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xvii. the hufflepuff's bravery

โ—‘ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ–ฃ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ—

"Well, it's a good thing Gran escaped." Neville told the worried Jemina and Noah who let out sighs of relief after that. They were currently in the Room of Requirement when Aberforth suddenly came and brought a letter that came from Neville's grandmother. They all panicked when the first line said Neville's grandmother was pursued by Death Eaters... But they really shouldn't underestimate the power of Augusta Longbottom.

"She says she's proud of me and to keep it up." Neville grinned at them, making both Jemina and Noah smile. They knew he always thought of himself as a lesser Gryffindor because he was timid unlike the others. But finally, Neville was acknowledging himself too.

"But that means..."

Noah's words made them all stop as they looked at each other with dread. That meant the Death Eaters finally saw the DA as a threat, and they were going to make examples of them since they were the ringleaders. The trio who had scars and bruises all over their bodies were being targeted now.

"Wait, what about your parents, Noah?" Jemina suddenly remembered. "They went after Neville's grandmother, they can't really come after me since... well, I don't have a family anymore. What if they do something to them?"

"Oh, wait. I have a way of communicating with them." Noah took out a notebook out of his bag and wrote a message. "Knight has come."

"It's a special notebook that's linked to another." Noah explained to them. "So that we can talk to each other anytime we need it."

The two nodded and all of them could stare a hole in the paper... Minutes passed without someone writing back and they were starting to feel worried when...

"Good Knight!"

Noah let out a relieved sigh at that. "It's Mum. We made a way of letting each other know if we really are talking to each other. It's them."

"Mum, are you guys alright?" Noah quickly wrote on the paper.

"We're alright, son." Noah's mother wrote back. "We've been hiding here in your aunt's house since the break. Don't worry about us and keep yourself safe, alright? We're fine. We love you."

"I love you too, Mum and Dad." Noah wrote back with a smile on his face before he closed the notebook. "Well, on the bright side, they have nothing to hold against us, right?"

"Yeah, and that means they're going for us next." Neville said with a frown. "We need to hide for now. Who knows what they would do to us, especially you, Jem."

"I agree." Jemina nodded with a sigh. "Then, let's do this. Get what we need and stay here for the meantime. I'll get some healing supplies from Madam Pomfrey. I think we'll need those."

"I'll get food from the kitchens for our meals for a few days." Noah told them. "Aberforth can probably help us if we stay here for longer than that."

"And I'll go to the common room to tell them what's going on and find us some clothes and the other necessities." Neville stood up with a smile. "Let's meet up in here, okay?"

The three of them nodded at each other and picked up their bags that were charmed with the Extension Charm before they took deep breaths and quickly ran out to the places they needed to go to. Jemina ran down the stairs as fast as she can to the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey was.

"Miss Nightingale, are you hurt?" The matron asked in worry, knowing the young Hufflepuff always got herself in trouble.

"No, Madam Pomfrey, but I need healing supplies." Jemina whispered, always looking behind her in case the Carrows or Snape were there. "We're going to hide for a while, and we need the things to heal ourselves while we're hiding. Can you help us?"

"Of course, dear. Give me that." Madam Pomfrey took the bag from Jemina and opened a locked cabinet before placing tons and tons of medicinal supplies in there. "I hope that'll be enough for days. If you need something, just come here, alright?"

"Thank you, Madam." Jemina smiled widely at the nurse before she peeked out to check if there was someone there. And when she saw nobody, she started back on her run to the Room of Requirement. She got up to the second floor, the third floor and the fourth floor until...

"CRUCIO!"

Jemina fell to the floor with a scream, clutching the bag tight to her as she looked behind her and saw the grinning Carrow twins.

"Not so fast, Nightingale." Alecto laughed evilly. "It's time for you and your Mudblood filth to be gone from Hogwarts."

"Say hi to your filthy Muggle family for us." Amycus Carrow raised his wand for a spell. "Avada โ€“ "

"Expungovir!" Jemina cast the Wand Cancellation spell before she quickly got on her feet and sent spells in their direction. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Ignis Rugiet!"

"Obcidolens!" The twins shouted simultaneously at the same time Jemina casted her spells. Jemina's spells hit them while the green light hit Jemina whose eyes widened as she felt blood coming out of her mouth and huge cuts were made on her stomach and back.

