GOLDEN || T. NOTT ✓

twenty-one | false hope

PAZ HAD BEEN avoiding everyone all day, up until she, Blaise and Astoria snuck their way to the Room of Requirement to meet up with the D.A. 

It had been announced this morning that a student had died the night prior.  Paz, though, was infuriated that they had not explained how.  Snape glided over the fact that Riley had been murdered, and Paz was determined to make it well known.

All of Paz's friends had noticed a shift in her personality that day.  It was subtle, though definitely there.  The way she had been avoiding them in the halls, how she hadn't been speaking most of the day.  But, intimidated by the look on her face, none of them had asked.

Out of all the members of the D.A., only Blaise knew that something awful must have happened to Paz last night that caused her to react like that.  Part of him wondered if it had something to die with the student that had passed, though he couldn't be too sure.

Once everyone seemed to have arrived, Paz cleared her throat and stood up from her chair and walked over to Neville and Ginny.

"If you guys don't mind, I have something to say before everyone goes off and does their own things." Paz states.

"Yeah, of course Paz." Neville nods, then getting everyone's attention for Paz.

After making sure everyone's eyes are on her, Paz takes a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"Last night I stayed up nearly all night debating whether to share this information or not, though after the Headmaster blatantly lied to everyone, I decided I have to."

Everyone begins to look around to each other in confusion as Paz continues.

"Riley O'Brian did not randomly die.  As I was on my way back to the Slytherin house, I heard a scream coming from the dungeons.  It wasn't a student, it was McGonagall's scream when she saw what the Carrow's had done to Riley.  They left her in the dungeons for dead.  They murdered a student." Paz finished, the room suddenly erupting in gasps and loud chatter.

"How do you know this for sure?" A third year Hufflepuff speaks up from the back.

"Because I saw her.  And I overheard McGonagall telling off Snape for allowing it to happen.  Hogwarts is worse than ever, and we are all in danger.  Now is the time we have to really step up, really fight back." Paz states, earning several nods.

"It's life or death.  We've got to work harder and longer than we have been, bring hell to the Carrows.  For Riley." Neville states.

"For Riley." Everyone shouts back. 

For the first time in several weeks, everyone in the room was practicing something.  Whether it be basic dueling skills, a highly advanced charm, or Blaise attempting to produce a Patronus, Paz felt overwhelmed with emotion seeing the determination in everyones eyes.

There was no doubt in her mind that they would not back down without a fight.

—————

The first two weeks of March had gone by quickly.  At this point, everyone in Hogwarts knew the truth about what happened to second year Riley O'Brian, and it showed.  D.A. members and non D.A. members alike were loudly fighting back.

From simple things like refusing to attend Muggle Studies or Dark Arts classes to stunning a Carrow and running like hell afterwards, Hogwarts was slowly turning even more chaotic than it normally was. 

In addition to all of this, Neville, Ginny, Paz, Astoria and Blaise had spent one entire night spray painting every wall they could to let Snape and the Carrows know that Dumbledore's Army was alive and well.