(Untitled)

[augury_alecto]

Who: Alecto Carrow and her Seventh Year DADA Class
What: Forget Defense

Where: DADA Classroom

When: Monday, December 15, 1997

Status: Incomplete

“Good day, class,” Alecto addressed the teenagers that sat before her. The students in her class were silent in contrast to how they might have been when she had first taken over the course. But several weeks

Comments

[augury_corner]

Michael gestured for Megan to help him as Alecto turned away. Michael took up Ernie and slid one arm around his neck, and then waited for Megan to do the same. Together, they would hoist him out the door and deposit Ernie on the nearby bench.

Once outside, Michael managed to kick the door shut before helping drop Ernie down, "Dammit, I knew he was going to do something stupid the moment he mentioned it this morning." Michael growled, but also relieved. He looked up at Megan, grey eyes upon her. "I cast a fainting hex on him. About the only thing I could think of to stop Carrow from torturing him." Michael winced and gripped his arm where Theodore got him, "And Nott doesn't pull his punches."

[augury_megan]

"You did this?" Megan asked Michael as she knelt beside Ernie. "When he fell, I automatically assumed it was Carrow." She glanced up at him. "Thank goodness you did this though. Prevented him from doing something stupid." Megan shook her head and sighed. "I know he's mad. We're all angry. And I know he's trying to help..." Megan wasn't quite sure what else to say.

[augury_corner]

"Yeah," Michael replied, his slender hands against both sides of Ernie's face. he gently pat them, "Come on, Ern. Wake up." He sighed, tilting his head down and towards Megan as he knelt. "I'm sorry about it. Ernie's going to be livid when he wakes up I'm sure, if I can get the balls to tell him I did it. This morning he went on about us all standing up and collectively defying Carrow. Well, when I said he should just wait and plan, he must've gotten it in his head to play the martyr. Do it himself as an example. It takes a little more planning than that. Mental preparation at the very least." Michael sighed, "He's on about Justin. Feels like he let him down and you know Ernie- once he gets something like that in his head, his damned Hufflepuffness takes over- no offense intended."

Again, Michael patted at Ernie's cheeks. "You alright?"

[ernie_dt_mac]

Ernie gradually became conscious of voices above him, and slowly surfaced from his little unwilling 'nap'. "Wha' 'appened?" he slurred as his eyelids fluttered open.

Before he could see properly, he raised his hands in defence of the patting of his cheeks. "Stop tha'," he muttered, blindly pushing Michael's hand aside.

[augury_megan]

"You fainted," Megan replied simply, not sure how much Michael wanted to reveal about the situation. "Perhaps you didn't eat enough for breakfast. Low blood sugar happens to the best of us," she offered as advice.

[augury_corner]

Michael swallowed, eyeing Megan nervously before he returned his gaze to Ernie. At Ernie's orders, Michael stopped slapping his cheeks but his hands remained on Ernie's sides to steady him, just in case his senses weren't altogether good yet.

"I hit you with a fainting hex," Michael said honestly. "I'm not going to lie to you." Michael stifled a scowl and his irritation, "Dammit Ernie, some of us really truly care about you- could you keep yourself intact for two little minutes and park your need to make a statement long enough for us to come up with a plan that has a snowball's chance in succeeding?"

[ernie_dt_mac]

Ernie grew angry at the knowledge that his own friend had hexed him. "You did it?!" His eyes were fully open now and staring up at Michael, and his hand shoved him away as he tried to sit up. He felt a small wave of dizziness, and his hand went to his forehead to help ward it off.

"I'd have been fine," he argued in response to Michael's worry. It was then that he noticed the other person sitting by him, which was a little surprising considering how little they'd spoken to each other in the last month. "You said so yourself once," he said to Megan, "that there are advantages to being pureblooded. It's about time I use it, don't you think? If I can get away with doing something that would take attention away from everyone else, then why can't I?"

