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Not From Others
By FloreatCastellum

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Category: Post-HBP, Post-DH/AB
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General
Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Extreme Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 348
Summary: She may not have been able to join Harry, Ron and Hermione, but Ginny refuses to go down without a fight. As war approaches, Ginny returns to Hogwarts to resurrect Dumbledore's Army and face the darkest year the wizarding world has ever seen.

DH from Ginny's POV. Canon.
Hitcount: Story Total: 108041; Chapter Total: 3160
Awards: View Trophy Room






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Ernie Macmillan had a morning routine you could set your watch to, so when Hannah Abbott tearfully approached the Gryffindor table to tell Neville that he hadn’t turned up for breakfast, Ginny knew something was horribly wrong. Most of the Great Hall was still buzzing with activity, gossip and admiration for the photos of Harry that still, a week later, adorned a number of walls, yet Ginny and a handful of the D.A felt increasingly anxious as they searched for Ernie.

‘I’ll put a message out on the-’

‘No,’ said Ginny sharply, interrupting Lavender. ‘No, don’t do that yet.’

Lavender looked bewildered. ‘Why not?’

‘I just…’ Ginny hesitated. ‘I just think it’s best we don’t panic people, you know?’ Lavender still looked confused, so Ginny hastily turned to Hannah. ‘And you don’t know where he went after dinner last night?’

‘I just thought he was in the library,’ said Hannah. ‘But I went there in case he’d fallen asleep studying or something - he’s done that before - but there was no sign of him. I’ve asked loads of others, but no one remembers him coming to the common room, and without Justin… without Justin h-here…’ Hannah burst into tears again, allowing Neville to pull her into a sympathetic hug.

‘Well, where’s Zacharias?’ asked Ginny gently. ‘Or that other guy, what’s his name…?’

‘Wayne H-hopkins,’ said Hannah, still taking deep, shuddering breaths. ‘What if they’ve put him down in the d-dungeons like they did with you? What if… What if…?’

‘Zacharias will probably be in the library, or a study room or something,’ said Neville. ‘He’s been really stressed about N.E.W.Ts… No one knows anything about Hopkins though, that kid’s a loner.’

‘That’s because he’s w-weird,’ Hannah said into Neville’s chest. Neville bit back a smile.

‘I’m sure it’ll be fine,’ he told her.

‘Hannah,’ said Lavender kindly. ‘Why don’t you come with me? We’ll find somewhere cosy to have a girly chat while the others look for Ernie.’

Hannah nodded glumly and took Lavender’s outstretched hand, following her as though she were sleepwalking.

‘Find Polly too,’ Ginny whispered to Lavender as they passed. ‘She’s really good at finding the right things to say.’

Lavender looked a little put out, and in hindsight Ginny supposed she was suggesting that Lavender would not be able to find the right things to say, but it was true. Polly truly had been, out of all her dorm mates, the best listener and the most attentive of her needs.

She watched Lavender and Hannah disappear round the corner, presumably to find a secluded part of the castle to have a deep conversation, then turned to look expectantly at Neville.

‘What?’ he asked her, looking uncomfortable.

‘Well, where to first? The library?’

‘Hannah said she’d already been there,’ said Colin. ‘If she’d seen Zacharias, I’m sure she would have asked him.’

‘Let’s check the study rooms,’ said Neville.

‘Should we split up?’ asked Seamus. ‘To cover more ground?’

Neville nodded. ‘Good idea. You and Colin take the ones from here up to the fourth floor, Ginny and I will check them from fifth through seventh.’

‘If any of us find him, just put a message on the coin saying…’ Ginny chewed her lip as she thought. ‘Saying… Asking if anyone left a scarf in that room.’

Seamus nodded at once, but Colin stared at her, bewildered. ‘Are we not supposed to use the coins anymore?’

‘Shut up, Colin,’ grumbled Seamus, grabbing him by the shoulder. ‘Come on. We’ll see you guys later.’

Neville and Ginny rushed up to the fifth floor at once. ‘Hang on,’ said Ginny, panting and clutching her stomach. ‘Hang on… Merlin… Too many stairs in this sodding place…’

‘Neville was panting too, red and sweaty in the face, but he grinned at her. ‘Struggling without Quidditch, Ginny?’

‘You sound like my brother,’ she grumbled. ‘Let’s walk the rest of the way, I’m sure Ernie’s not in that much danger…’

The corridor was quiet and deserted. Saturdays at Hogwarts used to be far busier, but with the threat of the Carrows joining Filch’s patrols, most students now kept to themselves. The odd pictures of Harry that still had working sticking charms looked down at them solemnly. ‘Shame Seamus’s charm didn’t work longer,’ said Neville.