But she wasn't going to give up. The Hufflepuff left the unconscious Death Eaters and shakily made her way up, still holding onto the bag. It was getting more difficult and difficult though as she tried getting up. She could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness the more she tried to stay awake. And when she reached the fifth floor, Jemina fell onto the ground, leaving blood as she went. This was it for her.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I love you..." Jemina whispered out and closed her eyes, surrendering to the darkness and thinking of the red-haired angel with brown eyes...

"Oh no, you're not dying yet, lass." A gruff voice said behind her. It was the Bloody Baron who saw what was happening and called Pansy, Theo, Blaise and Daphne to help out. The Ghosts have hidden in Deanna's room for the past few months, but the Bloody Baron decided to go out for a while. It was a good thing he did because he got to see what was happening to Jemina. "Bring her to the Room of Lost Things if you please. I'll inform the Heads about what happened."

"Yeah, don't worry." Daphne picked up the bag on the floor and brought her ear close to Jemina's mouth as the ghost flew away. "She's still breathing."

"Come on, let's bring her to that Room." Blaise whispered to them, and he and Theo wrapped their arms around Jemina's shoulder and quickly carried her up with Pansy and Daphne running behind them.

"Well, we can't deny this badger's got guts." Theo asked while they were running up. "Doesn't she know the Perish Spell kills slowly but painfully?"

"She's a Muggleborn, Theo. You don't expect her to know about the Dark Arts, do you?" Pansy remarked with a roll of her eyes before they finally arrived. She walked three times back and forth while thinking. 'I need to find Dumbledore's Army.'

After that, the door revealed itself, making them sigh in relief as they burst into the room, surprising Noah and Neville.

"Pansy? What are you guys โ€“ "

"Later. Fix her up first." Pansy cut them off while Theo and Blaise placed Jemina on the bed, making Noah and Neville gasp at the sight of their bloody friend. Why did Jemina always get herself into these situations?

"Noah." Neville called out to the other boy who nodded and knelt down beside Jemina and started casting the Healing Spell. Then, Neville turned to them. "Do you have the bag?"

"Here." Daphne handed the bag of medical supplies to Neville who immediately looked for Vervain.

"Noah." Neville handed it to Noah who pushed the Vervain into Jemina's mouth, and they sighed in relief when they saw her breathing normalize and some of the cuts all over her body turned into scars from the Healing Spell. "Evanesco."

With the wave of Neville's wand, the blood around them had disappeared and Jemina looked clean again despite the scars and the ripped clothes. The Gryffindor looked back at the Slytherins who were surprised that they could already heal like that at their young age. "What happened?"

"The Bloody Baron appeared all of a sudden after they've went into hiding and saw Jemina fighting the Carrows and came across us. He told us to help her and bring her here." Theo explained to them.

"You people know what you're doing is extremely foolish, right?" Blaise let out a sigh. "You're risking your lives for nothing."

Noah and Neville glanced at each other before smiling. The Hufflepuff smiled at all the Slytherins. "Well, we may be fools, but we're fools who fought. We're risking our lives for the fire we know is still burning. The fire of the good we all have in us. The fire that lets us know that someone needs to stand up to them."

"We get that you guys may not understand what we're doing." Neville told them with a grin. "I also sometimes ask myself what the hell are we doing, but anyways, I'm glad I'm doing it. We're making a change in this world and fighting for what is right. Isn't that enough reason for us to go on? And you guys... We know you people don't have a choice and that is why you're trying to put up with what's happening. Just know that you will always be welcome here. All of you."

The four Slytherins felt their hearts warm, seeing they were sincere in what they said. At least they had somewhere to go if they get disowned or if they decide to fight on the other side of the war.

"Thank you." Pansy smiled at the two and at Jemina's sleeping figure. "We'll go and keep our mouths shut. Don't worry. We'll see you guys soon."

"Thank you." Noah and Neville expressed their gratitude to the four Slytherins who left the Room of Requirement before looking down at Jemina. She was really a warrior, fighting with her last breath. At least, they'd have time to rest as they hid... Even just for a little. They were all exhausted, scarred, in pain and bruised. But they were still fighting persistently with all their might. They would always think of the reasons they were fighting first over the dangers and risks.

"Ginny." The name came softly from Jemina's mouth, making the two boys look at each other before smiling at their friend who was sleeping peacefully.

The main reason why they were fighting with all they had? The people they loved.

โ—‘ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ–ฃ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ—

"Dear me, Terry, what did you do to get beaten up like that." Noah frowned while healing the Ravenclaw.

It was now May, and a few weeks had passed since they escaped from the Carrows. Many members of the DA started hiding too in the Room of Requirement that was seemingly protecting them as well and was not showing itself to the Carrows no matter how many times they walked back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. As they protected Hogwarts, Hogwarts was also protecting them.

"What happened to you?" Jemina came through the portrait with Neville, both of them holding food from Aberforth. The Hufflepuff recovered well enough after a week thanks to the healing of her friends and Aberforth. They had been going like this so far. Surviving in the Room of Requirement that became the perfect hiding place with a bathroom, hammocks, bookcases, broomsticks and even a wireless to listen to Potterwatch. It was decorated in a colorful manner with the tapestries of the four houses.

It was a little uncomfortable, but at least they were safe there. All of them looked like warriors with their wounds but they were proud of these. These were the proof that they fought well for the greater good.

"Listen to the wireless, Jem, Nev." Seamus told them with a smile as he tuned up the wireless and tapped it with the password. "Boisterous Badger."

"And for the latest rumors, Rapier." Fred's familiar voice said. "Harry Potter, Deanna Dumbledore, our dear brother, Ron, and Hermione broke into Gringotts, and they escaped on a dragon. Always loving the dramatic entrance, that group. What do you think were they looking for, River?"

"Maybe, the leprechaun's pot of gold, dear Rapier." Lee's comment made everyone in the room laugh. But Jemina couldn't help but wonder. Was it true? Did they really break into Gringotts and escape on a dragon? Were they coming back to Hogwarts soon?

"Whatever it is they are looking for, I'm sure they're doing everything to take back the reigns from the Chief Death Eater and free us from this hell."

"Thank you very much for those wise words, Rapier," said Lee. "Listeners, that brings us to the end of another Potterwatch. We don't know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: The next password will be 'Hogwarts.' Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night."

Everyone burst into chatter and talked about whether the news was true or not. Nevertheless, they rejoiced and started cheering up for the first time in a while because it meant that the four were still fighting out there.

"I don't know if it was true, but I think that means they're still out there!" Neville grinned at his two co-leaders. "Hey, Jem, Noah! They might be coming back soon. I can feel it."

"Harry's coming back?" Noah asked with a soft smile on his face, earning him teasing grins from both Jemina and Neville. They saw how he hid his feelings when Harry was mentioned, especially since the older boy broke up with him at the funeral. But it was clear to everyone that he still loved Harry a lot.

"Yes, he is, lover boy. So, don't be blue anymore, alright?" Neville teased Noah before pulling him and Jemina up as he stood. "Come on, let's have fun too."

"Let's dance, Jemina!" Seamus and Nigel called out to the Hufflepuff who let out a giggle as they all danced to "Do the Hippogriff."

"Can you dance like a hippogriff? Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma. Flyin' off from a cliff. Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma. Swoopin' down, to the ground. Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma. Wheel around and around and around. Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma ma."

Everyone sung and danced with each other, feeling glee for the first time in weeks. Real or not, it just lit up a spark in them and made them remember why they were fighting in the first place. There were others out there who were fighting, and they too would do the same in Hogwarts.

They stayed up until it was late and had smiles on their faces as some drifted off to sleep while there were a few others who were still awake. Jemina, Noah and Neville sat down beside each other with smiles on their faces lingering after the festivities.

"I haven't smiled like this in months." Jemina confessed with a laugh.

"Yeah, because Ginny isn't here to make you smile like that." Noah teased her.

"You're one to talk, Mr. Potter." Neville shot back at Noah.

"Shut up, Lovegood."

"Can we all just agree that the people we're in love with aren't here?" Jemina raised an eyebrow at them, and after a moment of staring at each other, they burst into laughter and lowered their voices so that they wouldn't disturb the others. It was true. All of the people they were in love with were either on the run or in hiding.

