Chapter 19

One by one the cafeteria was filled with more students. Harry stood up to sit at his usual table, leaving Amber sleeping inches away from a face first encounter with her bowl of oatmeal. He moved the tray out of the way before she lost consciousness from sleep deprivation. For now, that was about as nice as he planned to be.

They made some small talk before she finally snoozed off. To Harry's irritation the main topic had been Draco.

Amber had finally found out why he'd 'dated' her. The Slytherin had figured that if he went out with a popular cheerleader, he could get all the 'nerds' to do his homework, along with other privileges that came with Amber's inner crowd. He hadn't officially dumped her yet.

Amber appeared somewhat happy about that, even if she hadn't shown it, it was written in her eyes. She had genuinely liked Draco. She found all this out in the nurse's office after she'd helped him get there. To Harry's delight, Malfoy caught a 'mudblood' flu.

It was quite harmless, but Pansy Parkinson (Draco's actual girlfriend) showed up and kicked Amber out of the room. The pug-faced snake acted as if Draco being sick was the start of the apocalypse.

Amber had stayed behind and heard Pansy talk about how he should just dump the naive girl already.

A glimmer of hope shone in Amber's eyes when she told Harry that Draco hadn't exactly replied. Though, he was a bit busy puking his guts out.

They stayed in silence as Amber fell asleep .He noticed the peaceful look on her face as she slept. Harry wondered if it would remain that way for long or if another nightmare from the previous night would occur.

With Hermione or Ron it was almost a normal part of their school routine to face life threatening danger, it had been since year one. Amber was only just adjusting.

On top of that, she had no magic to protect herself with. Their powers were what kept the secure enough to sleep at night. He could only imagine the trauma he was putting the privileged life girl through.

With one last glance at the silky locks of jet black hair sprawled across her face, he walked away.

It wasn't until someone from his group of friends (Mike and Darren) arrived that he stopped awkwardly moving his food around his tray.

Needless to say, it was not the good morning welcome he had planned.

"Saw you talking to Amber," Mike said. "No chance, man."

Harry felt his face heat up. "I wasn't—I don't like her!"

Mike twirled his dark blond hair in a sarcastic-girly manor. At times, Mike reminded Harry of a friendlier version of Draco than he did Ron. "Riiiight, so why were you sitting with her...alone?"

"Oooh, Harry likes someone," Linda cooed, coming up from behind him.

The young wizard jumped slightly, having been about two seconds away from punching Mikes face. He decided a lecture about 'playing nice' from Linda wasn't worth the effort.

"Who is she, Harry?" Linda asked.

"He likes Amber Clarck," Darren said casually. He gradually appeared more and more uninterested in conversations these days, spending most of their time together drawing.

" I. Do. Not."

Linda sat next him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

"Have you been sleeping at all? You look like a zombie," She nagged.

"Probably up all night thinking about Amber," Mike mumbled.

Harry kicked him under the table and nodded. "I slept a bit," he lied. "Just been staying up longer than usual is all."

"Hanging out with girls you don't like and lying about midnight travels," Linda said, her tone turning slightly cold. "Does sound like you, Harry."

"How did you—"

"Hermione's dorm is right next to mine," She said. "I heard her leave last night."

Harry wished Ron and Hermione would hurry up; he didn't exactly like this muggle interrogation first thing in the morning.

"We did say we had plans." Harry told them, and attempted to change the subject "How was Ajah's party?"

Linda sighed. "Whatever."

He took the avoided answer as it sucked.

Ron and Hermione appeared just when the silence began to get uncomfortable.

Linda smiled at their arrival, eventually surrendering to their unpredictable nature. Mike and Darren weren't fazed by the argument and simply acted as usual.

Conversation carried on. Harry waited for the right moment to bring up the muggle protection program.

Luckily no one was specifically focused on any of the current topics; the plan was brought in smoothly.

"Have any plans this week?" Harry asked.

The skeptic looks from the muggles were expected.

