The tomorrow Adrian had thought of so hopefully as he fell asleep on Thursday evening never happened.
He woke up that morning after the best sleep he had had in a long time. Dorian had already gone, but for once Adrian didn’t worry about it, knowing that by that evening, he might actually have his friend back for good.
He didn’t notice that there was anything wrong immediately. As usual, he ate breakfast with Hector and Duncan and had become so used to not bothering to look for the fourth years in the Great Hall that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until he reached his first class, Muggle Studies, that he realised Gemma was absent. Dorian was looking worried while Rosa seemed as if she might have been crying, but of course with Professor Carrow there it was impossible for Adrian to ask what had happened.
The lesson dragged even more than usual and Adrian wasn’t sure how much more he could take listening to yet another lecture about how stupid Muggles were. No one else seemed to be listening either and when the class finished, Adrian couldn’t actually have told anyone what the topic was. He was too concerned with trying to speak to Dorian and find out what was happening.
The class was dismissed a little later than usual, however, and Adrian had to rush to make his Ancient Runes lesson, while the other Hufflepuffs dispersed to their various OWL choices. He didn’t get to see the other fourth-years again until lunch, when he found Dorian and Rosa having a serious conversation at the far end of the table, a place they had obviously chosen for its distance from any other students. Duncan and Hector weren’t in the Great Hall yet, so Adrian headed straight for the other two.
–Dorian, what’s going on?†Adrian asked when he reached them.
Rosa glared at him. –Don’t suddenly pretend you care,†she snapped. –For all we know, this is something to do with you. You’ve been awfully cosy with the Carrows after all.â€
–Rosa,†Dorian said, putting a hand out to stop her. –It’s not like that. You know Adrian’s been having a hard time with them too. Besides, we talked last night, and things have changed. He’s one of us now.â€
–And we’re just supposed to believe that? Tell me it’s not a little bit too convenient - he tells you he’s had some big change of heart and the next thing we know, Gemma’s missing!â€
–Gemma’s missing?†Adrian asked, raising his voice in shock.
–Shh…keep your voice down!†hissed Dorian, glancing warily at the teachers’ table. –We’re not sure yet. We need somewhere better than this to talk.â€
–The lake,†said Adrian at once, thinking of his conversation with Bethany. –It’s usually quiet down there in the evening, and I don’t think anyone would be able to listen in without us seeing them.â€
–Fine, there’s not enough time now, but meet us down there after dinner.â€
–Why don’t we just skip dinner?â€
–It’ll look too obvious, and we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.â€
–What exactly is going on?†asked Adrian. He was starting to feel like he had walked in to something a lot more sinister than he had realised.
–We just don’t know, and that’s the problem. I’m going to try and find out and then we’ll tell you everything tonight.â€
Adrian nodded.
–Adrian,†said Rosa, her voice calmer than it had been before. –Don’t come if you’re not 100 per cent with us.â€
–I am,†Adrian replied and was immediately surprised at how confident he sounded. Had he really changed his mind that quickly?
The afternoon passed agonisingly slowly. Dorian rushed off as soon as they were dismissed and Adrian saw him entering the Great Hall a little while later from the outside entrance. Professor Sprout arrived a few minutes later and Adrian wondered if Dorian had been at the Greenhouses trying to get information from their Head of House about Gemma’s absence.
He sat with Duncan and Hector again that evening, though the two older boys commented on his earlier absence.
–We saw you talking to Whitbread at lunch,†Hector said idly. –Is everything okay?â€
–Yeah I think so. He overheard me last night when I was talking to you. I think maybe we might be able to make things up again.â€
Duncan grinned. –Sounds good, mate. These things never last forever. Just don’t forget about us once you’ve got your real friends back.â€
Adrian smiled back. –I could never. Though if you decide to bugger off and join a Quidditch team in September I may not have any choice.â€
Duncan’s face suddenly darkened. –Doesn’t look like that’s going to be an option anymore,†he replied.
–What?†Adrian asked, confused. –I thought your parents were coming around?â€
–They were but then they remembered the new law.â€
–What new law?â€
–Last summer, it was made law that every young witch and wizard had to attend Hogwarts. I thought we’d still be allowed to leave after OWLs like in the past, but Mum and Dad looked in to it and we’ve got to stay for the full seven years.â€
Adrian vaguely remembered hearing about the law, though he hadn’t thought too much about it at the time because of course he was always planning to be at Hogwarts anyway.