A knock on the portrait made them all stop laughing and look up to see Ariana with a smile on her face. "Hello, everyone. Is Neville there?"

"I'm here, Ariana." Neville stood up and walked over to the portrait. People started waking up at the scene and wondered what it was all about. "What is it?"

"Ab's calling you. He said there are some people who want to see you and who you would want to see. Some people who've missed Hogwarts a lot."

Jemina got up from her seat at that, her eyes widening in surprise. "Could it be..."

"It's them. It's them, I'm sure it's them!" Neville grinned widely at Jemina and Noah. "I told you guys I had a feeling it's them. It's about time."

"But they just broke into Gringotts, didn't they? How would they go from there to Hogsmeade in a matter of hours?" Seamus asked in confusion and doubt.

All of them went silent at that, thinking he had a point. Neville though did not pay him attention and sent a message on his coin to the other members of Dumbledore's Army. "Too late, I already sent a message. I'll be coming back with Harry, Deanna, Ron and Hermione. I promise you. Come on, Ariana."

Jemina watched Neville go into the tunnel and let out a sigh. If they weren't there, it would down their spirits more. But if they were there... they would of course be happier than they had ever been in this entire year. It meant that hope was coming and that the war was ending soon.

But Jemina still had her worries about Deanna. If it meant that the war was ending soon, it also meant Deanna's end was... coming. As much as it hurt her heart to think of it, they needed to accept it, right? The only thing they could do was make Deanna feel that her sacrifice would be worth it and that she was loved by many. It was the only thing they could do for her.

"Now, everyone." Jemina stood up and smiled at them all, hoping to clear the tense mood in the room. "We have no idea what's happening, so let's just hope but not expect, alright? We know them. Deanna, Harry, Ron and Hermione have been fighting for us from the very beginning so whether they come back here or not, I'm sure they're fighting their war out there, and it's up to us to defend Hogwarts here. Let's just wait for Neville to come, okay?"

"Yes, Jem."

"We got it."

Words of agreement came from everyone, and Jemina patted the shoulder of Noah who was deep in thought. "Are you excited to see him again?"

"I shouldn't be... But I am." Noah answered with a sad smile. His relationship with Harry was so inconsistent he didn't know what he was going to do. Should he let go or hold on? But then, even if he chose to let go, he couldn't do it because his heart belonged solely to Harry Potter.

"You both have been through a lot, you deserve to be happy after this." Jemina told him with a smile. "Do you still want to be with him after this war?"

"There's no one else I'd want to be with." Noah confessed with a smile on his face, his eyes filled with his sincerity and love for Harry Potter. He wrapped an arm around Jemina who leaned his head on his shoulder and smiled. "And how about you and Ginny? Are you going to give your relationship a try after this war?"

"I'll wait for her like always." Jemina replied with a grin, her heart missing the redhead dearly. "If she wants to, I will. If she isn't ready, I will wait. She told me it will all be worth it in the end. That's enough reason for me to hold on."

"I guess we really are in love."

The two of them laughed at Noah's comment before they let silence take over, all of them patiently waiting for Neville's return. Minutes passed, and they all smiled when the door was pushed open, revealing Neville with a wide grin on his face. "Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?"

They started seeing people behind Neville, and everyone burst into glee when they noticed who were those people. Yells came from everyone at the sight of Deanna, Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"HARRY!"

"DEANNA!"

"Deanna Dumbledore is back!"

"It's Potter, it's POTTER!"

"Ron!"

"Hermione!"

Jemina and Noah stood at the side with smiles on their faces, feeling glee they couldn't explain. Finally, they were back... They felt the weight lifting off the shoulders, the pain and all were worth its... The fight was now starting for real. They let the others have their moments with the four who seemed so confused, knowing they could have their time with them later.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neville called, and the crowd backed away to give the four a breather.

"Where are we?" asked Deanna, looking around at the place.

"Room of Requirement, of course!" said Neville. "Surpassed itself, hasn't it? This has been our headquarters for the past few months. It turned into the perfect hiding place as we arrived. It was a load smaller, there were only three hammocks. But it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" asked Harry, looking around for the door.