[augury_corner]

Michael felt Ernie's hand shoving him. No- banishing him away, and it hurt. Michael bit his lip, reticent to look up at Ernie from his knelt position. "I'm sorry, alright! Bloody hell, do you really think I fancy seeing you tortured?" Michael snapped, albeit rather feebly. He blinked, sighed, ran a hand through his hair and then fixed to stand up.

"Alright well... hate me if you want. When you get over it, come back. I'll be waiting and willing." Michael sighed again and cupped the back of his neck. "I think I'll go find another excuse to let Theodore hit me with another stinging hex." Michael glanced up under his slightly defeated stance, shook his head and then yanked the door open, leaving Megan and Ernie together.

[ernie_dt_mac]

"Another stinging hex?" Ernie asked as the door closed behind Michael. "Merlin, he has the nerve to get on my case about a little passive protest, and yet he's the one playing with fire with Nott. Isn't it enough he's gotten his heart torn to shreds once already, he's got to tempt fate again?"

He shook his head before his eyes settled once again on Megan, realising that for the first time in a month, they were actually alone together.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, but the words were not spoken harshly. Rather, as he spoke, his voice was soft and uncertain, as if he wasn't really sure he wanted to hear the answer.

[augury_megan]

"When you fell, at first I thought Carrow had done something to you. So I tried to come over and she stopped me..." Megan glanced up at the door to the classroom, almost expecting to see the older woman's scowling face there. The look on her face was not fear - not like Hannah - but more of an expression of numbness. Over the last few weeks, Megan, who used to be quick with her heated comments, found herself slowly cooling down under the weight of the new system.

"Then Michael suggested that you and I take you outside until you came to and thankfully she bought it. Clever idea really. Leave it to a Ravenclaw, I suppose, to come up with that." Megan smiled weakly.

[ernie_dt_mac]

He couldn't deny that he still felt a little thrill inside at the knowledge that she was still concerned about him, though it had dimmed compared to what it once would have been. It was either because of the time that had passed, his anger at Michael, or some combination of the two, but there was no denying that some things had changed.

"Clever enough to hex me without my knowledge," he countered, unable to hide the anger and betrayal he felt. "But I suppose it at least got us out of there for a few minutes.

There were many things on his mind to say, but he ignored all but the most pressing. "Hannah and Michael got letters this morning, like the one Justin got. Did you get one too?"

[augury_megan]

"Maybe Michael just didn't want to see you get hurt or get a detention. Which is just as bad," she lamented, slipping her hands into the pockets of her robes. Needless to say, Megan's own detention with Carrow the day before had been most unpleasant.

"No, I didn't get a letter. But that doesn't mean I won't eventually." Her words were even and pale.

[ernie_dt_mac]

Ernie found inside him the strength to finally get back up onto his feet, and he reached down to help Megan up as well. "Well, I, um, hope you let me know if you do. We need to know who they are and aren't interrogating so we can protect everyone."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. "And I'd want to know, because if you do, you'll need your friends there with you to help you out, just in case."

[augury_megan]

"I'm not exactly sure what help you'll be able to provide, but I appreciate the thought." Megan attempted to catch his eyes, even though he was looking the other way. "Speaking of friends, do me a favor and hang low, eh? Some of us would rather not see you get hurt."

[ernie_dt_mac]

"I don't want to see anyone else get hurt either," he agreed, "especially if I'm the one asked to hurt them."

He looked over at her again, a look of pain in his eyes. "What if she wants to pair me with Hannah, or Michael... or you? I can't do this anymore, Meg, I just can't. I wish I could escape too and go out to find Justin, make sure he's okay... but I can't do that either. I can't leave all of you here to face all this alone."

He bit his bottom lip a moment and shrugged. "I'm... scared, Meg."

[augury_megan]

Without thinking, Megan reached her arms out and pulled Ernie close to her. Resting his head on her shoulder, she replied "I know. I am too." She held him, just for a moment, but it was perhaps a moment too long.

Alecto arrived at the doorway of the classroom, searching for her missing students. When her eyes fell on Ernie and Megan in a quick embrace, she glared at them with disgust. "Mr. Macmillan. I suppose your mother never warned you if you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas."