"Will this be all, Professor?"
Benedict placed a stack of essays he had been checking in the last two hours. Although it was a lot of parchment, it still seemed miniscule when compared with the other piles laying around in the Transfiguration teacher's office.
"You've been a great help, Benny." The witch was stamping some documents. "But before you leave I'd like to ask whether you've reconsidered?"
"About my future?" He inquired.
"Indeed so. Have you given my proposal any thought as of lately?
"I'm flattered," he paused, "But I'm not seeing myself getting a Master in the foreseeable future."
"I see." She looked over her glasses. "I'll be severely disappointed if you decide to forgo your talents."
"So would I." He grinned, before walking towards the door. "Good night, Professor."
"It will be when you stop contributing to my grey hair." She huffed.
"You can always change it yourself, Minnie." He laught as he heard the witch grumble from behind the closed door.
It was nearing curfew, which explained why the corridors of Hogwarts were so quiet when Benedict was traversing them. As he arrived at the Grand Staircase he could see some shadows being carried upwards by one of the flying staircases.
'Slytherins at this hour? It's supposed to be Hufflepuff's turn to make rounds in the upper floors.' He thought.
Benedict brandished his wand after getting on a staircase. With a small tap on his head he slowly merged with his surroundings by becoming invisible. When he entered the hallway on the seventh floor he could hear the voices coming from further within.
"Are you sure you've seen them coming here?"
"For the last time Malfoy, yes. I've seen those abhorrent Puffs coming here."
"So abhorrent that you stalk them in your free time, Campeius?" The platinum blond sneered at the older teen. "Not that I mind. That nosy wrench from the DMLE should be taught another lesson since the last one didn't stick."
Crabbe and Goyle grunted in laughter.
"If you're done," Campeius sniffed, "Then we can continue searching this floor. They couldn't have just disappeared."
"It'll be better for you if that's not the case." Malfoy threatened while casting a Lumos to see better in the dark corridor.
The four Slytherins checked every nook and cranny they've found suspicious. However the answer still eluded them after an hour of searching.
"There's nobody here, Draco." Vincent reported.
Malfoy was leaning against the wall when his two lackeys returned from the other end of the corridor with their report.
"This was a waste of my time." He scowled.
In front of him a nervous Campeius was walking back and forth. He was muttering under his nose.
"But I've seen them enter this hallway." He punched the wall only to hear a wooden thump. "What's this?"
A door slowly realigned itself with the stonewall. It looked unassuming with its plain wooden surface and no additional features.
"I think we've found our answer." Malfoy's eyes brightened. "It seems you weren't useless after all, Campeius."
Before Draco could reach for the door handle the sound of clapping made the group turn around. They saw a familiar figure coming out from the corner.
"You truly have to annoy me in every possible way. Don't you, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Everest?" The boy gulped.
Malfoy regained some of his composure when his two bodyguards stood up in front of him. Campeius on the other hand couldn't help but fidget, looking for a way out from this sticky situation.
"It's unfortunate." Benedict smiled. "You've seen something too soon for my taste. What to do?"
The Slytherins shivered under the murderous gaze of the older teen.
"You, you can't do anything, Everest." Malfoy shot back. "I'll tell everything to Umbridge."
Benedict stopped his steps.
"You're not making it easy on yourself, Mr. Malfoy." Benedict's wand flashed, sending a blinding light across the corridor.
-------
"So what are we going to do today, Harry?
A crowd of students was gathered in the room of requirements for another session of Dumbledore's Army's training. They've been secretly meeting in this place for almost a month.
"I think we should continue with our Shield Charm." Harry answered. "Let's get into pairs."
The thirty something students separated into pairs and took their stances a couple of meters apart from one another. After these couple of weeks they've had the safety precautions ingrained in to their minds.
"We'll start with the left side casting the stinging hex."
Reading their wands they waited as the right started building up their shields.
"Protego!"
A row of barriers lit up. Harry could see the level of each person's charm with a glance. Most of the children had small, irregular and whimsical looking light blue shields. They were as thin as paper. It didn't come as a surprise when they easily broke down after one assault of the stinging hex, making the room filled with groans of pain.
"You're good, Luna."
Ginny was showering the blonde's barrier with multiple swings of the hex, trying to find a weak spot in her friend's defense.
"I've had a good teacher." She said in a melodious tone.
"Oh." Ginny grinned. "Were you taking lessons beyond our little excursions? Because I don't believe you're talking about Harry. No offense."
"Non taken." Harry chuckled as he was being addressed by the little firecracker of a witch. "It's good that she's found another way to challenge herself."
"It must be hard not telling him your secret." Ginny winked.
"He's been worked to the bone by Professor Kitty lately." Luna chimed. "He's probably there right now.
Harry Potter called for a change after a couple of minutes, placing the right side on the offensive this time. Ginny furrowed her brows in pain as her friend was somehow avoiding her flimsy shield and hitting her with the hex.
"You're not even trying to break it." She pouted in grievance.
"Your shield is so strong that my attacks just slide right off, Ginny." The blonde continued casting jinxes with flare.
The drills continued until most of the members showed signs of exhaustion. Ron was huffing on the floor next to an even more tired Neville; the twins snickered seeing Angelina and Alicia look at them with the promise of payback in their eyes.
"Harry?" Susan tapped Harry Potter's shoulder nervously as he was currently talking with Hermione about changing things up for the next meeting.
"What's up Susan? Do you need help with some spell?"
"Yes, that too... but should the door be acting like that?"
The fifth year Hufflepuff witch pointed towards the wall where the entrance to the room of requirements was flickering in and out of existence.
"That's... odd." Harry raised his wand.