Ginny shrugged. ‘Just makes room for the next lot. Perhaps Colin could go for a more cheerful one next time.’

Neville scrunched his nose. ‘Doubt it. He wants to be a photojournalist, doesn’t he? He mostly takes photos of depressing stuff. He’s been taking photos of us, you know. At our meetings.’

‘Has he?’ asked Ginny, surprised. ‘I’ve never noticed.’

‘Yeah, well, him and Zaha, they could do anything sneakily, couldn’t they? She’s been writing loads and he’s been taking the photos. They said they want to make an account for when the war’s over, to show people what happened. They’re doing it together, I think there’s something going on there.’

Ginny stared at him, her mouth open. How did she know so little about her classmates? About Colin? ‘How do you know all this?’ she demanded.

Neville blushed. ‘Well, the Gryffindor boy’s tower is pretty empty, you know. You’re the only full set of girls, and there are no full sets of boys. It’s really depressing in mine and Seamus’s room because there’s three empty beds and it stresses us out, so we’ve just been mixing in our years a lot more. The other night I couldn’t sleep so I went to see if Colin was up, and he was developing a load of photos of us listening to the wireless… Here we go.’

They had arrived at a study room. There were only a few students in there, most of them Slytherins, so they hastily backed out, heading back to the staircases to check the rooms above.

‘Well that’s stupid of him,’ said Ginny. ‘What if the Carrows find the photos? He’s gathering evidence for them.’

‘They won’t find it,’ Neville assured her. ‘Zaha hides them for him, and she’s brilliant at knowing where people won’t look.’

‘He should still be more careful,’ said Ginny scoldingly. ‘The walls have ears in this place.’

‘Too right we do, missy!’ squeaked the portrait of curmudgeonly old man.

The sixth floor had two study rooms, one of which was empty and the other which had an embarrassed fifth-year couple snogging furiously.

‘Sorry,’ Neville blurted, stumbling backwards out of the room. ‘Sorry- I’ll, er, close the door, sorry-’

When Ginny had stopped giggling and doing impressions of Neville and the hormonal couple, she looked up at the last flight of stairs. ‘Any point going up there?’ she said heavily. ‘Who’d come all this way just to study?’

‘Zacharias Smith,’ muttered Neville grumpily.

Neville was right. There, in the highest study room at the desk facing the largest window, sat Zacharias Smith, sitting bolt upright while reading a monstrously heavy looking book. He didn’t turn or acknowledge them as they approached. Neville cleared his throat awkwardly.

Zacharias sighed dramatically and lowered the book carefully onto the desk. ‘Yes, Longbottom, what is it? I shan’t be lending you my notes, I’ve already told you, it’s unfair.’

‘We were wondering if you’d seen Ernie, anywhere,’ said Ginny. ‘Hannah said he didn’t turn up for breakfast.’

Zacharias glanced at her, looking bored, then addressed Neville. ‘No, I haven’t. He didn’t come back last night. I had to listen to Hopkins droning on about gobstones club for hours.’

‘Where was he?’ asked Neville. ‘Do you know what he was doing?’

Zacharias raised his eyebrows. ‘How should I know? Can’t you ask on the coin thingy?’

‘Oh!’ said Ginny. ‘I’d forgotten.’ She reached into her pocket and tapped out the message. ‘Seamus and Colin will be along soon,’ she told Neville.

Zacharias groaned. ‘Oh don’t bring more people up here, I come here for a bit of peace and bloody quiet.’

Ginny ignored him. ‘What do we do now?’ she asked Neville desperately.

But Neville was glaring furiously at Zacharias. ‘You do know, Smith,’ he said firmly. ‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘I don’t,’ said Zacharias stubbornly, picking up his book again.

‘Yes, you do. Why aren’t you helping us? You’re acting like a Slyth-’

Zacharias slammed the book down onto the table and turned to face them, pointing his finger at Neville’s face. ‘I’m just trying to keep my head down until all of this blows over,’ he said. ‘I never signed up to be any part of your little schemes, it’s not fair that you put the whole D.A in danger just because you fancy putting up some pictures.’

‘Well why are you in it then?’ asked Neville, his fists clenched.

‘To learn!’ Zacharias threw his hands up in the air dramatically. ‘This whole organisation was set up to learn Defensive magic because that Umbridge woman wouldn’t teach us anything-’

‘And to prepare us because You-Know-Who had returned!’ interrupted Ginny hotly.

‘-But now you’ve turned it into your own little revolution without consulting the rest of us!’

‘Don’t you want to end this war?’ demanded Neville. ‘Don’t you want to support Harry?’