"No." Noah stepped up from where he was standing with a smile on his bruised face, looking directly at Harry whose whole face visibly softened at the sight of him. Noah could only curse in his mind. Damn it. No matter what happened, he still was deeply in love with Harry Potter. "It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open."

"Noah." Harry whispered out, and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He ran through the path made when the people stepped aside and hugged Noah tightly, letting his restless heart be comforted for a little while. Noah teared up and hugged him back just as tight, letting Harry know how much he still loved him... He was glad to know Harry felt the same.

It was about time. Jemina thought before she looked back at Deanna who was staring at Harry and Noah before the older Hufflepuff's eyes suddenly met with hers, and Jemina's eyes were suddenly full of tears at the emotions that she felt. Sadness, pain, joy and damned anger for what Deanna had to go through.

And Deanna didn't waste another moment, walking towards Jemina and pulling her into a hug. "Oh, Jem... I-I'm so sorry."

Jemina let her tears fall and hugged her back. What was she sorry for? It should be fate and the deities who should be sorry for how much they made a kind person like Deanna Dumbledore suffered. "Deanna. You don't have to say sorry, Dee. You did nothing wrong."

Deanna pulled back to look at Jemina's face, her tears falling. Jemina knew it was because of how she looked. The long scar on her face that would probably remain, the bruises all around... But she was proud of these scars. Like she said before, they healed her and they were proof that she was a fighter. "You've suffered so much. You've done so well, all of you."

"You're one to talk." Jemina lowered her voice to a whisper, sending a message through her eyes. She was trying to tell Deanna that she knew. She knew of what was going to happen to her, and she swallowed the lump in her throat before smiling at Deanna, remembering what Ariana and Aberforth told her. Her message was received by Deanna whose eyes widened in shock.

"Hey, Deanna. We'll be there until the end. You know that, right? You are loved by so many people. No matter what happens, we will be there."

Deanna wiped away her tears and shakily smiled at the younger badger. "I know, Jem. Thank you."

Deanna let go of Jemina and cleared her throat, looking around at the place. "So, how did you guys get the place to become like this?"

"It's all down to Neville, Jemina and Noah!" Seamus answered with pride in his voice for their three leaders, making Neville, Jemina and Noah blush. "They really get this room. You've got to ask for exactly what you need โ€“ like, "I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in' โ€“ and it'll do it for you! You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes. Those three are amazing!"

"It's quite straightforward, really," said Neville modestly. "And like I said, Jemina and Aberforth creating the passage really saved us. Of course, Pansy, Theo, Daphne, Blaise and the other Slytherins were big help too. Sometimes, they leave food at the doors and do everything to divert the Carrows' attention from the Room of Requirement. Most of the time though, we get food from Aberforth. For some reason, it's the only thing the room can't give."

"Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," said Ron to general astonishment.

"So we've been hiding out here for nearly two weeks," said Seamus, "and it just makes more hammocks every time we need room, and it even sprouted a pretty good bathroom once girls started turning up โ€“ "

"โ€”and thought they'd quite like to wash, yes," supplied Lavender.

"Tell us what you've been up to, though," said Ernie. "There've been so many rumors, we've been trying to keep up with you on Potterwatch." He pointed at the wireless. "You didn't break into Gringotts?"

"They did!" said Neville. "And the dragon's true too!"

There was a smattering of applause and a few whoops; Jemina grinned and clapped along with them. Ron took a bow.

"What were you after?" asked Seamus eagerly.

As they were about to answer, Jemina noticed Deanna suddenly closing her eyes behind her and Hermione who noticed that as well rushed towards them and held up Deanna whose knees suddenly weakened.

"Deanna? Love?" Hermione whispered in a low voice while tapping the Dumbledore's cheek lightly.

Jemina held Deanna up on the other side and glanced at the older girl in worry. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah." Hermione nodded with a reassuring smile, glancing at Harry and knowing he was probably experiencing the same thing Deanna was now. A few moments later, Deanna's eyes opened once more and found Harry's, the Gryffindor being held up by Noah and Ron.

"Deanna? Are you okay?" Hermione asked her worriedly, gently wiping the sweat on her face with her hand.

"Are you all right, Harry, Deanna?" Neville was saying. "Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't โ€“"

"I'm fine." Deanna held Hermione's hand and stared at her straight in the eyes, trying to tell her something that Jemina couldn't understand. "We need to get going."

