Chapter Fourty
Confronting the Faceless 💀 CompleteApril 20-21, 1998
"There are much more terrible things than physical injury"
The Carrows have gotten crueler and the Slytherins bolder since the start of April; meanwhile, the DA is being infuriatingly cautious at a time when Gabe thinks they really can't afford to be.
Ever since Minki had started working with them back in March (and really, why anyone listens to him when he never actually participates is beyond Gabe - the other boy isn't risking anything but other people's safety. But no, he's the thoughtless one. Bah) the DA has become less like a vengeful wolf and more like a spayed puppy, shying away from anything that could really leave a dent in the Carrows' vicious punishing spree.
Every plan Gabe puts forth has to go by Minki, who always, without fail, pulls the teeth and leaves it half as effective as it would have been without the changes.
Nathan has pointed out several times that they've also seen a lot fewer people caught and tortured because of DA activities, but Gabe just says it's because they aren't taking any chances at all.
Oddly enough, in the past two months he's found a sympathetic ear - and occasional partner in crime - in Romilda Vane. They still aren't friends - Gabe would hex anyone who tried to imply otherwise - but he's found that her brand of sarcasm and risk-taking match well with his. Plus Nathan has become more and more unwilling to bend DA rules and go behind the leaders' backs recently which is super annoying.
Then Ginny doesn't come back from Easter break, and Gabe sees his chance. The fact that Neville has to go into permanent hiding in the Room of Requirement only a few days later only further proves to him that now is the ideal time to move - he just has to figure out what exactly that move looks like.
That's how he finds himself in the library with Romilda - in the hidden spot near the back - brainstorming possible plans to knock the Carrows flat on their arses.
"It'll have to be pretty big to top lighting up the Dart Arts room." Romilda says with a dreamy smile. Their torching of the room hadn't just gotten everyone out of class that Friday - it had been a solid week before anyone had to see Amycus's hideous mug again. The room had proven entirely unsalvageable and Dark Arts is now held in one of the formerly empty classrooms on the fourth floor. Gabe, Nathan, and Romilda had been legends among the DA for weeks after that, despite their probation. The shine had worn off somewhat by March though, and Gabe wants to remind everyone exactly why he's the best ideas guy the DA has.
Nevermind that he's drawing a blank so massive that he's gone to Romilda Vane for help.
"Obviously." He grumbles. "We must strike against the heart of it. Show them that they cannot make us afraid with pain and punishment."
"Ooh, very dramatically poetic." Romilda says, grinning even as sarcasm drips from her tone and effectively irritates Gabe. "I agree though, we need to go even bigger. Somehow." She purses her lips in a pout and her annoyance does cheer Gabe up somewhat, though only slightly. It's his problem too, after all.
"There has to be something." He grumbles. "I thought you were good at gossip, have you not heard things?"
Romilda snorts. "If you need gossip you want Lavender Brown, not me. I only care about what directly pertains to me. We could go talk to her though, she's DA too. Probably would help us with whatever we come up with."
Gabe makes a face at the suggestion. It's bad enough he'd had to come to Romilda, but having to ask Lavender 'Air Head' Brown for help too? His pride won't survive it.
Of course, his pride won't survive not coming up with something either so he figures at least one death gets him some pissed off Carrows in the bargain.
So he sighs. "Fine. Let's go ask Lavender."
It takes until dinner that night to finally catch the weirdly flighty girl, but once they've got her all Romilda has to do is ask and she immediately agrees to help which Gabe admittedly had not expected. Lavender Brown has a reputation for being flighty and rather stupid, but he supposes she is a Gryffindor despite that - of course she'd want to help him cause trouble for the Carrows.
Lavender ushers them both into her and Parvati's shared dorm - and Gabe doesn't ask how exactly she'd gotten him past the usual security (he doubts she could explain well anyway, he tells himself) - and sits them down in a circle on the floor.