Zacharias took on an expression of exaggerated bewilderment. ‘Look around you! Bloody Gryffindors, you never think. We’re school children! A bit of graffiti on the walls isn’t going to do anything! Just keep your heads down and get on with it, and stop putting the rest of us at risk.’

‘Give me back your coin,’ said Ginny coldly. ‘You’re out.’

‘Who made you the leader?’ asked Zacharias. ‘We never had a proper vote, we never got to do hustings or nominate anyone, or put forward our manifestos-’

Neville burst out laughing. ‘Stop being such a wanker and give us your coin.’

Zacharias dug into his pocket and flicked the coin up into the air at them. If he had been hoping they’d have to pick it up off the floor, he’d clearly forgotten Ginny’s quick reactions. She caught it without breaking eye contact, and turned on her heel, marching coolly towards the door.

Seamus and Colin were about to enter the room as she left, but she pushed past them, muttering, ‘don’t bother, his head’s too far up his own arse.’

Seamus gave an exaggerated frown, not unlike a sturgeon, as he nodded. ‘Fair enough,’ he said, then followed her.

‘What do we do now, then?’ asked Neville. ‘Maybe he just skipped breakfast, maybe we should just go to lunch and-’

‘No, we’re going down to the dungeons,’ said Ginny resolutely. ‘There’s nowhere else he could be.’

Clearly deciding she was not to be argued with, the boys followed her obediently down the stairs. Students were beginning to head for lunch by now, so Ginny had to push through the crowds, rudely using her elbows to make way, Neville apologising behind her as they went.

‘Ginny,’ Neville called over the humming noise of the crowd. ‘D’you think it could have been him? Telling the Carrows?’

‘Nope,’ she shouted back, briskly. ‘You heard him, he’s keeping his head down. He’s just got the personality of a troll’s backside. Come on, keep up.’

They broke past the lunchtime rush and descended into the gloomy darkness of the dungeons. Here, Ginny slowed, and the group edged silently along the rough stone walls, peering round corners before continuing. Before long, they spotted three figures, and they crouched in a dark alcove to watch. Seamus quietly cast a disillusionment charm over them.

Crabbe and Goyle stood like proud soldiers by the entrance to the corridor where the makeshift cells were, Malfoy lolling unenthusiastically nearby. He had conjured a chair and was rocking back on it, playing with a Zonkos Biting Yo-Yo.

‘I’ve got better things to be doing than this,’ he was saying. ‘We’ve got our final exams next term.’

‘Where we’re headed we won’t need no exams,’ said Crabbe smugly.

‘Yeah,’ agreed Goyle with a stupid grin. ‘They want real skills nowadays.’ There was a long pause. ‘It is lunchtime though.’

‘Let’s go to lunch then,’ said Malfoy, bored. The yo-yo snapped at his fingers.

‘No,’ said Crabbe, and Ginny turned to Colin in astonishment. She’d never heard Crabbe or Goyle do anything but loyally obey Malfoy. ‘Alecto said we was to stand here until… until…’

‘Half one,’ Malfoy finished for him, as though repeating a fact from history of magic. ‘It’s quarter to now, we may as well go, she won’t know.’

‘I am very hungry,’ said Goyle hopefully.

Feeling daring, Ginny drew her wand, pointing it at Goyle. She hadn’t tried this spell before, but maybe…

Odoratio,’ she whispered, thinking very hard about roast chicken.

A few moments, and then…

Goyle’s stomach rumbled loudly. ‘Oh come on, I’m starving! Draco’s right.’

‘Two against one, Crabbe,’ said Malfoy.

‘We’re staying here,’ said Crabbe stubbornly. ‘You can go if you want, but I’m-’ Now another rumble echoed through the corridor, but this time it was Crabbe who clutched his stomach.

‘You can smell it too!’ exclaimed Goyle. ‘Come on, Draco’s right, it’s only half an hour early-’

‘Three quarters of an hour,’ corrected Malfoy dully.

‘Even less time!’ said Goyle happily. Malfoy closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, but Goyle didn’t notice.

‘Fine,’ said Crabbe. ‘But if she asks, you two made me…’

Ginny held her breath as the Slytherins walked past their hiding spot. Seamus’s charm was not particularly good, but Malfoy’s eyes were fixed on his yo-yo, and Crabbe and Goyle’s eyes were slightly glazed over as they dreamt about lunch. They waited until they were sure they were well out of earshot, then burst forward, racing down the corridor and rattling the iron handles of each door.

‘Ernie? Ernie?’

‘Here!’ croaked a voice.

The door was stuck fast, but Neville pulled out his wand and cast alohamora, and the door swung open with a painful creak.

