Sweets

CHAPTER 7

"Make it quick. I still want to get some work done." I said quickly before Malfoy could open his mouth.

"Wow, you really think high of yourself don't you?" Malfoy said in his usual drawl.

"No. It's just that I'm good at thinking logically and the fact that you send the others ahead while staying behind when noone else is around just points to you wanting to talk to me in private. Basic stuff really." I explained a bit annoyed.

"You really think you are that smart, don't you? What if I just wanted to be alone because they were lowering the intelligence of everything here just by breathing?" He smirked malevolently.

"Well, if that is the case, would you kindly let me through to the library? Thanks." I asked with a fake politeness prominent in my voice and brushed past him.

"Wait!" He called after me. I turned around and raised my eyebrow. "Uh... Oh heck just get out of my sight will you?" He spat in the end and I gladly slipped from his presence into - finally - the library.

#

I walked to my usual space in the back only to find it already occupied by none other than Ryuzaki. Not wanting to find another table I settled myself opposite of him.

"So you finally decided to turn up." His calm voice reached my ears and I stopped midway from getting my books to look at him.

"I don't remember setting up a meeting with you." I shot back while getting out quill and rolls of parchment.

"Oh we didn't? I forgot to get back to you then." He continued, not noticing that I was annoyed. "Well anyway. Now that you are here, I have some things that you should know of."

"Alright, I'll hear you out." I sighed. Ryuzaki was going to talk anyway.

"Let's get started then. You might want to take notes." He began.

"No, I think I'm fine. I'm not listening so I can remember stuff, I'm listening so you don't talk to me anymore." I said, eyes on a book about Ancient Runes in front of me. I had to translate a bunch for homework.

"Very well. Firstly, Watari has found out about some information about B. I want you to see if they are correct." Ryuzaki thrust a stack of papers my way.

"Why would there be false information?" I asked while taking the files reluctantly.

"To cover up his disappearance of course. Just as they did when you ran away." He replied.

"Wait so these are from that place? And you're telling me they did a cover story for me?" I questioned further, long gone emotions suddenly surfacing again. I didn't understand myself, how could a few words stir up emotions when they had been beaten out of me many years ago?

"Yes, these papers are from Wammy's and yes they covered for you." Came Ryzuaki's response.

"They covered for me? Covered? How can you say that!" Angered, I threw the papers down.

"Would you please just look through the files? We're getting off track here." How can he be so oblivious? Calming down a bit, I gathered up the papers again and began to skim through them. After a good ten minutes I had finally crossed out every wrong fact that I knew the right one to and scribbled my info down. Giving Ryuzaki the files I turned back to my homework, but apparently he wasn't done yet.

"Ok. Hmm... That is interesting. Alright next, have you decided yet?" He asked. "Are you coming with me when B decides to reveal himself?"

"No." I said promptly. "I don't want to go with you."

"I will wait a little longer then. There is still time after all." He said and headed towards the exit.

"I am not going to change my mind!" I called after him. But I don't think he heard me and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He always had to have things go his way. I turned back to my homework and this time, there were no interruptions.

#

Later that day, when I was walking back to the Ravenclaw Tower to drop off my stuff, something really peculiar happened. A symbol of some sort was glowing brightly on a brick on the wall in front of me. But before I could get a closer look, it had vanished again. Shaking my head - it had surely just been a figment of my imagination - I continued walking. Upon entering the common room I saw that Kristie was still sitting where I had left her, the only difference being that she was now asleep. I chuckled and went to wake her up.

We went down to have dinner and turned in right after. That night I dreamt about the strange symbol on the wall. But as I hadn't seen it clearly I couldn't make out what it was in the dream. The harder I tried, the blurrier the symbol was seeming to get and in the end, it was just a blue dot in the distance.

#

It took only four days for the next meeting of our defence group, as Kristie called it, to schedule a second meeting. We were told to go to the seventh floor and walk by a blank wall a few times while thinking about what place we needed. Just as we walked by the third time, a door started to form.

"Sweet!" Said a voice behind Kristie and I and we whirled around. Standing there with stupid grins on their faces were Fred and George. "How'd you do that?" asked George - I think.

"Just following the instructions." Kristie deadpanned. "Didn't think it'd work though..." She added in a mumble so only I could hear.

"Let's get in there already." I said and opened the door. Student organisations were banned now and I didn't want to be seen doing something 'illegal', I didn't want to get caught by Umbridge.

When I stepped into the room I was rendered speechless. Everything we'd ever need was there. Books, figurines, Dark Detectors, cushions currently occupied by the other members of the group and most of all, space. The room was big enough to fit another group like us in here and there'd still be enough space to move around freely. I settled myself on a cushion next to a Gryffindor boy. Harry explained that this was the Room of Requirement. It was always equipped with what one needed the most so at the moment all the defence stuff was here. Then Hermione, after already suggesting we needed a leader and everyone agreeing on having Harry for that, brought up the subject of having a name.

"I also think we ought to have a name."She said happily. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

Ther were a few suggestions like 'the Anti-Umbridge League' or 'the Ministry are Morons Group' - that was one of the twins. But it was Cho's idea that lead to something useful.

"The Defence Association?" She asked. "The DA for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah the DA's good." Ginny intervened. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

After deciding on the name, we proceeded to practising 'Expelliarmus' first. And after a good hour of pointing and shouting with occasional pointers from Harry, I felt like I could preform the spell loads better than I have before.

"Well that was pretty good." Harry said. "But we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" Said Dean Thomas and many agreed with him. In the end we decided to meet up again on the next wednesday.

Having said that, we all left the Room of Requirement in threes and fours, careful not to get caught.