Out of the Shadows [Book Three]

Chapter Sixteen:

[[A/N: i have officially written the last chapter of this story.  There are 6 more parts after this one!]]

Chapter Sixteen:

It was time for Easter holidays; Ginny was leaving, Neville was staying and I had decided to stay as well.

A lot had gone on in the several weeks since the saving of Nicholas Davies. For instance, Neville and Ginny had attempted to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office (they wouldn't let me take part in that, for obvious reasons) but had gotten caught. But what was astounding about that was that Snape only gave them a detention with Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures professor and Hogwarts gamekeeper. No torture, just a simple detention in the Forbidden Forest with a giant but loving man.

But after that, Hagrid had apparently thrown a 'Support Harry Potter' party, gotten caught and had to go on the run so he wouldn't be sent to Azkaban or put to death. That news had been put all over Potterwatch and Lee, Fred, Remus and Royal all urged the listeners to not openly support Harry Potter, simply to be ready to support him when the time came.

Apparently many muggleborns had also been released from prison as they were being transported and someone had reported that they saw Harry there, it was assumed it was because of him that they were free.

A few more Death Eaters had been taken from Azkaban, including Travers who had been there ever since the fight at the Ministry of Magic when we were attempting to save Sirius Black and Stan Shunpike, who I knew to be under the Imperius curse (and apparently everyone else knew as well). There was a list of known Death Eaters and sympathizers to help us stear clear of anyone associated with the Dark Lord and unfortunately that list contained too many children and young adults whose names I recognized as having been students here since my first year.

When we spoke about why we were learning all of these spells and curses, we always said 'if this turns into a war' but I think what we hadn't realized yet was that this was war. We were the children striving to fight for our parents and our friends lives, we were in the midst of a battle every moment of every day and nobody had even realized it yet. Perhaps they would wait until one of the DA members turned up dead before realizing it for themselves.

I hoped it wouldn't take that long for people to figure that out.

"Are you coming back home with me during the holidays? You should, I know Remus would let you stay with him. You shouldn't stay here, Amy. I'm serious. Neville and I can finish working on the DA, but you're number two on their kill list."

"So you've said, and Mc-McGonagall said as well, and Neville and Po-Po-Potterw-watch. But I won't cower away in fear. I'm not sc-scared."

Sighing in defeat, Ginny turned to look to Neville as if to say 'well, aren't you going to help?', but he shook his head before shrugging his shoulders.

"It doesn't matter what we tell her, she won't leave Ginny. Might as well get it through your head." I nodded, completely agreeing with the Gryffindor boy. McGonagall had already pulled me aside several times to urge me to go to the Room of Requirement and she would bring me food, just to keep me hidden from the Carrow's but I had only smiled at her, confident in what I was doing. I'd suffered countless detentions already and if those would not deter me then practically nothing would.

"Well do you at least want to leave for a few days during Easter holidays? Practically everyone is, even many of the Slytherin are being called home by their parents."

"No, I'm going to stay here with Neville I think."

"You two will be the only Gryffindor's staying, that's for sure,"Ginny remarked, the way she voiced it was enough to cause my cheeks to get warm, she sounded a bit accusatory like she thought we were both staying simply so that we could have the alone time which wasn't necessarily the case.

If I stayed at Hogwarts, I could keep designing and practicing my spells however if I left I could only design them. I had been practicing as it was using my ring to channel my magic just as Morganna had used it but honestly I wasn't getting far with it, I wasn't able to use it often at all and still had to rely on my usual one most days. I felt like the ring itself was rather tempermental, some days it would work without fail but others I could barely get a spark off of it; I attributed that to the fact that it was old. If the card read true and it was Morganna's ring than it was well over a thousand years old despite how well it was taken care of, that was a good excuse for it to work only every once in a while.

"Fine, you two stay but you have to walk me to the train, at least," Ginny reasoned, her red hair pinstraight and her eyes bright with the excitement of seeing her family again.

"All right. Tell everyone I said hello, okay?"

*

It wasn't but three days later when we heard the news on Potterwatch. Harry Potter had been captured but had managed to escape and in his company was found Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Lee Jordan gave the sound advice that all Weasley's should immediately move into a secure location without preamble.

Neville and I stared at each other in the Gryffindor common room as we realized that Ginny wouldn't be coming back after Easter and honestly I would miss my best friend but I would also miss the person who helped me during nearly all of my classes. With Collin gone and now Ginny, I had nobody in my year that I knew; not to mention with both Luna and Ginny gone, it would be just Neville and I with Dumbledore's Army.

I could see the bruises along his cheek and a large gash across his cheek, all of the injuries what he had managed to get from Alecto Carrow late last night. They were wise to the fact that he and I were large parts of the rebellion in Hogwarts, they knew about Ginny as well but I think they weren't as intimidated by her as they were us.

"On another note, River has heard the rumor that Augusta Longbottom was called in to the Ministry of Magic to face questioning about he grandson, Neville Longbottom. She is considered on the run and number eight on the list of Undesirables. Harry and Amy Potter still hold the first and second place, now followed by Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger."

A hand gripped mine tightly, painfully, but I did not pull away after seeing the terror posted on Neville's face. "If they're questioning my gran, then they don't just think I'm a small part in the rebellion anymore, Amy. They've sent her on the run, it means they're considering me dangerous or at least a threat to their plans."

I nodded, agreeing with him. That would be true, there would have been no reason for such drastic measures if they didn't at least assume that Neville was playing a larger part in the grand scheme of things than they originally thought.

"Last night, I heard them talking during my 'detention', they were going on about how 'he wasn't needed, he could be killed'. I never thought they were talking about me but it's possible, even probable that they were, right?"

My heart seemed to shudder in my chest, fear for his safely seeming to fill me to the brim. If there was even a chance that he could be killed then I knew exactly what had to be done and I think he agreed with me.

The Room of Requirement wasn't just used for D.A meetings anymore, ever since Nick had to be saved, we'd been using it as a place to hide away students who were being targeted by the Carrows. It pained me to say it, because it meant I would lose all three of my friends, but Neville would have to stay there now too, so that the Carrow's couldn't possibly find him, hurt him or kill him.

"I'll help you move your things to the Room, Nev. It's the best option for you so don't argue either."

Nodding, Neville squeezed my hand a bit harder before relaxing his hold; but he didn't let go.