𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter sixty-two

62 | Fred and George's fireworks

Marley Macmillan was always excited about D.A.'s meetings in the Room of Requirement. Now the whole group was practicing how to summon Patronus because everyone had expressed a desire to learn it. Today was also the first meeting of Seamus Finnigan. Harry had shown them the charm and now they had to practice alone and try to summon their Patronuses.

Marley had managed to do the charm, and a silver glittering Ibizan hound was running around her. There was a silver stream around Cho Chang that formed a swan, and Hermione's Patronus was a small otter. Fred and George had also summoned their Patronuses, and now two silver magpies were flying around.

"I think the hound is really appropriate for you." said George with a smirk.

"Why do you think so?" asked Marley, enjoying how happy her Patronus was running around her. "Because I look sweet outside but inside I can fucking kill you?"

"You're reading my mind." George grinned and Marley stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Damn it, she was still too short or he was just extremely tall.

Harry was going around the students and greeting them for the successful Patronus charm, when Marley heard a noise. For a moment her heart jumped, but the next moment she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Dobby the house-elf. But his frightened expression also didn't bode well. Dobby stopped at Harry, and a few girls shouted.

"Hi Dobby!" said Harry. "What are you-- What's wrong?"

The elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the DA closest to Harry had fallen silent; everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Harry Potter, sir..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir...Dobby has come to warn you...but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."

He ran head-first at the wall. Harry, who had some experience of Dobby s habits of self-punishment, made to seize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone, cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of the other girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter...she... she..."

"Who's "she", Dobby? Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified. Needless to say, Marley knew perfectly well what Dobby was talking about.

"She revealed us! Harry, damn it, she revealed us!" Marley yelled and Harry looked at his older sister with fear in his eyes. If Umbridge catches them in the Room of Requirement, that was the end of everything.

Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head on Harry's knees. Harry held him at arm's length.

"What about her? Dobby--she hasn't found out about this--about us--about the DA? Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.

Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor.

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Marley swore under her nose angrily. Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"

They all pelted towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through. The group was printing along the corridors and Marley hoped they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine; if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer--