fly," Luna reminded them, nodding in the direction of the forest, "I mean, they can fly, and they're very good at finding places you need to go."

    Harry turned, as if looking at something Amandla couldn't see. To her, there was just a clearing before the forest, but to four in the group, there were three thestrals watching them.

    "What are those?" Harry asked, remembering the beginning of the year when he saw them pulling the carriages.

    "What are what?" Ron asked the question on the others' minds. Only Luna, Corey and Harry, of course, could see the creatures.

    "There's nothing there, Harry," Hermione continued, trying to knock some sense into her friend.

    "Yes, there is. They're thestrals. You can't see them unless you've seen someone die," Luna explained to the group, and Neville immediately put his head down. 

     "I can see them too," he quietly told the group, suddenly becoming bashful. He was ashamed when he shouldn't have been.

    "All right, then. Get on one, and we'll be off," Harry finalized. Amandla sucked in a breath, there was no way she was going to make a complete fool of herself trying to get on one - she hadn't a clue where they were.

    "And what about those of us who can't see them?" Ron asked, reminding the four who could see them that not everyone could.

    Luna smiled kindly, going over to him. "Corey and I will show you," volunteering her brother, who was suddenly so quiet. He raised his head up, sending a smile to his friends before taking their hands.

    Already, he noticed, that more of the thestrals were approaching them. Then, he noticed the blood on Harry and Hermione's shirts, and he knew why they came in the first place. Corey helped Amandla and Cevira onto one creature while going over to help Luna with Ginny and Neville - the first who seemed to be having quite the trouble.

    After everyone was on the thestrals, they soared in the sky, heading to their destination; the Ministry. Amandla felt like she was on cloud nine in the sky, she had always wanted to fly. It was a childish thought, something muggle children dreamed of along with magic. But she was never good at flying on a broom; she never trusted it enough to allow herself to glide through the sky. But here, on the invisible creature, she felt secure. There was an actual being that she was riding on, but some wood.

    And once they approaching where the Ministry resided, they guided the creatures down on the ground before landing safely. Some, like Ron and Cevira, shakily got off, not enjoying the experience as much as the others. But Amandla felt only a jump in her stomach - one that reminded her of whenever she saw the beauty that was Hermione Granger.

    "Never again..." Ron muttered, holding his stomach with all its queasiness.

    "What now, Harry?" Ginny asked, only elbowing Ron about his comment before, causing him to groan even more.

    Harry ignored that, though, only leading the way to a telephone box and opening the door, stepping in easily but only becoming more cramped when the others squeezed in as well. He said something that allowed them into the Ministry, but they were only in there for a moment before going to the lift and down to where they needed to be.

    Once down there, there was a moment of deathly silence with no sign of human life. They were off to a great start, Amandla shuddered at the thought.

    "Department of Mysteries," the robotic voice of the lift announced, startling Amandla slightly. The doors opened and all of them piled out of there.

    "Where is everyone?" Harry quietly asked the group, not liking how oddly quiet it was there.

    "The Ministry closed a half-hour ago," Ginny informed him, keeping a low voice as well, "I expect they all went home."

    Harry nodded grimly, "That's how Voldemort got in unnoticed." Fear was struck in Amandla's heart that the name. Even after the many times she heard it this school year, she still shuddered at it. She still hated it.

    They continued to walk until Harry called, "This is it. Come on." Amandla wasn't sure what 'it' was, but she wasn't about to argue.

    Down the long hall, they reach a door. Harry tried the handle, only for the door to open. "Stay close," he whispered before leading them into the next room.

    This room was much larger and circular, identical doors all the way around with blue-flamed candles illuminating the room. After Neville (the last to enter) walked into the room, the door swung close with a loud, echoing bang.

    "Now where?" Ginny asked. She, like the others, were looking around completely and utterly confused as to where to go in the room.

    "I don't understand. In my dream, the doors weren't identical," Harry shook his head.

    "Well, let's try a few," Hermione suggested. Cevira snickered before sneaking a glance at Amandla, who only rolled her eyes and shoved her friend lightly.

    "Yeah. I'll know the way when I see it," Harry nodded, going through the first door he saw and leading the others inside.

    All Amandla could see in the darkness was a dark, grey veil that fluttered as if there were a breeze. She heard whispers, as if they were coming from the veil, ands she scrunched up her nose in confusion by it. "Who's there?" Harry asked, but she knew he wouldn't get an answer.

    He, with the others trailing behind him, went to the veil. As she walking, Amandla noticed that she soft whisperings suddenly weren't so soft. They were beginning to grow louder as she stared straight into the veil. Harry whispered a name, and she was sure of what he muttered, but didn't comment on it.

    "There's no one here, Harry," Hermione looked at her friend desperately, her angelic voice bringing Amandla out of her thoughts, "This isn't the right room."

    "Does anyone else here that?" Harry addressed the group, and only Amandla and Luna nodded in response.

    "I do," Luna spoke, "It's coming from the Veil."

    They all stare at the Veil, much like Amandla was doing only seconds earlier. Harry inched to it slowly as Hermione called out his name, but he didn't register it, only walking forward.

    "There are people in there!" Luna guessed, and Amandla began to listen more intently to the name she heard.

    Amandla, Amandla, Amandla, Sirius, Amandla. Amandla....

    She gasped at that, the others looked at her. Her eyes were wide at the name...if they were people, they must have been souls...they must have been dead...But then, did that mean she was going to die? Did that mean that Sirius was still alive...only to die now? No, it wasn't her time to die, not that day. It couldn't be.

    "Amandla, what did you hear?" Hermione kindly asked her, stepping forward to meet her.

    She didn't answer, how could she answer? There was nothing she could say. She was going to die, right? The voices, if they were the souls of the dead, had already claimed they were going to die. That she and Sirius were going to die. Nothing she said could change that, right? No, don't think like that Amandla, if fate has decided it, that's how it will be.

    "Nothing," Amandla shook her head, her voice shaky, "I didn't hear anything."

    It, of course, was a blatant lie, but no one continued to question her about it. Thankfully. Hermione turned to Harry, "I think we should leave," she told him.

    It seemed that Harry did hear her, continuing to reach for the Veil that Amandla was sure just predicted her death...or something that would happen to her. Something, she was sure. It predicted something bad.

    "Harry, we're here for Sirius, remember?" Hermione tried again in a gentle voice.

    This seemed to get him to stop. Harry blinked a few times before dropping his head, "Sirius...yeah..." he called as if it were a distant memory.

    She gently led him away, Amandla clutching onto Cevira's arm for support. Something bad was going to happen that evening, the pit in her gut told her that, but it was something bigger than they originally imagined, she knew that. She let out a shaky breath as they walked out of that room, immediately feeling better at leaving the mysterious Veil and its whispers behind.

    If only she knew that she would end up back there in only minutes, fulfilling the prophecy the Veil predicted.

wink wonk, I did something :)))). almost done with this act, and I am excited to start the second one. you'll definitely get to see a darker side of amandla and the others (especially corey) and I honestly can't wait to start writing it!!!