–I’m sorry,†he said, sympathetically. –But the teams will still be there for you when you’re done with NEWTs.â€
–I just didn’t want to have to spend another two years in this place,†said Duncan with a sigh. –I know there are worse things of course, but I just feel so trapped here. And goodness knows how I’m supposed to pick subjects I’m actually good enough at for NEWTs. I’ll be lucky to scrape a handful of Acceptables in my OWLs.â€
–Surely things aren’t as bad as that?†Adrian asked.
–Yeah, I’m pretty stupid,†Duncan replied, though he was smiling now.
–You’ll figure something out, I’ve been telling you,†Hector cut in. –Stop worrying about it until it happens. You never know, the law might change back before then.â€
The mood had taken a turn for the worse at the table and none of them talked for a while. Adrian instead concentrated on the apple crumble he now had in front of him. He was already feeling anxious to meet Rosa and Dorian but he sensed it was important to try and do things as normally as possible and that meant sitting and eating dessert.
–I’m going to head outside for a walk,†he said when they were all finally finished eating.
–Want some company?†Hector asked.
–I think I’ll be okay,†said Adrian, trying to sound casual.
Hector shrugged. –Okay, have fun.â€
Rosa was sitting a little further down the table with the other fourth-year girls but Dorian was nowhere to be seen and so Adrian headed outside alone.
It was another nice evening, which he was grateful for as he didn’t have his cloak. He walked briskly in the direction of the lake, where he could just about make out a figure sitting on the banks, skimming stones.
–Hey,†he called out, when he was a little closer. –Still okay for me to join?â€
–Of course.†Dorian smiled but it didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes which were lined with worry.
–Have you been able to find anything?â€
–I think so,†he replied cautiously, –but I’d rather wait for Rosa and tell you both together. She shouldn’t be long.â€
–She was in the Great Hall when I left.â€
–Yeah we agreed to come down separately. We’re still not really sure how much the Carrows are watching.â€
Adrian wanted to say he thought they were being a bit over-suspicious but he knew he didn’t really understand what was going on and maybe Dorian had good reasons for being so, so he kept his mouth shut.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Rosa joined them.
–Everything okay?†Dorian asked shortly.
–Yeah, they’d already left when I finished - probably got another a detention to supervise,†she said bitterly. –What have you managed to find out?â€
Dorian sighed deeply. –I think they have her.â€
Rosa gasped. –Oh no. Are you sure?â€
–No, but it makes the most sense. I spoke to Ernie and he said they saw her last night before she went to detention but that she never came back to the common room and he hasn’t been able to get out of anyone exactly what happened last night. So I went to Sprout.â€
–Was that really a good idea?â€
–We have to trust someone and I don’t really think Sprout would be against us. Anyway, she wouldn’t tell me anything outright, but from her hints, I think she knows something and I don’t think it’s good.â€
–Do you think she’s…â€
–I don’t know,†Dorian cut her off before she could finish. –But we shouldn’t think about it.â€
Adrian had only been half following the conversation. It was obvious Dorian needed to tell Rosa what was going on but now he needed to understand the background.
–You’re going to have to catch me up,†he said apologetically. –I’m not sure I understand.â€
–You know Gemma’s been doing her best to cause trouble for the Carrows don’t you? I mean, none of us like them, but she’s really been trying to disrupt them. She got involved with the Dumbledore’s Army group and was part of a lot of their stunts, including the Quidditch game,†he added before Adrian could ask. –She’s had her reasons for it and I’m not going to go in to it because it’s her business but believe me when I say she’s been fighting for what she believes is right.
