This W A S Footloose. The bad guys were trying to ban dance. Kale could’ve screamed. Every day these Hooded Dudes designed new ways to torture them by stripping away the beautiful things that made life worth living. As a Trent, he spoke with some authority on this matter. And somehow, because dancing felt the most arbitrary and nonsensical of things to get their back up about, Kale felt something dumb overtake him.

It was courage.

Stupid thing courage was these days.

The fifth year flicked his wand and the music halted. ”No,” he said stubbornly. ”Dude, we’re just dancing. You can’t seriously think that is a punishable offense.” There was no way they could keep getting away with these nonsensical punishments. After all, he’d seen how Footloose ended. Spoiler alert: the bad guys lose.

If Aboli were capable of murder, and she believed herself to be but also wasn't sure she wanted to murder anyone on school property, Bernie would be dead. If looks could kill, Bernie was already six feet under. She placed her wand on the ground in the indicated spot without question, complaint, or hesitation. Were these people reasonable, she would have asked why they were expected to do something without magic ... like common muggles. Their words, not hers.

But she didn't.

She should have bloody followed Nem. "Mamie, shush," she said quickly, not wanting the younger girl to get, like, punished or anything. "Read their information plagues and make an assessment." Honestly. She was already formulating a plan in her mind of how to get this done as quickly as possible, but as she looked at the lot of them - Kinsay and Kale, mostly - she realized they wouldn't listen to her.

"If we plan accordingly, we can get it done efficiently." She said softly to them, knowing she would feel guilty later for not at least offering her SEVENTH YEAR WISDOM. "Mamie, you can stick with me if you want. Kale, Kinsay, Bernie, and Phoebe, you all can go that way - " She gestured to her right. "Ivy, Mamie, Bella, you three aren't infinitely irritating, so you can tag along with me if you'd like. I'll make sure you get the right portraits."

Hmph.

This was so stupid.

That was when KALE. SPOKE. Aboli grabbed him by the front of his robes, harder than she meant to, and mEAN MUGGED HIM. "Kale Trent, you do what you're told." She could not watch him get tortured again. She couldn't let anything happen to any of them. THIS IS WHY SHE WANTED THEM TO ALL FREAKING LEAVE. She WILLLLLED him to read her mind. PLEASE KALE. She let go, her hands shaking.

Wait... WAIT! She HAD made it to Mungo's after all! She had! Help could be on the way! Granted, Winifred did not sound at all like she had actually spoken to someone, but if Bernie could just nudge her back there after all... She opened her mouth to do just that, preparing to make nudging motions and everything, when the hooded figures........

...ruined everything.

Bernie could have SCREAMED with frustration when they went for Winifred's portrait. She covered it with her hands, trying to hold up the tear in the artwork, and shook her head at Aboli. She was NOT doing this. Didn't they see? Didn't they get it yet? The portraits were the way out. All the damned pureblood kids in this school and yet not one had thought to use a portrait to communicate with the outside world. Not one. A MUGGLEBORN, who had no one to even talk to on the outside, was here trying to save them all.

She could have cried in addition to screaming; unfortunately, this tightly wound Gryffindor could really do neither. Her jaw was locked, thanks to the Goons. She was so fed up that she was right there with Kale about the... lack of punishable offenses happening. NO. BERNIE WAS NOT LEAVING WINIFRED TO GO TAKE DOWN THE OTHER PORTRAITS. She was absolutely not cooperating; in fact, she was just pretending like she couldn't hear the orders of these stupid hoodie-wearers. She just continued clinging to Winifred's portrait.

How in the world did those goons know what Bernie was up to when the rest of them were making such a ruckus? There was something very creepy about these guys and their uncanny ability to know what they were doing. Better then the rest of them knew sometimes.

Phoebe paused in her extremely enthusiastic dancing when the goons appeared, and she dropped any attempt to dance when Bernie was struck with a spell. At least it hadn't injured her, although Phoebe still darted forward to put herself between the goons and Bernie. "We'll take care of her! I mean, we'll take care of this portrait first. Into the classroom she goes!"

It was a rare moment when the big man was not planning the next big move for the alliance. There were...things that needed reconsidering and last minute touches that could do with being ironed out.

But right now he was heading down to the kitchen for a snack.

...Or he was.

"My, what have we here?" Disinterest dripped from his lips, oozing from his every move. Lucien assessed the situation for no more than a minute, needing little information. The squad was there and by the words he'd caught on his way around the corner to enter the corridor, he could tell the students were doing anything but what they should.