Jemina saw the four of them exchanging glances and wondered what was that about before Deanna and Hermione went to Harry and Ron and Noah made his way to Jemina's side. "Do you know what that was about?"

Jemina shook her head before asking. "What are we going to do then? What's the plan?"

"Plan?" repeated Harry. He took in a deep breath before answering. "Well, there's something we โ€“ Deanna, Ron, Hermione, and I โ€“ need to do, and then we'll get out of here."

All of them fell silent. What? Neville asked what they were wondering about for all of them. "What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?"

"We haven't come back to stay," said Harry, rubbing his scar. "There's something important we need to do โ€“ "

"What is it?"

"I โ€“ I can't tell you."

They all started talking at that. How could they say that after everything they there at Hogwarts had done? Neville's brows contracted. Noah frowned, and Jemina had a blank look on her face.

"Why can't you tell us?" Noah asked Harry. "It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?"

"W-Well, yeah โ€“ "

"Then we'll help you."

Jemina, Noah and Neville started nodding with the others. Some even rose from their chairs to demonstrate their willingness for immediate action.

"You don't understand," Harry tried to explain. "We โ€“ we can't tell you. We've got to do it โ€“ alone."

"Why?" asked Neville.

"Pops left us a job that he wanted us to do, the four of us." Deanna took over in explaining.

"We're his army," said Neville in a firm voice. "Dumbledore's Army. We were all in it together, we've been keeping it going while you four have been off on your own โ€“"

"It hasn't exactly been a picnic, mate," said Ron.

"He didn't say it was." Jemina spoke up. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Were they invalidating their efforts and sacrifices? Were they taking this war on their own when they had an entire army behind them? Couldn't they trust them like the members of Dumbledore's Army trusted them? She let determination seep in her voice and eyes, staring directly at the four at the front.

"We knew you were fighting out there so we decided to continue the fight here. Everyone in this room has been fighting, has suffered and has hidden here from the Carrows because we all wanted to bring hope even if everything seemed hopeless. We knew you guys would do the same thing so you can't push us away. We're all loyal to Dumbledore, to you guys so like it or not, we are going to fight with you."

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement with what Jemina said. This wasn't just the fight of Harry or Deanna. This was the fight of everyone there who chose to fight for the greater good. Dangers? They didn't care about those. What they cared about was taking up this fight to the very end. The tunnel door suddenly opened then, revealing Luna, Eleanor and Dean.

"We got your message, Neville! Lightning has struck and fire has raged. Hello you four, I thought you must be here!"

Seamus rushed to Dean and Eleanor hugged Ron tightly while Jemina, Noah and Neville grinned at the sight of their friends who they had not seen in a while.

"El, Luna!" Jemina, Noah and Neville rushed forward to hug the two tightly, happy to see their familiar faces. Once they separated, Luna smiled at the others.

"Hi, everyone!" said Luna happily. "Oh, it's great to be back!"

"Luna," said Hermione, "what are you doing here? How did you โ€“ "

"I sent for her," said Neville, holding up the fake Galleon. "I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up, I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows."

"Of course that's what it means," said Luna brightly. "Isn't it? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?"

"Listen," said Harry with a rising sense of panic, "I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. There's something we've got to do, and then โ€“"

"You're going to leave us in this mess?" demanded Michael Corner.

"No!" said Ron. "What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who โ€“ "

"Then let us help!" said Neville angrily, and Jemina thought rightfully so. "We want to be a part of it!"

There was another noise behind them then, and Jemina... It suddenly became a blur. Suddenly, she didn't know who was beside her, what was being said, what was going on... Her world only contained her and the redhead angel with brown eyes who was smiling directly at her. Jemina grinned in response, reaffirming her feelings for Ginny.

Ginny smiled widely, slowly making her way towards Jemina and hugging her tight. She knew Jemina waited. Jemina had been waiting for her all this time. And Ginny too had been waiting for this moment. This moment that she could finally hold Jemina in her arms again to let her feel the words she couldn't say but always felt.

"Nine months she hasn't seen me and it's like I'm a frankie first-year. I'm her brother." Ron grumbled loudly.

"She's got lots of them, but's she only got one Jemina." Seamus snickered from the side.

"Shut up, Seamus." Ron glared at him. Ginny and Jemina didn't pay any attention to their conversation though. They didn't even pay attention to Cho's arrival and the conversation that took place, too lost in each other after missing each other so much.

"You waited." Ginny whispered in a soft voice, making Jemina nod and sigh in contentment.

"You are always worth the wait." Jemina whispered back to her, making Ginny's grin grow even wider as she finally pulled away and kissed Jemina on the cheek. The Hufflepuff smiled at her before they both turned back to the front where Harry, Deanna, Ron and Hermione seemed to be discussing something.

"What happened?" Ginny asked her as they made their way to where Noah, Luna, Neville and Eleanor were.

"They're being stubborn." Jemina rolled her eyes. "They're saying they didn't come back to take back Hogwarts and they were just doing something to get rid of Nose White."

"They're being stupid if they think that." Ginny agreed with a sigh. "They won't be able to do what they're doing without our help."

"I wish I could've stayed with you. You've really done so well." Eleanor smiled at all of them.

"You're here now, El. You're a Nosebuster now." Noah nudged her playfully, making them laugh while Eleanor was confused.

"A Nose โ€“ what?" Eleanor asked, but when they explained to her what it meant, she burst into laughter. "Oh, count me in. Although we don't have a nose to bust anyways."

They all laughed at Eleanor's joke, having a good laugh for the first time in a while. This was what they missed the most. The moments they spent together without having to think of the possibilities of torture and death.

"Okay." All noise ceased as they all turned to Harry who spoke. "There's something we need to find. Something โ€“ something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?"

Luna answered. "Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it."

"Yeah, but the lost diadem," said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, "is lost, Luna. That's sort of the point."

"When was it lost?" asked Harry.

"Centuries ago, they say," said Cho. "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?"

They all shook their heads.

"Sorry, but what is a diadem?" asked Ron.

"It's a kind of crown," said Terry Boot. "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer."

"Yes, Daddy's Wrackspurt siphons โ€“ "

But Harry cut across Luna. "And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?"

Everybody shook their heads again. That made the four of them look at each other with disappointment. A long lost object. How could they even find that?

Cho spoke again, breaking the silence. "If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like, I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry. Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue."

Harry seemed to whisper something to his three companions before he glanced at Cho and then back at Deanna, Ron and Hermione, his voice a little louder. "Listen, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, you know โ€“ the other one โ€“ safe."

"No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?" Noah said rather fiercely after Cho stood up. The Nosebusters smirked at how the usually shy boy was rightfully speaking up.

"Oooh, yes, I'd like to," said Luna happily, as Cho sat down again, looking disappointed.

"How do we get out?" Harry asked Neville, trying to keep the smile on his face from spreading. Before Neville could answer though, someone entered the Room of Requirement, Andrew Lewis, a first year Gryffindor, panting and looking frantic once his eyes were set on Deanna and Harry.

"Andrew? What happened?" Jemina stood up from where she was sitting and looked at the first year with worry.

"Snape knows... He knows Deanna and Harry were spotted in Hogsmeade. He's summoning everyone to the Great Hall now. I don't think we can get out of this. He's got the other students in the Great Hall already. What if something happens to them?" Andrew reported in a grave tone. Everyone fell silent at that, not knowing what to do. Jemina could only exchange glances with her friends before they all turned to the four at the front, hoping for them to make the decision.

Deanna then turned to Harry with a mischievous smile on her face, her head having thought of something already. "Hey, Harry, don't you think it's time to give Severus Snape the dismissal he deserves?"

And when Harry smiled back and grinned at her, Deanna turned to Dumbledore's army with a smile on her face. "Thank you. For fighting so bravely after everything that's happened. I'm sorry for what we've said a while ago. We trust you all and you have all gone through a lot these past months. With this said, can I trust you guys? Can you help us?"

Cheers and agreements rose around the room at what Deanna said, thankful that they were letting them help and fight once and for all. Jemina grinned widely when her eyes met with Deanna's before smiling at Ginny who squeezed her hand.

"Ready?"

"I've got you so I am."

โ—‘ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ–ฃ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ—

โ—‘ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ–ฃ โ”โ”โ”โ”โ” โ—

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