"Okay, so there's a lot of new, totally awful stuff happening now that we could attack!" She says enthusiastically, practically vibrating in her excitement. Gabe once again questions whether he actually wants to put up with this or not. "Obvi there's the Friday detentions," She shudders and Gabe recalls that she's been a few times (he himself has avoided it because he's smart enough to not get caught) "But that's pretty cliché and plus, like, it would be impossible to hide who we are really so we'd all just get in trouble later so probably not that."
Gabe blinks at the unexpected logic from the overemotional girl. Okay, so maybe he'd jumped to conclusions about Lavender Brown a little quickly.
"Ooh, I know! We should break into the dungeons and rescue all the kids locked up down there, that would be great! I doubt they even know who they've got locked up even, and we could do it when no one is looking."
Gabe blinks, staring shocked for a moment, before he mentally kicks himself.
Obviously breaking out the kids in chains. Why hadn't he thought of that?
He blames the DA not having him on point anymore - he's getting rusty.
Romilda seems far less disappointed at her own failings, but somehow Gabe isn't surprised by that. "Hey, that's a great idea Lav! There you go Gabe, somewhere to start. We should tell Nathan too-"
"No." Gabe cuts her off roughly. "Nate will tell Seamus."
Lavender frowns at that. "What's wrong with Shay? He's smart and tough-"
"And would tell Neville who would make me run this by Minki, and he'd say something stupid like the risk is too high and it's not worth it." Gabe snaps back. "Look, thanks for your help but keep this to yourself, okay?"
Lavender frowns and doesn't acknowledge his request one way or the other. Which means she's going to tell.
This is why he doesn't ask for help.
"So you're welcome." Romilda says in a sing-song as they leave Lavender's dorm room and return to the common room. "I know you haven't thanked me yet but I know inside that stiff, snobby French exterior you're eternally greatful for my presence in your life."
"I'd be eternally grateful if you would get out of it forever in fact." He grumbles, and she laughs and pokes him in the side.
"Well I've got an essay to do, but you get that plan going! And tell me when you're ready, yeah? I want to grafitti the door to the Slytherin common room while we're down there."
Gabe can't help cracking a smile at that, though he represses it until he's certain Romilda has left. No need to encourage her to spend any more time with him than she already does.
His mind is already whirling over the possibilities, but he'll need to do some scouting first, see what the dungeons look like and estimate how many people need to be unchained and evacuated - that will help him determine how big a team he'll need.
And he will need one, which means he'll have to bring Nathan in eventually. He'll just push it to the last possible second so his best friend can't go tattle to the bosses. Again.
He sleeps fitfully that night, his mind still flying through the minimal information he has, trying to put together at least a rough outline that refuses to solidify. The next day is Tuesday, which means he has a double free block after lunch before History of Magic. A perfect time to take a little stroll through the dungeons to scope things out.
Unfortunately Nathan has those blocks free as well, and he's not easy to shake, particularly when Gabe needs to shake him.
"Look I barely saw you at all yesterday and now you're trying to run off again!" His friend says, sounding hurt, and Gabe does feel bad, but Nathan brought this on himself really. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I am just going for a walk." He snaps. "Go do your homework. Romilda needed help with Potions I think."
Nathan's mouth turns up just slightly. "Don't we all. At least Slughorn is more lenient than Snape ever was. I might actually make NEWT next year."
Gabe hums. "Well I suppose that would be good. Would be nice to already have a partner." It takes a moment before he realizes that they've reached the dungeons and Nathan is grinning in a way that's far too reminiscent of Romilda for Gabe to be comfortable with. "I hate you by the way. You need to not hang out with Romilda anymore."
"Seamus taught me that one actually. But I like Romi, and I think you do too, you just don't want to admit it because that would be admitting that she's matured and your first impression isn't correct anymore." Nathan says sagely, and Gabe wants to smack him.
"You are supposed to just agree with me." He grumbles as they head towards the part of the dungeon that had been unused until recently, that now echoes with crying and clanking chains at all hours.