Ernie sat, looking exhausted and sporting a shiny black eye, but smiling up at them. ‘You came!’ he said. ‘I left my coin in my robes pocket, it’s in the library, I’m sorry-’

Seamus and Colin helped him up. He stood tenderly on one foot, so although he could walk Seamus pulled his arm over his shoulders and supported him as he left the cell.

‘Let’s get him to the hospital wing,’ said Neville. ‘Quickly, while everyone’s at lunch.’

‘They have my wand-’ said Ernie helplessly.

‘Don’t worry, I know where it is,’ said Ginny, who had seen where the Carrows had placed hers. She fetched it from the rusted cauldron that sat in a shadowy corner of the corridor and handed it back to Ernie, who smiled at it like it was a long forgotten friend.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said thickly. ‘They caught me with an old copy of the Quibbler, I was reading Harry’s interview. They went mad-’

‘It’s all right,’ Ginny assured him. ‘Come on, we’ll get you to Madam Pomfrey.’

‘They said we were in for a big shock about him… That we needed to learn some home truths…’

‘Just ignore them, come on, up the steps…’

He groaned. ‘They said there’d be changes here soon…’

‘We’ll just need to make plans then,’ said Neville. ‘Come on, Madam Pomfrey will fix that in a jiffy…’

She did indeed fix it quickly, and Ernie assured them that the Carrows had not tortured him. ‘They wanted to,’ he said, confidence returning to his voice. ‘But I think they knew it wouldn’t break me.’

Ginny thought it was more likely that they were worried about getting into trouble with McGonagall, or even Snape, but decided to let Ernie have this moment. ‘Did they say what any of these big changes would be?’ she asked.

‘No,’ he replied. ‘They just seemed keen on letting me know they’d have lots to say about Harry soon. I wonder if anything’s happened?’

‘They would have just come out and said it if anything had,’ said Seamus.

Ernie shrugged. ‘Maybe, but maybe they’re hoping for a big- Oh!’

The hospital wing door had burst open, and Hannah Abbott ran in, her face terrified, Lavender following calmly behind her. ‘Ernie! Oh, Ernie!’ She flung her arms around him so hard that he was pushed back into his pillows. Neville blushed deeply and took a half-step back from the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

‘I’m all right, Hannah,’ Ernie said. ‘No need to-’

‘I’ve been so worried,’ said Hannah. ‘I couldn’t face the thought of you vanishing, not after Justin-’

‘Justin hasn’t vanished,’ he reminded her firmly. ‘He’s gone into hiding, he’s fine. Come on, now, don’t be silly.’

‘Yes, yes, sorry,’ Hannah sniffed, rubbing her cheeks. ‘What happened?’

Ernie recounted the story once again, somewhat more heroically than the others had heard it, and Hannah listened with wide eyes.

‘You’re awfully brave,’ she said.

‘Yeah, he was, top man. And Neville here was the one who broke the enchantments on the door,’ said Seamus, clapping a crimson Neville on the back.

‘Breaking the enchantments? He only did-’ Ginny stepped on Colin’s foot to shut him up.

‘Neville was definitely the leader of the rescue mission,’ said Ginny. ‘Both of you boys are terribly brave.’

Ernie beamed at them. ‘Blimey, Neville, thanks a lot, old chap!’

‘It’s no problem,’ mumbled Neville, throwing a dark look at Ginny.

‘Well I’m glad you’re all friends,’ said Madam Pomfrey crossly, ‘But how are you hoping to explain to the Carrows how Mr Macmillan got out?’

There was a painful realisation, and they sat in silence for a few moments before Colin piped up. ‘The guards left. It’s their fault! For all they know, Ernie got out on his own.’

‘They’re still going to put me straight back in there,’ said Ernie, looking a little alarmed.

‘Well, we’ll keep an eye on you,’ said Ginny. ‘Just like you all did with me. They don’t seem keen on dragging students away in front of witnesses-’

‘They dragged you off in front of loads of people!’ exclaimed Lavender.

‘Yeah, and loads of teachers got involved,’ replied Ginny. ‘I think it annoys Snape, he’s probably worried about students running off and going into hiding during the Easter holidays or something, he wants us here where he can keep an eye on us.’

Madam Pomfrey nodded. ‘Smart girl,’ she said sharply. ‘That’s more or less what I’ve been hearing from Professor McGonagall. Don’t wander off on your own, Macmillan, you should be fine.’

Ernie looked up at them all. ‘Thank you,’ he said honestly. ‘Thanks for coming and finding me. You really didn’t have to.’

‘Of course we did,’ said Neville. ‘It’s our duty. We’re Gryffindors.’

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