–Anyway, she’s been getting involved in more and more dangerous stunts with the older students. Last night she had a detention and I don’t know what they were planning but she obviously went too far.â€
–She usually comes back late, so I fall asleep but she always wakes me to tell me she’s back safely.†Rosa took over the story, tears shining in her eyes. –Last night, I fell asleep and then I woke this morning and she wasn’t in her bed. She went to detention and just hasn’t come back. You know what those detentions are like, Adrian. Anything could have happened.â€
–We hoped she might have run away, but if she had the others would know something. She wouldn’t have just taken off without a plan. So all we can think is that either the Carrows have hurt her so badly she couldn’t come back or they have taken her somewhere. I just wish we knew where. We do know her dad has been causing problems too at the Ministry and we’re not sure if Gemma is being punished for that as well.â€
–You don’t think Azkaban?â€
–I honestly don’t know, but it doesn’t look good.â€
Adrian sat back in the grass. –Wow,†he breathed. –I had no idea it was that serious.â€
–Well you wouldn’t would you?â€
–Rosa, not now.â€
–No, Dorian, why shouldn’t I be allowed to challenge him after the way he’s treated us this year?â€
The way I’ve treated you?†Adrian spluttered. –You’re the ones who cut me off, who refused to so much as look at me.â€
–Because you believed they were right. You were so blinded by your precious brother that you ignored everything else that was going on around you, no matter how obvious it was.â€
–Don’t you dare have a go at my brother!â€
–Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?â€
Suddenly Adrian realised that he was on his feet, his wand pointing at Rosa, who held a similar stance opposite him.
Before she could say anything else, he dropped his wand to the ground. –I was wrong okay? I get that now.†He sank back on to the grass, all the adrenalin draining from his body. –Though I had my reasons too. Gemma isn’t the only person who thought she was doing the right thing. I was doing what I believed in too. I didn’t want to hurt any of you. We just believed in different things, but I know now that she was right and I was wrong.
–The Ministry are going after my brother now. They talked for so long about protecting him, about the Squibs being the reason they were taking a stand against the Muggle-borns and yet as soon as he tried to do something different, to not be what they wanted him to be, that all changed. Now I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. I don’t know where he is either.
Rosa had lowered her wand and though she was no longer glaring at him, she hadn’t made any move to sit back down.
–We have to support each other,†Dorian said wearily. –Can’t you see that the only thing this has shown us is we can’t let stuff like this drive us apart. We have to be strong if we’re ever going to beat them. Rosa, Adrian is sorry. He has said he was wrong and he can’t change what’s happened. It’s time to move on. And we should say sorry too, because we could have been there for him more, or at least made more of an effort to understand what was going on.â€
Rosa said nothing.
–Please,†Dorian begged. –I can’t stand this anymore.â€
–Fine,†she muttered at last. Tears were rolling down her cheeks in earnest now. –I just can’t…What if we never see her again?†she whispered.
Neither of them replied.
They sat out there by the lake until it grew dark and eventually Adrian suggested they should make a move.
–What happens now?†he asked as they started walking back up to the castle.
–I don’t really know. I don’t think there’s anything we can do to get her back if the Carrows have her. I suppose we just have to keep going.â€
Adrian didn’t really know what to keep going meant. He had admitted he was wrong but he wasn’t sure he was ready to stand up to them. He was still all too aware of the fact that he didn’t know where Samuel and his father were. If there was any chance that the Ministry had them, any chance at all, then he couldn’t do anything that may risk their safety.
It took him a long time to fall asleep that night. Over the last couple of days there had been so much new information he almost didn’t know where to start processing it all. A lot of the boxes that had held questions before were starting to be filled however, and the more he learnt the less he liked it.
Gemma was a fifteen-year-old child, for Merlin’s sake. What business did they have arresting someone like her? They were just at school! Did they really see her as a big enough threat that she had to go? What would that mean for the rest of them?
He had to decide what would happen next. The one thing this did show him was that they could make a difference. Gemma was just one person and yet she was seen as enough of a problem to get rid of her. Maybe if they could all cause those problems, they wouldn’t be able to get rid of them all, and eventually they could be beaten. Maybe it was time to stand up to the Carrows.
He couldn’t do anything until he knew what had happened to his father and Samuel though. The Easter holidays began in a week and at that point he would know whether they had been successful in leaving the country. If they had, he would come back to school and do his father proud. He somehow knew that this was something that would make his father proud. This was what he been waiting for Adrian to figure out all along. Adrian wondered how much his father knew, how much he had already been involved. Dorian had mentioned Gemma’s mother so obviously this was something that was going on in the real world, not just inside the walls of Hogwarts. Could Adrian’s father have had a part in that?
There was too much to understand right now, and yet for the first time it felt as though all the pieces of the puzzle were finally fitting into place. If he could just make it to the holidays and get home to see his mother, then those final questions might be answered, and Adrian could finally start doing what was right.
Stolen Magic by coolh5000
Chapter Notes: Sorry for such a long absence - I have no explanation other than the fact that I'm useless! However, Kara has once again been a wonderful beta and I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I will try and write the next one a lot quicker!