Before the Dawn | George Weasley

34

A couple nights later, I snuck out of bed once more, creeping down the hallways nervously. Being in Slytherin wouldn't be enough to save me if Umbridge or one of her goons caught me out of bed after-hours.

Umbridge had established an Inquisitorial Squad, a group of students who monitored their peers for any of the activities that Umbridge had deemed unacceptable since she came to Hogwarts. It seemed like every day there was something else banned from campus, the rules becoming stricter and stricter until there wasn't much we could do. 

Not to mention holding a position of power made Draco, who had joined the Squad right away, even less bearable.

I ducked behind a wall as a Hufflepuff prefect walked by, waiting until their footsteps had faded to continue on towards the spot where I'd agreed to meet George.

Finally, I caught sight of his bright hair, and I jogged over to join him where he hid behind a pillar. He gave me a quick kiss of hello, then wordlessly took my hand and led me down the corridor to an empty wall. Ron joined us as we went, appearing from the hallway that led to the stairwell, but avoided eye contact.

The wall changed, then, revealing a tall door. George grinned at my expression of awe and pushed the door open for me, and I entered the Room of Requirement for the very first time.

There was already a group of students congregating inside, from every house but my own. They turned and stared as I walked in, and suddenly I wondered if coming had been a mistake.

"Everyone, if you don't know her already, this is Mackie," said George once the door had closed behind us, slinging his arm around my shoulders. "She's going to be joining us."

"I thought you two hated each other," someone called from the back of the crowd.

"Nah," George said, and turned to press a sloppy kiss to my cheek. I pushed him away with a small laugh of surprise, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

"It's a bit of a long story," I admitted to the curious crowd.

"How do we know she won't give us away?" asked a Ravenclaw student. "She is a Slytherin, after all."

"Slytherin's best and brightest, you mean." George's voice held an edge. "And we can trust her."

The door opened behind us, and Harry walked in. 

His green gaze lingered on me a moment, then he gave a small smile. "I'd been wondering when you'd be joining us."

"Sorry I threatened you." I wrinkled my nose. "It felt weird yelling at you."

"Not as weird as it felt hearing it," Harry laughed. "Alright, shall we get started?"

The students nodded, and my first Dumbledore's Army meeting began.

We started off learning about Patronus charms, something I had initially read about in my fifth year, when the dementors paid Hogwarts a rather lengthy visit. I had only practised it a few times, but had started to get the hang of it.  

It required the use of a happy memory, something strong enough to repel a creature whose sole purpose was to sap you of all happiness.  When I'd tried it before, I'd used either the memory of meeting Jamie on the Hogwarts Express our first year or making the Quidditch team in my second year.  But now, years later, I had a few more to choose from.

"Nice work, Mackie," said Harry as he passed me by. "But try flipping your grip. I think you'll find it works better that way."

I rotated my hand curiously, and my simple shield Patronus condensed into the shape of a fox, bounding about the room on dainty paws as I watched in awe. It stopped, then, sniffing around a bit, and looked up as a silvery bird fluttered around its head.