"Do you think someone's trying to break in?" Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, her wand in the other hand pointing at the frame in readiness.
The rest of the group stood up in vigilance, copying the stance of the leader of their club.
Meanwhile, the door started to stabilize, turning more corporeal with each second. As it finished everyone in the room could hear a click. The squeaky sound of the slowly turning hinges unnerved them, making many gulp nervously at the unknown trouble coming their way.
A silhouette masked by a hood appeared in the threshold, the shadows consealing the person's face.
"Who are you?" Harry tried to keep his head in the game.
The intruder answered by entering the room, his footsteps almost silent against the black sandstone floor. As the figure ventured further in the room the door behind him closed, giving a fright to some of the younger students.
"No Luna, what are you doing?!" Ginny cried as the blonde suddenly ran towards the unknown presence.
"Stop her!" Ron tried to capture the girl with the Carpe Retractum, but she blocked it with a shield.
The figure raised its arms in a menacing way when the girl leaped into its embrace.
"That's one great costume." She giggled while looking up at the hidden face. "Do you have a Lumossabre as well."
A rough chuckle escaped from beneath the swads of fabric. A fair hand reached out from the overlong sleeve, gently caressing the dainty witch's cheek.
"It's impossible to hide from you, isn't it?"
Luna Lovegood purred in delight as she snuggled into the chest of her captive. "I'll always find you, Sparky."
"Sparky?" Ginny repeated back. "If it's you Benny then I'll have to hex some moons tonight." The nearby students could see steam coming out of the ginger witch's ears.
Seeing as the jig was up the figure took off his hood, revealing that it was Benedict Everest hidden underneath the cloak.
"See Luna?" He pinched her adorable cheeks. "You've ruined the surprise."
"And you should've told me that you were planning to prank us." She pouted.
Harry Potter lowered his wand after regaining his composure from the shock. He could feel Hermione relax as well, judging by the lessening grip she had on his shoulder.
"He's one damnable, bastard."
"Language, Hermione." He joked, kissing the girl on her forehead.
"Men are such prats." She huffed back.
"And that's why I need you." Harry held her hand reassuringly.
The twins walked up to the blond pair, laughing on the way.
"That was some prank, Everest."
"Better than the one with Lockhart, Fred?"
"Miles, my dear self in but name."
"I'm not your back cheeks, oh brother of mine."
Benedict tapped the robes with his wand, making them change back to a small handkerchief which he pocketed into his vest.
"It's lovely that you're all in a bantering mood, my fellow students." He glanced over the room. "A shame that this many of you decided to break the rules."
The atmosphere turned heavy after they've heard him say that.
"What are you on about?" Ron blurted out.
Benedict quickly incapacitated the twins in front of him, making them fall to the ground. Before Luna could escape his arms he cast a Stupify on her as well. He then gently placed her on a nearby couch, under the now shocked gazes of everybody.
"Why did you do that." Harry demanded an answer, the tip of his wand shining in red light.
"Why?" Benedict looked at the motley crew in front of him. "I believe you know my stance on improper behavior and not following the rules, Mr. Potter. I take my job seriously if you didn't know by now."
"Organizing an illegal gathering of students." The Head Boy played with the wand in his hand. "Taking part in dangerous and unsupervised bouts of dueling."
Benedict hummed as he swatted away a shot stunner from someone in the crowd.
"That'll be an assault charge for you, Mr. Sharp." The blond's smile made the trembling hand of the Griffindor almost lose his grip on his wand.
"He didn't do that on purpose." Benedict turned his gaze towards the voice.
"Oh, you're here as well, Ms. Bones." He chuckled. "The Head of DMLE won't be happy when she finds out her niece partook in a guerilla bootcamp."
"This isn't a terrorist organization, Mr. Everest." Hermione followed the older teen with her wand.
"Really?" Benedict laught. "Then pray tell," his eyes as well as his voice were filled with seriousness, "Since when calling yourselves 'Dumbledore's Army' meant anything else but rebellion against the Ministry?"
"Ministry? Have you gone mad?" Angelina Johnson asked.
"Oh I assure you, Ms. Johnson. I've never been in a clearer state of mind." He grinned. "You however," he waved his wand from left to right,"I have high suspicions of going off the rails."
"So what? You've become a mole for those bloody fools from the Ministry?"
Ron walked up in front of the crowd. His expression was livid to say the least. He didn't want to believe his chess buddy being this two-faced wanker.
"I believe I've always shown my true intentions, Mr. Weasley." Benedict sneered. "I'm but a man of law and order."
The small wisps of fire, illuminating the room started flickering under the small pressure that the teen released. Harry Potter recalled feeling this way before. It was when he stood in front of all those Death Eaters in the cementary. How their mere presence made him feel quesy in the stomach, terrified of their unhinged show of viciousness. But they still paled in front of Voldemort; the true epitome of disdain for life. His malevolent red eyes still haunted Harry in his nightmares. And now, a man he deemed a friend stood before him with the same indifference in his eyes. Benedict looked almost bored, as if he had to take out the trash once more.
"What now? What are you going to do with us?" Hermione joined her friend with Harry following closely after he overcame the invasive thoughts.
"Now?" Benedict Everest sighed, brushing his hair to the back with his fingers. "Now I'm going to deliver you all to the authorities for breaking the rules."
"Just by yourself?" Neville's question, made the rest of the students ready their wands once more. They started to circle around the Head Boy from all directions.
Benedict Everest watched all of this happening with a smirk. His calmness dampened the spike of morale within them.
"I hope you've taught them well, Harry." The blond's eyes sparkled with glee. "Otherwise I'll be severely disappointed."