—————A—————

"Look at this! It's like a triple date." Ron grinned, looking first at Draco and Harry, then around Lavender to her and Neville.

It wasn't something Aurora wanted, but when the Hogsmeade weekend was announced, Ron had become so adamant that they all hang out together that Neville soon caught the excitement. As had Harry, though Draco seemed to share her desire for privacy and time alone with their partner.

Neville held her hand, smiling proudly, as Ron went on about how great it was to have friends to hang out with who were also couples.

"You realize that literally none of us were together last time," Aurora pointed out when he was becoming too much. "So, it wasn't like there was a lack in couples to hang around with. Not to mention that this technically ostracizes two of our friends. One because her boyfriend isn't here, and the other because she doesn't have a boyfriend at all."

"Gin and Luna have each other," Ron retorted.

"It's not really the point, Weasel." Draco scowled.

"Malfoy," Harry sighed.

"Won-Won would never be mean to his friends," Lavender said in a cooing voice that made Aurora's skin crawl and her lip curl.

Won-Won. Yuck.

Harry smirked. "Dra-Dra was just making a point, weren't you?" he teased.

"Say that again and you'll find that precious broom of yours missing," Draco warned.

"What are you trying to say, Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"That maybe you shouldn't have put so much emphasis on this being a 'couples' thing. This may come as a surprise to you, Weasel, as it seems you and Brown can't exist without your tongue in each other's mouths, but we've been doing just fine hanging out with each other while there are couples amongst us."

That was certainly true.

She didn't have any intentions of making her and Neville a big deal, but the following day at breakfast, when she arrived with Ginny and Luna, the sixth-year boys began to hoot and applaud, causing a few of the fifth and seventh years to join them despite not knowing why. Neville had turned red, half hiding his face, but he was smiling.

"Heard about your greenhouse venture, Snape," Seamus teased when she sat down beside her new boyfriend.

"You make it sound illicit," she accused.

"I swear, I told them we only kissed," Neville rushed to reassure, a touch of panic in his voice.

"Yeah, only brought him to a higher plain of existence." Dean smirked.

"Only awakened his soul and made his heart sing," Seamus added.

"Only thought he could face a thousand boggarts if his reward was your lips," Ron added, though Ginny smacked him across the head for it.

It was awkward that morning, but thankfully by noon, things had normalized. And while she and Neville didn't snog at every opportunity like Ron and Lavender, he wasn't precisely shy about it.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just enjoy it. 'Specially you, Neville. What luck, eh? Snape backing out of chaperoning at the last moment?" Ron said, clapping his friend on the arm.

"Still have Her—, er, Professor H. hanging around."

Aurora snorted. "She's with my aunt. They aren't going to be doing much chaperoning."

"Either way, lucky us, right?"

—————S—————

"Repeat after me: Ludere Mortuis."

"Ludere Mortuis," Theo Nott repeated, pointing his wand at the rats in the cage. The boy jumped back when the green jet struck the rat, and he looked at the tip of his wand in horror before glaring at Severus.

"Calm yourself, you didn't kill it," he sneered. "Iterum Vivere." The rat sprung back to life.

Nott frowned. "I don't understand. Did I kill it and you saved it?"

"No," Severus said. "Merely made it seem dead with Ludere Mortuis. I've been playing with the spell for a couple months now, though the idea has always been in the back of my mind. It means 'play dead.'"

"You have got to be joking," Nott deadpanned.

"I could turn the spell on you and you can find out," he asked, and when the boy didn't respond, he continued. "It will put the victim in stasis. To everyone, it'll look like their heart and breathing has stopped. However, you only have so long before the spell is irreversible. And even any length of time risks damage to the person it's cast on. It looks like an Avada when cast. Therefore, you are going to practice this spell on these rats until you can cast it wordlessly. And once you can do that without fail, you will teach yourself how to say a slurred version of an Avada, while still casting this spell."

"Why are you teaching me this?" Nott asked. "Why not just let me cast an Unforgivable?"