"Maybe I've grown up too." Nathan suggests with a grin. Then, more serious but clearly trying for casual he continues, "Or, you know, I got a-"
"Shh." Gabe cuts him off abruptly, throwing out his arm and dragging them both back against the wall, just in time to avoid being seen by Alecto Carrow.
She's dragging a small, sobbing form behind her, and it would have honestly been more of the same if Nathan hadn't hissed out a short, furious sentence.
"That's a first year."
The soft words hit Gabe like a freight train. For all the horrid things the Carrows have done, and there have been enough that Gabe is pretty sure certain Unforgivables would be forgiven if aimed at them, they've never chained up a first year. Seamus has described in detail how bad the dungeons are - leaving an eleven-year-old down there is a surefire way to get the poor thing sick. And the Carrows tend to leave their victims for days at a time. The kid could die of hypothermia if he's not gotten out quickly.
Gabe is already backing them up, his minding flying a mile a minute, the plan coming together in his mind through sheer desperation. "We need to act now." He says once they're certain to be out of earshot of Alecto, picking up his pace so he's practically flying back down the corridor to the Great Hall. "Find any DA you can who are available and meet back here in thirty minutes. I'll explain the plan then." He instructs once they reach the opening that leads back into the castle.
Nathan nods mutely and takes off. Gabe goes the other direction, still moving fast but dropping to a brisk walk. Running would cause people to notice him, and not being seen is going to be key if they want to pull this off.
He runs into a group of fourth years and immediately recognizes Demelza Robbins and Dorian Blishwick from DA meetings. They haven't done much in the field but they're both always eager to help so he waves them over.
They come quickly, obviously recognizing him as well.
"Are you two up for a rescue mission? It is time sensitive and you have to be all in." He says in lieu of a greeting.
"All in." Demelza says immediately, then elbows Dorian when he hesitates.
"Ow! Okay, yeah, all in." He says, rubbing his ribs with a pout.
Gabe takes it and ushers the two along with him, hoping to grab a few more people before he has to meet back with Nathan and whoever he managed to recruit.
"Tell me when you're ready, yeah?"
He blinks, then shakes his head. He doesn't have time to go hunt down Romilda, and besides he hadn't actually said he'd use her in the plan, she'd just assumed.
He still feels a bit bad though, for utterly indiscernible reasons.
They do end up running into two more DA members - Lavender and Parvati Patil.
"Ooh, you're doing it now?" Lavender asks excitedly as Gabe leads them back to the dungeon entrance. "This is so exciting! It was my idea you know Parv." She says proudly to her friend, who beams as they high five.
Gabe resolutely ignores them as his mind whirls overtime to come up with a plan. Even he has to admit that this is all a little more last minute than is probably safe, but by the time they reach the meeting point he at least has an outline that can be filled in by his group and whoever Nathan brings along.
Nathan is already waiting, with only two other people - his brother Michael and Susan Bones - who look ready to go.
Alright, that's eight people, which gives him plenty to work with. He gestures at Nathan, mind still primarily preoccupied with polishing the rough draft he'd thought up earlier. "Explain." He instructs vaguely.
Nathan does so without complaint, and their six recruits are as pissed as Gabe by the end of the short rundown of what they'd seen.
"I do not have a full understanding of the layout, but there are two directions people could come from." Gabe says once Nathan finishes explaining. "So we will need two people on distraction-slash-lookout, one additional person on the door, and two people helping to get the rescued students back into the castle. That leaves three of us to do the actual chain breaking."
"I'm in for that one." Michael says shortly. "Charmwork is one of my strengths."
Gabe just nods. "Fair enough. I will go in as well, and..." He scans the ragtag bunch, not thrilled with the remaining selection. "Parvati, you will be with us too. Dorian you will be on door duty, Nathan and Lavender you two will be the evacuation team. So Demelza, Susan, you are on lookout. Everyone good?"
"It's lookout slash distraction right?" Demelza asks, suddenly far more nervous than she'd been when first declaring she was all in. "How do we distract the Carrows if they come?"