"We have no plans, honest," Harry reassured them. "All of us can hang out all week. We have tomorrow and Friday off, right?"

The muggles thought about it a bit before answering. Noticing the sincerity in Harry's eyes, they nodded.

"Well, we were planning on camping at a nearby park. It's a tradition we do during the beginning of October," Linda told them.

Darren looked up from his sketch pad, seemingly interested in the topic.

"It's really fun," he said. "There's so much to do, and at the end of the night, we tell ghost stories."

"It's pretty childish," Mike shrugged. "But we've been doing it since first year."

"Sounds great!" Hermione said, unsure of Harry's sudden open schedule. Regardless, she played along.

The rest of the time was spent with the muggles speaking non-stop about their camping trip.

Harry would've been intrigued, or even delighted at the idea had the circumstances been different.

He had one sole reason for going: protecting the muggles.

Neither of the three were safe any longer. Their life had turned into a sign post with the word deathtrap written in all directions. Harry didn't how secure they were in school, but anywhere outside was hazardous.

The W.S.S was just waiting for one of his friends to step outside school grounds.

Cole entered the cafeteria just minutes before the bell rang. Harry snickered when he saw the big purple bruise at the side of his face. Maybe if he hit the floor with just enough force next time, it would knock him back into his senses. On what planet was kidnapping innocent people the right thing to do?

What could the wizards have possibly done to deserve this?

Harry glared at him with burning hatred, not looking away when the witch hunter's eyes met his.

Cole glared back, but quickly broke the staring contest.

Like the night before, there had been guilt in his eyes. He'd appeared so sure of his decision then, could he be backtracking?

If he wasn't so worried about protecting the muggles (also Cole's fault), he would spend more time investigating the strange boy.

Harry had next to zero clues as to what Cole's past with wizards was. One name kept coming back to his memory whenever he tried to figure it out : Agnes.

Cole had mentioned someone by that name last time they spoke. Harry was sure he'd heard that name before that too.

Whoever she was, she may just have all the answers Harry so desperately needed.

According to Ms. Ross, the wizards were making fast improvements on their computer skills.

Not yet at an average muggle level, but they had moved from 'Paint' to 'Power Point'. Yes, quite the accomplishment.

Even during classes Harry made sure to sit next to the muggles. Being in the classroom with the teacher nearby did allow him to let his guard down slightly and act as he usually would, without constantly glancing behind his shoulder.

Throughout most classes, he just let the muggles do most all the talking. The main topic was always without fail; the camping trip.

From what he learned so far, they got the day off school, because of a beginning of Fall a festival was held at the camping site. They wouldn't be the only ones going.

Most all the students go there each year, but more than half return home or to the school when it ends. Since it was the beginning of soccer season, there would be a big match between schools there. Mike had entered, and was urging Ron to do so as well.

He hadn't stopped pestering him to join the soccer team since he first saw him play, but with all that had happened, there hadn't really been much time to think about such luxuries.

Ron looked hesitantly at Harry who nodded in encouragement.

Partial jealousy couldn't be avoided. Mike had (of course) neglected to as if he'd like to participate. At least the mockery from his first soccer match had stopped.

Harry tried to fill his head with happy thoughts, like the fact that Malfoy had the flu.

The first hours of class passed by really fast. Before he knew it, Harry he was opening the door to room 413.

His mind couldn't seem to concentrate on any of his lessons. The muggles were alone, unprotected.

What if Gled or Cole chose to kidnap them now? What should criminals care that they were inside a school building?

'Amber is with them,' He reminded himself.

His nerves hardly eased at that thought.

Divination with Trelawney only made matters worse.

"Hey, Harry?" Ron said, looking up from his crystal ball. He sounded as if he'd just seen a spider.

"What?"

"I saw it again," He mumbled. "The L shaped object I saw near the beginning of this month."

"You mean you actually saw something that time?" Harry said amused.

Ron nodded grimly. "Except, I know what it is now."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Ron made a symbol with his hand Harry was only too familiar with from all those action movies Dudley watched.

"Muggle weapons," Ron eyed Harry grimly. "The ones we saw in 'Wicca'."

Amber appeared to have caught up on some lost sleep during her classes, leaving room for panic to begin settling into her system as they approached the basement.

Once Harry had told her how cramped the D.A meeting usually were, she'd suggested it be held on the underground part of the school. She assured him both A and B team would be able to have enough room in their new location. A total of Sixteen wizards could now attend the meeting.

According to her, no one ever went there because of the area being generally unpleasant. However, there was some lighting, room, and privacy. That was enough for Harry.

After texting everyone the directions, he let Amber show him the way.

Everyone else had already arrived, but Harry had left to check on the muggles as soon as his wizarding classes had ended.

So far he hadn't gotten a very good description of what the school basement looked like other than a single text from Ron:

'Spiders.'

The cheerleader had worse fears than spiders at the moment. With each step she took, Harry could see her breathing increase at the thought of meeting the wizards.

While she may not be as afraid of Harry as she once was, she was still about to encounter nearly ten armed wizards in an underground room where no one could hear her scream. At first she'd been excited for the meeting. Harry had promised her they would tell her a bit more about their world, but now worriment had surpassed the curiosity.

Even with Harry having assured her that the exchange students wouldn't try hexing her, Amber always avoided any contact with them during school hours. Other than her forced alliance with Draco and Harry, she only ever hung around muggles.

Meanwhile, Harry couldn't figure out if he should try to calm her down, or let the fear control her once again.

They reached a part of the school Harry hadn't known existed. The corridors were dark, with only the glowing red exit sign to provide light. They'd taken so many previous turns to get here, Harry wasn't sure he could remember the way back.

"Been in Walker High long?" Harry asked Amber in attempt to both rid them of the awkward silence and calm her down with small talk.

She shook her head "I enrolled here in two years ago. Before that I had private tutors.

"Quite a boring story," She continued. "I'm more interested to hear yours."

Harry shook his head. He was about to tell her to wait till the meeting to learn about wizards, but as if reading his mind, she stopped him.

"Not your weird other world life," She said. "Your life."

"My life?" Harry echoed. "Um, what do you want to know?"

Amber bit her lip thoughtfully deciding what to ask. "What are your parents like?"

"Never met them," Harry replied. "I live with my uncle and aunt."

"Oh. What are they like?"

"They're about as pleasant as horse manure," Harry said.

Amber laughed, but her smile didn't last.

They'd reached the dark, downward staircase that lead to the basement door.

She shot Harry a panicked look.

Before she could turn and run back, Harry grabbed her shoulder.

She tensed.

"Hey," He said. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you. You're with me."

Amber relaxed slightly and grabbed his hand. It was warm, partially from sweat, but he didn't pull away.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Amber said. "It's just because...you know,"

"You're scared," Harry finished, giving her hand a squeeze. "I get it."

Amber nodded.

Harry sighed sarcastically. "Muggles," He said, and led the way.

A single light bulb illuminated the vast stone wall room. Ceiling pipes covered almost every inch above, cracks in them that where never bothered to be repaired had caused several puddles to form on the floor. The temperature was so cold Harry was surprised to see cobwebs. How could any arachnid survive this temperature? Two rows of metal columns were placed on opposite sides of the room, giving Harry a bit more security that this run down place wouldn't come crashing down.

"On the bright side, I haven't seen any rats," Hermione said after seeing Harry's slightly disgusted expression.

The wizards sat in a circle, smiling up at Harry's arrival. Other than the shivering, they didn't seem to be too affected by the room's atmosphere.

Harry smiled at her. "No, it's great."

"Definitely more room to practice, all it needs is a little cleaning up," Lavender agreed.

"I know a couple cleaning spells," Hermione chipped in.

Ron eyed her sarcastically "of course you do."

"Um, Harry...I think you have something on your shirt," Dean laughed, signaling to his back.

Amber had gone from holding his hand to hiding behind him and griping the back of his shirt.

