Hogwarts had gotten worse. I didn't think it was possible, but it was so much worse.
The usual warm, roaring fire the common room was no longer burning, and houses were segregated from each other, with students being escorted to and from each lesson by their head of house. Hogsmeade weekends were now non-existent, and even the courtyards were now out of bounds except for an hour a day. They were trying to keep us caged up like animals.
The worst thing was the Carrows. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted to people with no consequences, something we learnt when Seamus talked back during Defence Against the Dark Arts, earning himself a nasty slash across the cheek from Alecto Carrow.
"We need to get everyone together tonight." Ginny whispered to me during dinner, as she leant over to pass the message on to Neville and the other members of the DA. I nodded, twiddling the Elder Wand, that now came everywhere with me, hidden in the pocket of my robe.
~
"Ok so, Ginny, Neville and I have got you all here tonight because we've decided that we're not sitting back and doing nothing anymore. We're reforming the DA." I stared at the small crowd of confused Gryffindor students (we hadn't managed to find a way to get the members from the other houses involved yet) and felt my whole body shaking as I prepared to tell them my biggest secret.
"What's the point in that? Harry was our leader, who's going to teach us?" Seamus said.
"I will. Besides, I've been keeping a secret from you guys." With shaking hands, I took the wand from out of my robes and watched as everyone's faces turned from confusion to shock.
"H-how do you have that?" Asked Lavender Brown.
"That night, on the tower. I was the one who disarmed Dumbledore, meaning it's allegiance now lies with me. I've had it hidden this whole time but there was.....an incident at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and now Voldemort knows I have it. I think it's high time I started using this baby, after all, it might end up saving our lives."
"Jesus Tori you're the most powerful witch in the world right now! Let me see it!" Seamus sprang forward, examining the wand, his face plastered with a huge grin.
"Shhhhhh! Look guys, you HAVE to keep this secret, I don't need any more people knowing than people who have to know. I'm in enough danger as it is."
"Ok so, we need to get to the Room of Requirement, but there's no way we're all going to get there if we go together. Tori, you have night patrol anyway, but we need a way to get rid of Nott so we can get in safely."
"Leave it with me. I'll distract him so you guys can get in, then I'll figure out a way to join you."
~
"Here we go again" the brunette boy walked towards me as I entered the seventh floor corridor.
"Good Christmas?" I asked.
"Meh. Would have been better if there weren't meetings every 5 minutes."
"You were at the manor?"
"Yep. All damn Christmas. But, finally got myself one of these bad boys." He rolled up his sleeve to show me the fresh mark on his left forearm. Gasping softly, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get the others in safely, as Theo's back was to the entrance of the room. Touching his arm softly as if examining the mark, I used my other hand to wave Ginny and the others into the room, watching as they tiptoed behind Theo and slipped inside.
"Sooooo you got the dark mark for Christmas and I got a handknitted jumper."
"Oh don't worry Greenwood, the vow still exists, you're still stuck with me. I'm actually kind of used to being around you all the time now, you're not all that bad."
"Taking that as a compliment Nott."
"As you should, as close to a compliment as you'll get from me."
"Hey I think I heard someone down the corridor!" I took this as my moment to get inside the room.
Drawing his wand, a sense of excitement spread across Theo's face as he said "you stay here, I'll go teach them to never be out after curfew again." I waited until he was out of sight before I slipped inside the room, where I was greeted with a different sight to what I had seen in it in previous years.
One side of the room had the training dummies I had seen in 5th year, but the other side was set up with mattresses and duvets, with a large portrait at the far end of the room that I hadn't seen before.
"It's turned itself into a sort of training campsite, I think it knows that even the common room isn't safe anymore. I think staying in here is the best idea" Seamus said, as Dean nodded, agreeing.
"If we can get the others from their houses in here then we can all stay in here with McGonagall telling Snape and the Carrows that we're all in our common rooms, she'll cover for us."
"And as long as one person is in here at all times, no one unwanted can get in. But that means someone needs to volunteer to stay in here all the time", Ginny said.
"I'll do it. I'm head girl, it's my job to protect you all."
"So there we go. We'll switch it around occasionally, to stop any suspicions. Other than that, the only thing left to do is get to work."
"Come on Tori, let's see what the wand can do!"
"Don't do anything boring! Do something exciting!"
Smiling at the excited students, I gripped the wand in my hand and aimed at the dummy in the corner.
"CONFRINGO!"
The dummy blasted apart, shattering into ash on the floor as everyone gasped, and then cheered in excitement.
"And I thought I was the one who always blew stuff up!"