"Because it will damage your soul."

"So? Does it make a difference with this thing on my skin?" he demanded, pushing up his sleeve and shoving his arm in Severus' face.

"Yes," Severus hissed. "It makes a difference because this burden should never have fallen to you. Your mother left your father, same as Draco's, and raised you without him. Had she not passed away, your father's parental rights would never have been reinstated. If Cecelia Zabini had been a decent witch, she'd have claimed you as her own the moment your father wound up back in Azkaban.

"It makes a difference, Mr. Nott, because dark times lie ahead, but I assure you that they do not last forever. And every cast of an Unforgivable fractures your soul, which awakens a part of you that slowly turns you mad. It twists your features and bares what's within, showing the world precisely what sort of wizard you are."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Watch your words, Mr. Nott."

"Fine. So, if every Unforgivable twists your soul and the like, how do Aurors not become snake-faced? Or insane?"

"Intent. An Avada may be cast to end a life of someone that would have died regardless. Or it could be used to save a life. A Cruciatus could, potentially, be cast to hinder an assailant in a non-lethal manner, slow them down so someone can escape. Aurors used the Imperius to send people undercover to gather information, but that hasn't been done since before Grindelwald's time."

Nott nodded, seeming to think this over. "So, practice this spell you've made until I can make everyone believe that I can cast the Killing Curse, and then what?"

"Then, you and I will think about where we will do this."

"And the Headmaster?"

Severus sneered instead of sighing like he wanted. "Leave him to me."

—————A—————

The notes weren't delivered by owls but popped into existence beside every fourth through seventh-year student. There was a hum of confusion, glances toward the head table where the Headmaster was missing, but all the other professors were there and none of them looked as though anything was out of the ordinary.

The five Gryffindors looked at one another, then all reached for the folded parchment.

All second period classes are canceled for fourth through seventh years. Students are asked to report to the Great Hall instead .

"Got right excited for a moment," Ron said, sounding quite downtrodden.

"I wonder what's going on?" Harry said, turning around and glancing at the Slytherin table. Aurora looked over to see Draco frowning at his note.

"I suppose we'll find out during second period," Aurora said.

"Do you think it has anything to do with Dumbledore missing?" Harry wondered.

"I think it might," Luna said, sliding in between Harry and Ginny. "But maybe not in the way you think."

"Why'd ya gotta be so cryptic so early in the morning?" Ron grumbled.

"Why must you speak with food in your mouth," Aurora sighed, returning to her toast and eggs.

"She has a point," Neville said.

"Oi, whose side you on?" Ron scowled.

"No one's on yours," Ginny scolded. "It's disgusting."

"She's right, Won-Won," Lavender said. "You're much more handsome when you have manners."

Aurora glanced up from her food in time to see the unthinkable: Ronald Weasley closed his mouth to chew.

—————A—————

Once second period rolled around, it felt as though the entirety of Hogwarts had flocked to the Great Hall. The fact that no one knew why they were there made things seem that much more exciting. That there were professors monitoring the flow of students instead of waiting inside added to that.

"I don't think there's been an assembly quite like this since Sirius tried to get into Gryffindor Tower," Ginny noted, clinging to Aurora's arm while Luna held her hand. They'd had Charms and Herbology, respectively, that morning and met up with Luna as she was coming from the greenhouses so that they could stick together.

"It is quite the feat, isn't it?" Luna commented. "It's nice that all the professors went along, too. It's a show of unity for the students."

"And you really have no idea what's going on?" Ginny asked Aurora, who shook her head.

"I didn't hear about it. Though, you know, now that you mention it, Mum did have people around for a conversation on my birthday. Think it was for this?"

The enquiry was never answered as they made their way into the Great Hall and were temporarily stunned like everyone else was.

The tables were gone, and in their place were trees, grass, dirt, and rocks. There was also a barrier that prevented them from going anywhere except up a small set of stairs for seating.

"There're the boys," Ginny noted, and Aurora let her lead the way. They made their way along the bottom row, and eventually Aurora spotted Neville waving eagerly.

"We had Transfiguration," he said as they came closer. "Professor McGonagall dismissed us a bit early."

"Oh," Aurora said, noticing that from above, the trees and rocks she'd seen were completely transparent. And in the center, Aurora spotted her mother, watching the crowd and waiting for everyone to settle.

"Is she making an announcement?" Ron asked, brow furrowing. "Like, you know...?"

"She can't do that," Aurora replied.

"It would risk everything if she did," Harry added, looking around them to Ron. "She can't. Because—"

"Yeah, I get it," Ron grumbled.

They waited until everyone was settled, and then the doors closed with a somewhat ominous thud. You could hear a quill drop, it was so silent and still. Aurora could have sworn she saw her mother grin.

"Good morning," Professor H. greeted the room at large.

There was a synchronized response of "Good morning, Professor."

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you out of class. What would be so important that all your professors would agree to this and let their own subjects fall to the wayside, even for an hour?" She paused, looking around the room once more, turning in a full circle. "It's a shame, really, because it would appear that not everyone believed they should be here for it.

"How many of you have seen a duel? A proper one, not what Professors Snape and Lockhart attempted a few years ago."

There was a titter of laughter, nervous and honest, as a few people raised their hands, Harry, Draco, Ron, and Ginny included. Aurora slowly joined in, remembering the Ministry, though she wasn't sure that's what it could be called.

"How many of you have seen battle?"

The seven of them immediately raised their hands, as well as a smattering of other students, possibly those in Diagon Alley when Ollivander was taken.

"Today, your Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson is something... different. We'll set aside the 'Dark Arts' part for a while, because as we've talked about countless times, anyone can cast a spell and make it Dark with intention alone. Today, we will focus solely on defense.

"You may have noticed when you came through the doors that there is a simulation of a forest, yet when you went to find your seats, everything appeared less substantial. There will be a shield placed above our makeshift arena so that no stray spell can escape, keeping you all safe.

"Anyone you see enter this area has agreed to be here. A similar charm will be cast on all of us, you'll be able to see who is down here, but all we'll see on the ground are cloaked figures in either purple or brown. You'll see a glow around us. The stronger the glow, the less we've been hit.

"Observe. Watch what we do, when we do it, how, and to whom. I will be the first to reluctantly admit you cannot learn everything from a textbook."

She turned away, and everyone looked up as the enchanted sky in the Great Hall suddenly became dark, as though a great storm had rolled in.

Aurora looked down, watching her mother as she weaved around trees and rocks.

"There," Harry said, and Aurora looked over to see someone entering from the main entrance. She knew that stride, but kept quiet about it, waiting and watching with the rest of them.

She wondered if her father had chosen to wear his Death Eater's cloak on purpose, and if any of the others had recognized it as quickly as she had. A glance at Draco said yes.

Her mother had just stepped out from behind a tree when her father shot a hex at her, making her mother duck. Aurora covered her mouth to smother a gasp, and she felt Neville's hand slip into hers, gripping it tightly in support.

While Professor H. shot spells at her assailant, using the tree as cover, more hooded figures came into the room, slowly making a semicircle behind Aurora's father.

Aurora watched as her mother noticed them, then sent off a Patronus, her raven soaring around the room before disappearing altogether.

Her next hex hit hard, knocking her target back with enough force to knock the hood off. The room gasped when it was revealed to be Professor Snape battling the other Professor Snape. Aurora could feel the tension around her when her father curled his lip in a nasty sneer, shooting a hex back at his own wife, strong enough to knock her off her feet. Before she could stand up, he had her up in the air, dangling like a limp puppet.

Harry shot forward, gripping the rail, his friend's name on his lips. Had it not been for Draco grabbing his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him to stop him, Aurora knew her mother's identity would have been revealed. Harry still looked ready to jump the barrier despite the dangerous drop, when a flicker of light silenced the room. A spell from behind Professor H. hit Professor Snape, knocking him backwards and freeing Professor H. from his spell.