He didn't think she'd get stage fright this soon, given that she was always upfront in all the cheer routines.

Uncertain as to why introducing yourself in front of a bunch of wand readied wizards was so frightening; he grabbed her arm and dragged her forward.

With the force he had to use, an average person would've stumbled. Amber's cheer practices had given her a head start on balance.

The muggle stood there, all the wizards' eyes on her.

Harry had previously informed them she would be attending. They hadn't been in school too long so most of the wizards hadn't known which muggle Amber was. By the way they looked at her Harry could see just how fascinated they were by her.

He doubted any of them had ever met a muggle besides some of their parents that knew their secret. To them she was like the link that connected the two schools. All the questions they wanted to ask her about the modern teen muggle world could be answered without any suspicion.

It wouldn't be like asking a muggle born at Hogwarts. From an early age they'd adapted to the wizarding world, missing out on the growing experiences and changes it had to offer. Amber hadn't.

Even so, it didn't look like she was about to do anything other than stare at that oh-so-interesting spot on the floor.

Harry coughed loudly. "Guys, this is Amber. You know...the one I told you about."

Some wizards nodded, remembering one of their first meetings where harry had explained the reasons why Amber would keep their secret.

A couple of the girls looked somewhat discouraged. They'd probably planned to ask Amber all sorts of things about the newest muggle clothing trends.

Amber's fear of them probably wouldn't allow space for much conversation.

"I'm guessing she's seen 'Wicca'?" Seamus smirked in attempt to lighten the tension. "She must know about that human sacrifice ritual before we start?"

Amber looked up, startled.

The room began to break out in laughter until Harry glared at them.

"It's okay," Hermione assured Amber, patting at the floor next to her.

Amber took the signal and sat down, a bit less tense.

She'd never spoken to Hermione much, but had spent enough time with her to feel a bit more at ease seated next to the witch.

The meeting finally began.

Harry summed up the basic information he'd learned so far; Gled, the witch hunter's soon to be attack and the kidnap plot. He left out Agnes and the man Amber had seen last night, not feeling those unsolved topics to be of much relevance.

The young teen could feel the dread in the room build up as he spoke of the devious plot. He'd felt this feeling before several time; death.

During his first year Harry felt it when he'd told Ron and Hermione about the philosopher's stone. And again in his fourth year when the Triwizard champions were announced.

The room was filled with the growing darkness, like a ghastly storm waiting to occur.

"How do they know so much about us?" Justin asked.

"We have a couple theories," Hermione answered. "The main one is that they have some squib allies."

The doubtful expression on Hermione's face didn't convince Justin that was the case. "What about the other theories?"

"There's many. The worse one would be more kidnappings. I doubt this plan is their first time; they've probably held several wizards hostage and pried them for information.

"How much they know is still a mystery." Harry continued. "Their lab is the answer to that."

"Great, great. How do you suppose we get in? Have any clue where it is?"

Harry mulled his question over, his footsteps echoing as he paced in the cold room.

Even if he could find the lab, there was no knowing what was in there. For all they knew, it was a sure death trap, a dead giveaway. Plus, they needed all the free time they could get to be used up on training for the soon to be attack.

"I'll go," Amber said. It was the first time she'd said anything since the meeting began.

"What?"

"The lab," she said. "I'll find it, get in, and bring back reports." Her voice was no longer the one of the scared high school girl it that it had been in the hallway. If anything, it boomed with determination.

"Are you mad?" It's way too dangerous!"

"So?" She argued. "I'm just the dispensable muggle. The information in the lab could just save your ass. You need to train before the attack."

"She's got a point there, mate," Ron said.

"There's no way she's going," Harry glared at Ron.

"Agreed," Lavender said. "You'll get yourself killed. Maybe one of use coul—"

Lavender stopped herself. The angry look on Amber's face made her realize what it sounded like she insinuating.

Amber crossed her arms and swished her hair in Lavender's direction. "Oh I get it; a weak muggle like me couldn't handle such a complex task.