Carpe Noctvm (A Barty Crouch Jr Fanfiction)

EIGHTEEN - the disappearance

Over the next few weeks Keira watched in dismay as more and more Gryffindors were beaten up and humiliated by the new deatheaters at Hogwarts, she had secretly treated as many of their wounds as she could without either the deatheaters seeing her with Gryffindors or that that deatheaters would notice their wounds were healed. The Room of Requirement was becoming more of a sanctuary than ever before to those who disliked the deatheaters ways. Keira spent most of her time there between lessons and she hardly saw Draco.

One day Keira was walking alone to the Great Hall when she spotted a small group of students clustered around Neville and Amycus who looked thunderous. "Come on then, Longbottom, try to do better than your poor mummy and daddy." Amycus teased and Keira winced as she saw Neville pull out his wand. Amycus began laughing, but Neville was serious and with a great arm movement, Neville yelled, "Stupify!" Amycus was thrown backward in the air colliding with the stone archway, he crumpled to the floor and all-around there were excited voices and shrieks. Someone yelled at Neville to run and so he did, through the open front doors of the castle and out into the night. He was surely expelled.

Keira hesitated before running after him, she could always say later she wanted to know which way he had gone. She caught up to him and they were both out of breath. "You'll be expelled you know." Keira gasped. Neville grinned at her,

"I know, isn't it brilliant." Keira rolled her eyes.

"Look, I think you should stay in the Room of Requirement and try and figure out a way for us to get in and out of the castle, I think we might need it," Keira said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You're right," Neville breathed, "Through Hogsmeade is the best bet, we may need it sooner than we think." They shared a somber glance.

No one came looking for Neville, they were too busy tending to Amycus so later that night Keira let him in through a window and they both arrived at the Room of Requirement safely. Neville touched Keira's shoulder in thanks and she left to get back to her dormitory before the night guards began to patrol the corridors.

She was not so lucky though and out of the darkness loomed a figure. "Follow me, Keira." Severus' voice said as he glided past her to Dumbledore's gargoyles. "Chocolate Frog," Severus muttered and they were allowed entry into what was now Severus' office.

"I like how you kept Dumbledore's theme going," Keira said quietly, referring to the food items as passwords.

Severus sat down in Dumbledore's chair behind the desk and Keira took in the room, it had paintings of headmasters and mistresses all over the walls and trinkets everywhere. Exactly as I imagined Dumbledore's office.

"Keira, Voldemort will be ready before the end of the year." Keira's attention snapped to Severus and she sat in the opposite chair. "He will attack the school. That is the best way to draw Harry Potter to him, he knows he will return to Hogwarts."

"But the students, they'll die," Keira said, her words shaking.

"No, I have managed to show Voldemort how powerful the young minds will be and he already does not want to spill magical blood." Severus took a breath and clasped his hands together. "But that is not what I wanted to tell you."

There was a pause.

"I wanted to tell you that Voldemort wants the weddings to go ahead before he attacks the school." He announced, his eyes searching hers for a response.

Keira sat quite still, she was not shocked or angered by this notion anymore and it surprised her. I have resigned myself to my fate.

"No response?" Severus questioned. "Do you...Do you like him?" He asked tentatively. Severus is not very good at expressing his feelings.