Gabe shrugs. "You are DA, figure it out." He says, then hesistates when he sees how scared Demelza looks. He glances down to the dungeons, then turns back to the fourteen year old with a sigh. "Look, I understand, this is terrifying and it is way less organized than usual. But the DA exists - we exist - exactly for moments like this. To stand up when other people cannot, to take risks so that others can be safe. It is not an easy job, but it is one that a lot of people rely on. And I would not have given you this role if I did not know you could do it."
Demelza swallows nervously, then nods. "Okay, let's go save people." She says firmly, and with that Gabe turns and leads them down into the center of the dungeons.
He pulls them all back when he realizes that Amycus is standing by the door, muttering to himself angrily as he fights with the lock (an amusing sight if you ignore the massive wrench it puts in Gabe's plan).
Before he can say anything Susan Bones strides forward out of hiding, gesturing behind her back for the others to wait.
"Excuse me sir, I had a question about yesterday's class." She says politely. Amycus pauses his fiddling, glaring at her suspiciously.
"What is it?" He asks, beady eyes darting from Susan to the door and back again.
"Well, I was wondering, did you know how incredibly stupid you sounded through the entire thing?" She asks sweetly, and then is instantly off, racing down the corridor opposite to where the rest of the team is hiding with a furious Amycus blasting curses after her as he attempts to keep up.
The remaining seven stand stunned for a moment before Gabe quickly gets back on track.
"Alright, that takes care of that then. Dorian, you watch this hall, Demelza you are to be watching the other one. We will have to do without anyone right at the door."
They move silently from there, with Dorian lingering in the hiding place while Demelza darts over to watch where Susan and Amycus had vanished. Micheal breaks the lock on the door easily and he, Parvati, and Gabe all enter the dim, freezing, damp room with lit wands.
There are a little over a dozen people inside, and Micheal heads straight to the far end while Gabe and Parvati start on the sides. It's silent work, and takes longer than Gabe would like as each of the four chains securing the sutdents have to be unlocked individually.
But it's steady despite being slow, and once six exhausted and half-starved students have been released Lavender quickly begins herding them away from the door and back towards the castle, helping support one boy who's having trouble standing on his own. Nathan hovers nervously as he waits for more people to be released, or for Lavender to come back.
Gabe is just releasing the third lock on one of the last four prisoners (Nathan has just left with the next bunch and he's relying on Lavender being back soon for the last few) when he hears Demelza's voice, pitched louder than normal in a clear attempt to make sure they hear her.
"I was actually looking for you Professor Carrow! You mentioned in class today that you had even more to say about Muggles stealing magic and I was really hoping you'd tell me more!"
"Alecto." Gabe hisses to Parvati and Michael, who are already trying to hurry up.
"I'll get these guys, get the first year." Parvati hisses. "I'll take Dorian with us." She adds.
Gabe finishes releasing the girl in front of him and pushes her at Parvati, who grabs her arm and rushes her along with two others out the door and down the hall.
Michael dives for the first year while Gabe takes up position between them and the door - if Demelza can't keep Alecto distracted for long enough he'll have to stun her.
However just as the door swings open Michael shoves the first year into his arms.
"Get going, I've got this!" He shouts, blasting the startled Carrow away from the door.
"Get going, I've got this!" He shouts, blasting the startled Carrow away from the door.
Gabe doesn't hesitate; he picks up the first year and bolts past Alecto, glad to see that Demelza has already split.
Halfway up the corridor he runs into a face he wasn't expected.
"He frog boy, lemme help." Romilda says, helping support the first year as they hurry up the stairs and into the main entrance where Nathan is standing nervously. No one else from the rescue squad is in sight.
"They're getting the kids to the infirmary." Romilda says when she spots Gabe looking around. "I'll take this one - you need to get to the Room of Requirement - Alecto definitely saw your face, you're screwed."
"Where's Micheal?" Nathan asks suddenly. "He was with you, right Gabe? Where is he?"
Gabe bites his lip and glances away, though not fast enough to miss the look of dawning horror on his best friend's face.
