SOMETHING WICKED / book one

The Room of Requirement

Hannah pulled away, but his grip was vice-like, leaving angry red marks where his fingers had been.

"You're scaring me," she cried, trying to yank her wrist free, but the headmaster twisted it to the side, and she gave a yelp of pain.

"You aren't scared enough," Snape hissed, tugging her towards the door and blasting it open with his wand.

The patronus had disappeared as suddenly as it had come, the shining white glow now gone and leaving them in the gloom of the office.

"What did that mean? Who is coming?" Hannah desperately writhed under his grip, but he had dragged her halfway down the corridor now, where they were met abruptly by Neville, gasping for air as he careened towards them.

"Three others, Sir," the boy panted, and Snape finally released her, sending Hannah falling forwards, her heart racing.

"That will have to do." Snape muttered, striding past them to a new staircase that had fallen into place. "You know where to go, Longbottom."

Hannah watched Snape leave, her face fixed with an expression of horror and confusion. She turned to Neville, but no sound left her mouth, instead allowing herself to be pulled along the winding hallways, praying she wouldn't stumble in the dark.

————

The room was better lit than the office, at least.

Hannah found herself searching for small mercies, once Neville had pushed her through a rather small door, met with three pairs of worried eyes on her.

"Who's that?" Came a disappointed sounding voice, from a tall boy in the corner.

"Merriweather," Neville answered, promptly collapsing on the nearest armchair, looking positively exhausted. "The new one. Seamus, be nice."

The boy he'd called Seamus shrugged, scuffing his shoe on the cobbled stone floor. Hannah didn't know where to look, so she stared intently at the ground, her heart thundering.

"It's nice to meet you," a softer voice spoke now, and a thin blonde girl emerged from behind Seamus, her eyes wide and unfocused. "We didn't expect Susan to be replaced so soon. I hope you stay longer than she did."

"Luna," Seamus warned, giving the girl a look of contempt, but she hadn't seemed to notice.

"What's going on?" Hannah said weakly, focusing on Luna now, who was regarding her with an absent curiosity.

The blonde girl paused, tilting her head to one side. "It's just an inspection," she said brightly, "it happens sometimes. But we all have to hide, because-"

"Luna!" Seamus repeated, elbowing her.

She gave Hannah a vague smile, before settling next to Neville on a tattered cushion.

"An inspection of Hogwarts?" Hannah glanced up at the rows of empty bookshelves, a blank chalkboard stood in one corner of the room.

Neville gave a heavy sigh from beside her. "We don't really know why," he said softly, ignoring Seamus' glare from across the room. "It happens every few weeks. Death Eaters just checking up on how the school is running, I suppose."

"But why do we have to hide?" Hannah started, desperate for any information she could grasp. "Surely they know we're here?"

Neville lifted a hand, gesturing that he was just as bewildered as her. "None of us know. The current theory is that Snape is failing as headmaster, so maybe he needs more assistants than he's allowed. All I know is that it's my job to round up who I can and bring them here, when they come."

"Thank Merlin for your bravery," a slender, dark haired boy muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You know I'm the only one that can make this room appear, Blaise," Neville said wearily, picking at a small hole in his trousers. "You'd be stuck, otherwise."

"Then I'd fight them," Blaise stood up suddenly, his eyes glowering. "Someone needs to stand up for us."

Seamus chuckled dryly. "Without a wand, Zabini? I know you're a Slytherin, but I thought you'd be smarter than that."

"Can we not argue, please?" Luna said in a small voice, meeting Hannah's bemused gaze. "Hannah looks scared."

She flushed, feeling their stares. "I-" she faltered, wishing the floor would swallow her up. "I'm just confused. I got here yesterday, to find out my life has been spared solely so I can polish Snape's bottles and log his inventory? I don't understand it."

"Be grateful," Seamus snapped, a delicate pink scattering across his cheeks. "We watched our friends die- I'm certain we can muddle through some menial tasks if it means we survive."

"Yes, but-"

Neville slammed his hand on the side of the chair, the sudden noise echoing in the quiet. "We need to pull together," he said firmly, more animated than Hannah had seen him so far. There was an unfamiliar boldness in his tone, and she found it hard to believe that the meek, shy boy that had knocked on her door could be speaking like this. "We need to get a grip on ourselves. All the people we've lost- they wouldn't want us to be bickering like first years. Harry died-"

Luna gave a soft whimper, but Neville continued.

"We are the boys and girls who lived, now. We owe it to them to fight this."

Hannah met his blazing hazel eyes, and for the first time in weeks she felt a spark of hope.

"Hannah, we're going to take back Hogwarts. And you're going to help us."