As if Apparating, an equal number of witches and wizards appeared opposite the cloaked group.

Professors McGonagall and Lupin had joined them, along with ...

"Mother?" Draco said under his breath.

Aurora squinted, seeing that, although her hair was darker, curled, and her clothes were not quite as elegant and refined as usual, it was Aunt Cissy down there.

"That's Dad," Ron said, pointing at Arthur.

"Is ... is that Fleur?" Ginny asked, squatting down as if the angle would make it clearer.

"And George," Ron said.

Aurora darted her eyes to the cloaked figures just as one ripped his hood off and shot out a vicious-looking curse.

She'd never seen Fred in battle. Never once had she seen him angry. And while he still seemed to find the rush of fighting fun, there was a dark glint in his eye as he went unknowingly toe to toe with his twin.

"Wait," Draco said, watching as another cloak came off. "They really can't know who they're fighting. The twins? Uncle Severus and Aunt H.? My mother and Nymphadora."

Another cloak. "Sirius and Dad," Ron said.

Another. "McGonagall and Moody?" Ginny frowned.

"Not so weird, is it?" Neville asked.

"Except that Moody is a family friend," Aurora said, watching another cloak come off. "Fleur and Bill?"

Ginny snorted. "Mum would pay to see that."

Harry grinned as the last cloak came off. "I could actually see Kingsley and Remus fighting."

"Really?" Ron asked.

"It's a long story," Harry said, and they continued to watch the battle play out.

Slowly, the light around everyone began to fade. Tonks knocked Aunt Cissy to the ground and her glow flickered out. The next moment, Sirius found himself out after a direct hit from Arthur. Tonks and Moody were each outed. Fleur managed to hit her fiancé and take him out before being hit by Kingsley. Arthur had managed to take out Kingsley before a stray spell hit him as well, extinguishing his glow. Professor Snape had been battling the last two witches standing, only just having hit his wife before a shot from Professor McGonagall dimmed his glow.

There was a stunned silence as the enchanted ceiling above them suddenly brightened, and the whole crowd exploded in applause.

Those down below looked at one another, shaking their heads and blinking as though they were coming to. Most of them laughed, walking over and ensuring the one they'd been battling was okay. Others checked on their own team, looking for any signs of distress.

Professor H. stepped away from the others, raising her hands and silencing the room.

"As you can see, even a powerful foe can be felled with enough determination. We can't—" She stopped talking, her attention turned to the side of the room, and Aurora turned to see why.

Professor Dumbledore stood there, as imposing a figure as Aurora had ever seen, and he was looking at the adults, none-too-pleased.

Professor H. smiled, turning back to the assembled students.

"A report of what you took away from today's demonstration, eighteen inches, on my desk by Thursday. Dismissed."

There was a different kind of buzz as the students began to file out, excitement with just a touch of disappointment at such a long essay. But for the most part, there was a newfound knowledge Aurora saw in the eyes of many, an understanding that the world outside would not be kind to them because they were still young.

"Why do I have a feeling that Hermione is about to get in trouble?" Harry whispered when they were free of the throng, their group stopping for a moment before heading to their classes.

"Why d'ya say that?" Ron asked.

"Did you see the way the headmaster looked?" Draco asked.

"I've never seen Dumbledore that angry," Harry agreed. "But why would he be mad? It's Hermione's job to teach us, isn't it? And considering that Umbridge allowed absolutely no practical..."

"And no one but us really understands what it's like to be in a fight," Ginny added.

"And think how that turned out," Draco said, absently rubbing his chest where his scar was. Aurora knew the pain in her ankle was all in her head, but the reminder of the battle of the Ministry brought it to the forefront.

"So, it's a good thing, isn't it? Having everyone up to speed?"

"One would think," Draco said, and a chime reminded them all that they had to head to class.

—————H—————