"I swear to every great wizard if he's hurt because of this..." Nathan says, voice shaky, before he shakes his head and takes the first year from both of them. "I've got him. Romilda, deal with Gabe. I can't right now."
"It is not my fault." Gabe tries to insist but Nathan is walking away and Romilda is pulling him towards the stairs.
"Of course not, but after how many people get hurt during your plans you're going to get a little more blame than normal." Romilda points out. "People tend to assume you're being reckless even when you aren't because of that."
"Why are you even here?" Gabe snaps at her, yanking his arm back so he can glare at her properly. She stops about a step ahead of him and turns to face him.
"I can smell your brand of stupid from across the castle." She snarks, then backs down at the look on his face. "Sorry. I ran into Lavender and she gave me the low down, figured I'd help with the evacuation is all."
He huffs out a breath and starts moving again, not bothering to continue the conversation. His mind is still charged up on adrenaline that's now laced with a guilt that he's pretty sure is unfounded but lingers all the same.
Romilda follows him quietly all the way to the seventh floor. "So I guess you'll be living with Neville then." She tries for some lightheartedness, but it falls flat and she chews her lips. Finally she breaks the silence again. "Look, Nate's going to be hurt, but he's the emotional one of the three of us, yeah? So he's going to be a little more reactive about all this stuff, especially since it's his brother. I assume Michael made a choice back there and it was his to make so..." She shrugs. "You two are best friends, you'll get through this."
Gabe eyes her suspiciously. "Yes, I know. I am the smart one." He pauses, then adds, "Of the three of us."
Romilda beams. "And I'm the brawn! So we're perfectly matched, really. Look, I'll talk to Nate tonight at dinner, okay? So you get hidden before the Carrows get up here and let me handle this."
Gabe hesitates before nodding to her and beginning the process of opening the Room of Requirement. Romilda shoots him a cheeky salute and then heads off down the halls, presumably towards the Gryffindor Tower to see about finding Nathan.
The door appears in front of him and Gabe slips through, closing it before turning to survey the room.
"Hey Gabe! Did everyone get out okay?" Susan Bones is perched on one of the bunk beds, looking unhurt despite her earlier stunt. "I'm jusy lying low here for a bit, but I'll head out soon. Neville is off getting some food. But seriously, how'd it go?" She's obviously still hyped up from the rush of her own earlier actions, and she can't quite sit still.
Gabe shrugs. "We got all the kids in the dungeon out." He offers evasively, taking a seat as well on another bed that seems to have only just now appeared. He supposes this one is probably his now. "I was compromised so I guess Neville and I are roommates now."
Susan seems to lose some of her manic energy as she realizes how defeated he sounds. "There's more to that, isn't there?" She guesses. "Who got hurt and who's blaming you for it?"
He glares at the redhead. "It was as good a plan as we could have gotten with the time we had." He points out defensively, feeling like he's already said some variation of that a hundred times already. "It is not my fault."
Susan shrugs. "I'm not saying it was - I agree with you. But you wouldn't be this shaken up if something hadn't happened."
Gabe opens his mouth to tell her to shove off and then hesitates. Before he can make up his mind one way or another a painting on the opposite wall swings open and Neville Longbottom clambers out of it.
"Oh, Gabe, hi, I didn't expect anyone else." Neville says, balancing a few plates of food as he closes the portrait with one foot.
Susan hops up from the bed. "Tell you what, I'll as Dorian instead." She tells Gabe, then looks over to Neville. "He can have my share - I'm heading back out anyway. You boys have fun, and don't mess up the room, something tells me you'll have more roommates soon enough." She says with a grin. Then she heads out, the door vanishing as she closes it behind her.
Neville is frowning now as he sets the food down on a table (that once again Gabe is pretty sure hadn't been there a moment before) and gestures for Gabe to take a seat across from him. "Tell me what happened." He instructs, and Gabe sighs.
"They chained up a first year. There was not time to talk to you or Minki." He can admit to spitting the name, but who can blame him? The guy took his job. "We worked with what we had and we got all the students out."
