Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

Coins

The two weeks since the first D.A. meeting went by quickly. They've met three times so far and everyone was making progress. Neville was now able to disarm anyone without concentrating much and most of them could do Reductor Curses and the Impediment Jinx after Harry introduced them. Mikayla thought it was kind of cool, keeping a huge secret like the D.A. Umbridge still had no idea about the D.A. and as such, it made the sneaking around much more fun and interesting. However great the D.A. meetings were, it was difficult to schedule them around three Quidditch teams' practices. After Harry confided in Mikayla one night about the timings of the meetings, Mikayla went to Hermione and they figured out a way to let everyone know what day and time of the meetings were happening.

At the end of their fourth meeting, Hermione called everyone to attention. Mikayla pulled out the bag of fake Galleons and started handing one to each member. Ron looked very excited as she handed him the Galleon, she thought that he thought that she was giving out actual gold. "You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said once Mikayla handed all of the Galleons out. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting." "The coins will grow hot when the date changes." Mikayla informed everyone. "So if you're carrying them in a pocket, you'll be able to feel them. When Harry sets the date of the next meeting, he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because Hermione's put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his." A blank silence followed the end of Mikayla's speech. The two girls exchanged confused glances as everyone looked at them, rather disconcerted. "Well, we thought it was a good idea." Hermione said uncertainly. "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But... well, if you don't want to use them..." "You can do a Protean Charm?" Terry Boot asked her. "Yes." She nodded. "But that's... that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is." He said weakly. "Yeah, I guess." Hermione shrugged modestly. "How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" He demanded, staring at her in wonder. "With brains like yours?" "The Sorting Hat never really considered it, I guess." Mikayla shrugged again, "So," Hermione spoke up changing the subject from her intelligence. "Are we using the Galleons?" There was a murmur of assent as everyone looked down at the Galleons, flipping them over and holding them up to the light.

Once everyone had left, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mikayla started back toward Gryffindor Tower. "You know what the Galleons remind me of?" Harry said randomly as they climbed a set of stairs. "No, what's that?" Hermione said absentmindedly. "The Death Eaters' scars." Harry told them. "Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him." "Yeah..." Mikayla muttered sheepishly. "That's kind of where I got the idea..." "But you'll notice we decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin..." Hermione added in support. "Yeah... I prefer your guys' way." Harry grinned as they entered the corridor that led to the Fat Lady's portrait. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidently spend them." "Fat chance." Ron said solemnly. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

The first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, drew nearer. The D.A. meetings were put on hold because of Quidditch practices; Alicia had Gryffindor participate in almost daily sessions. The work load was outrageous this year, even Hermione couldn't deny that. However, sometimes the professors took pity on them. For example, Professor McGonagall abstained from giving them homework the week leading up to the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, though Mikayla thinks it was more to do with the fact that she wanted Gryffindor to win. "I think you've got enough to be getting on with at the moment," She had said loftily. Nobody could quite believe what she said until she looked directly at Harry, Mikayla and Ron said grimly, "I've become accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my study, and I really don't want to have to hand it over to Professor Snape, so use the extra time to practice, won't you?" Snape, on the other hand, was being a monster as usual. In the days coming up on the match, he would turn a deaf ear to any reports of Slytherin attempts to hex Gryffindor players in the corridors. When Alicia had her eyebrows jinxed so that they were growing so thick and fast that they obscured her vison and obstructed her mouth, Snape insisted that she must have attempted a Hair-Thickening Charm on herself and refused to listen to the fourteen eyewitnesses who insisted that they had seen the Slytherin Keeper, Miles Bletchley, hit her from behind with a jinx while she worked in the library.

The attempts made on trying to distract Mikayla, Ron and Harry were more psychological than physical. Harry and Mikayla were subjected to jeers. As they were walking to Charms one day, Pansy Parkinson, the utter cow, had called out, "Hey, Potty, I heard Warrington's sworn to knock you off your broom on Saturday." Harry's retort was quick. "Warrington's aim's so pathetic I'd be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me." Ron, Hermione, and Mikayla laughed loudly as the ugly smirk was wiped off of Pansy's face. Unfortunately, Ron didn't react like Harry did. As he had never had to endure a relentless campaign of insults, jeers, and intimidation, he wasn't as quick-witted as Harry when he was approached. When seventh-year Slytherins told Ron to book a bed in the hospital wing, Ron turned a sickly-looking green instead of shrugging it off. And when Draco imitated Ron dropping the Quaffle, Ron's ears glowed red and his hands shook so badly that he dropped whatever he was holding at the time. As for Mikayla, she resolved to Slytherin measures, most of the jinxes aimed at Malfoy, she had gotten quite good at wandless magic, leaving no evidence for Snape to try and punish her, in the rare occasion she did use witty comebacks to keep the ferret quiet.

Avery disbanded their weekly meet up in the library because she was afraid Umbridge would consider it a club, instead she just met Mikayla extra early before DA and the pair spoke for a while then. Avery and Brian won all the other members over who were a bit iffy about Slytherins being involved but Avery and Brian helped anyone who needed it, and were just overall nice. Avery even told them that whatever she says when she's around Draco she doesn't mean it, that it's all just so she doesn't become an outcast in her own house.