Mine

[26]

"Severus Snape has been announced as the new headmaster of Hogwarts." My father announced. We were all seated at the dining table, having just finished eating dinner. "I know that you two want to go back, but Hogwarts is not going to be the same this year."

"I know that you don't want us to return, but we need to. What are we supposed to do if we just sit here all school year?" I asked.

"We could try homeschooling you." My father suggested.

"While both of you have fulltime jobs? That's not practical." I responded.

"Gemma, please." My mother sighed. "We want to make sure the two of you are safe."

"And I get that, I really do." I said. "But I can't sit here and just do nothing all year. It'll drive me mad. There is so much going on and so much that I worry about that if I stay here and have nothing to do, I'm going to lose my mind."

"I want to go back too." Grant chipped in.

"What if we come up with some kind of secret code? That way we can still communicate freely even if it has something to do with the Order or what is happening at Hogwarts even if our mail is being checked. No one would know what we're talking about." I suggested. "We can come up with it together and each have a cheat sheet so that we can decipher what our messages mean."

"That's not a bad idea." My mother said thoughtfully, looking to my father.

"Having a secret family code isn't going to keep you guys safe from things that could happen in the moment. It would only allow for you to alert us of it after." My father said, shaking his head.

"Ginny's going back." I said, deciding to throw that fact out there in case it would carry any weight.

"Well, that's a little different." My mother said. "It is well-known that Harry often stays at the Burrow. Anyone could show up there looking for Harry and wreak havoc in the process."

"But you guys are part of the Order too." Grant pointed out. My parents both paused at this, sharing a look.

I nodded quickly, seeing the point my brother was making. "Who's to say that Death eaters may not show up here? A lot of supporters have gone into hiding. Don't you think that maybe you should as well?"

"Don't twist this around." My father said, growing slightly agitated. "You're not going to Hogwarts."

"Ted..." My mum said quietly, a small frown pulling at her lips. Her eyes looked a little distant. My brother's words must be having an effect on her.

"Grant and I are going back to Hogwarts." I said calmly. "We can always come home. But being here is not a whole lot safer than being at the Burrow if you're trying to compare our situation to Ginny's. You two should go to a safe house."

"How about this, your father and I will discuss this in private and we'll let you know when we've made a decision. Okay?" My mother asked before my dad could say anything. My dad just huffed out a frustrated breath while both me and Grant nodded in agreement.

* * *

In the end, our parents let us return to Hogwarts. We had made a list of codewords and phrases so that we could safely communicate in case the mail was being monitored and we needed to update one another. Per my parents' request, Grant and I promised to look out for one another, although we would have done so even without them asking.

It was obvious that things were going to be very different from the moment we stepped into the Great Hall for the first dinner. The ceiling wasn't made up to look like the night sky, and there were no pretty lights illuminating the hall. Instead it felt cold and dreary. Snape stood at the front podium, staring out as all the students filed in and sat down at their tables.