Neville just watches him quietly, waiting for the rest of the explanation. Gabe worries at his lip for a few moments, not really wanting to say everything but wondering if he can actually get away with an incomplete truth.
It's not like everyone won't find out about Michael anyway. May as well get being yelled at over with now when there aren't any witnesses.
"Alecto surprised us, at the end. Demelza managed to distract her long enough for Parvati to get most of the remaining kids out but there was still the first year. Michael got him unchained and I stood guard against Alecto. Then..." He trails off, staring hard at the table in front of him as Nathan's devastated expression rises unbidden to the front of his mind. "Then, um, Alecto came in and Michael..." He glares at his hands. "He told me to take the kid and run. So I did."
"Sounds like he made a decision. It was a tough situation and he took the hit." Neville says simply, and Gabe finally looks up.
"That is not what I expected you to say." He admits after a moment, and Neville laughs slightly, though he obviously isn't happy about the news concerning Michael based on the worry lines creasing around his eyes.
"Susan and I were talking about you, just before you came in." And that's a complete non-sequitur but Gabe doesn't point that out, figuring Neville might actually be going somewhere with this. "She said you did a really good job when Demelza was freaking out."
Gabe doesn't say anything, surprised to find that the praise doesn't immediately lift his spirits the way it normally would.
Neville continues. "And beyond that you're actually feeling guilty about one of your plans going wrong, even though this time it was bad luck rather than incomplete planning. That's a good thing Gabe."
"Does not feel like it." He grumbles, and Neville laughs.
"Oh trust me, it's the worst. But that's what it's like being a leader. Every failure is on your shoulders, and only when you're willing to accept that can you really be a great leader. You always had the potential to be a leader Gabe, but now you're finally starting to realize the burdens that come with it. It's called maturing." He grins wryly, "And I'll be the first to tell you that it's not a painless process."
Gabe sighs and leans back in his chair, finally picking up the utensils and starting to poke the food Neville had brought in earlier. "Nate is angry with me." He says after a moment.
"That's part of being a leader too." Neville replies simply as he starts in on his own food.
Gabe mulls over their conversation for the next few hours, with a brief interruption by Romilda when she brings him his things.
"Did you just go into the boy's dorms?" He asks her, unimpressed, and she sticks her tongue out.
"Who else was going to? Nate's in the hospital wing with Michael and Seamus is in detention for Merlin knows what this time so I was the only DA available who knew which room was yours. You're welcome by the way." She adds, snidely, before softening slightly. "And, um, you feeling better? I know earlier-"
"I am fine Romilda, Neville and I talked it out." He interrupts her quickly. "Thank you for this, but you should get going, you would not want to be caught out after curfew."
Romilda studies him for a moment longer before stepping forward and tugging him into a brief hug. "Talk to me if you need to." She says firmly before letting herself out.
And that's something new from today too, and really Gabe isn't sure he likes all this change happening all at once. But, upon reflection, he can admit it's been coming on for a while. Romilda has been a fixture in his life for years, and even if it's only recently that it's become a positive one it's still not exactly surprising that they've managed to become friends.
As for Nate... Guilt washes over him every time he thinks about Nate or Michael. His mind keep stuttering and skipping over Michael's final shout, tries to work out what he should have done differently, how he could have stopped whatever happened from happening because he still doesn't know but Romilda had said Michael was in the hospital wing and that's not good.
The Carrows don't let them go to the hospital wing after punishments unless they're on the verge of death or permanent disfigurement.
He doesn't really sleep that night, tossing and turning in the surprisingly comfortable magical bunk bed, unable to settle down with his mind whirling and his heart and gut filled up with lead.
If this is what leadership and maturity feel like, he wants a refund.
Author's Note: Well, I think Gabe finally learned his lesson OTL
Next Time: Sometimes what you want isn't what you expected
So I'm thinking I might do a final 'afterwords' chapter to share my thoughts and feelings on writing this story, if that's something people would be interested in? I'm also open to answering any lingering questions people might have there as well!
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