"Kill the muggleborns, punish the purebloods and the halfbloods." The nonchalance with which he spoke belied a greater feeling. He was TIRED of half these kids and was running out of reasons to keep them around. Most would never join, they would never see the greater good. At this point, they were taking up valuable space and causing more trouble than he cared to address.

"Take them out to the courtyard, let the others watch." He didn't care what they were or were not doing. It was time they scaled the place down some, starting with the useless defiant ones. There were enough battles ahead, he didn't need more within their walls.

Upon hearing and seeing their headmaster, Aboli's blood ran cold. She took a step back from the group, eyeing Mamie and Bernie nervously, then looking back at Rosier. Then back at them.

And then back at Rosier.

This was a yikes moment. Actually, yikes didn't cover it, and Aboli wasn't sure she had processed what he had actually just said. "Headmaster Rosier," she heard herself saying. "If you please reconsider your decision. D-do you think the cruciatus curse would suffice? It hurts more than death - or so I've heard - we'll clean your office! We'll do whatever you say - we will - I will - these portraits mean nothing to me - "

Justdon'tkillBernie. She wasn't sure if Mamie was muggleborn or not. But she knew Bernie was a muggleborn.

Just a minute ago Kinsay was ready to dance with her new friend, Nemesis, and now they were...... Things were.... Did he..... The Headmaster said....

... "Kill?"

All color quickly drained from Kinsay's face as she tried to understand what was happening before her. It was sensory overload. It was emotional overload. It was all sorts of overwhelming and she wanted her mum! Were they supposed to be moving? Because Kinsay's feet were properly stuck to the floor. And on top of all this, nothing that Aboli was saying registered in her little second year brain. It was all wah wah wah wah wah wah wah to this Gryffindor.

She wasn't crying. She wasn't. These were allergy tears. The castle is dusty.

Click clack, click clack. The sound of heels rang out in the corridors as the professor walked briskly down the hall, blonde ponytail swinging rapidly behind her. Gabi was headed to the hospital wing, a pile of parchments in her arms that needed grading, when she heard Lucian around the corner. Oh, great. Just what she needed. She stopped and bit her lip, debating on whether or not she should turn around and hang out in the library instead so she didn't have to pass him, when she heard what he was saying...

Kill the Muggleborns.

He...he wasn't serious, was he? Her blue eyes widened, especially when she heard him tell someone to take them to the courtyard. What was this??? A public execution?? Merlins beard, she had to be dreaming! This was an absolute nightmare come to life. She had to do something, anything, she had to stop this...

Dropping her papers completely, she turned around the corner, finding Lucian and his Squad facing a number of students. "Lucian, don't!" she exclaimed as she ran up to him.

Did the professor have a plan? Nope. Not at all. She didn't even have time to worry about the fact that she didn't address him by his title. Too late for that - but hopefully not too late to stop whatever he was going to do.

"There's no need...I mean...whatever they've done...we...let me do it!" she rambled before looking at him confidently, as if a fantastic idea had just popped into her head. Hopefully her acting skills were up to par...

"Let me handle their punishment. I know them well, know how to best make them...suffer," she said, her voice dropping softly. She hoped that any of the students listening to her knew that she was just saying this to get them off their backs - or save their lives, if Rosier was being serious.

Winifred let out a bloodcurdling shriek in anticipation of what was to come.

But it was too late.

The spell caused a large strip of her canvas to fall to the ground and in the heat of the moment she did what any good portrait would do: disappear. It was high time she visited Mildred again (perhaps indefinitely this time).

How did this go from bad to worse.

How.

Bernie gave up on the portrait, turning her burning blue eyes from the disappeared Winifred to the Rosier himself.

Not the Big Man. NOT the Head Man. DEFINITELY NOT the Headmaster man. She'd NEVER call him that. She peeked out from behind Phoebe's shoulder and immediately regretted.... everything. So so so this was how she was going to die, then? This was it?!? Bernie thought she could die a better death than this, surely?! Couldn't she go down swinging?!

She swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes welling up (much like Kinsay's) because this...these... portraits were so very dry. And the worst part about dying wasn't even the dying; it was that her jaw was glued shut by the inquisitorial bubs so she wouldn't even get any last words.

She woulda let out a silent sob, if she coulda, but she couldn't. Not even when HealerProfessor Recard showed up to volunteer to punish them. Please, yes, punish them! NOT kill them! NOT KILL THEM WHEN SHE'D BEEN PUT ON SILENT!

Bernie communicated all of this with her frantic blue eyes, looking mostly like this like so:

Everything was happening one right after the other, and it was...a lot.

Kale had declared it a party and started dancing, but it still didn't answer for her why this was happening. Mamie and Bella seemed just as confused as herself, and Ivy felt a growing uneasiness too, because what if...

...Of course.

The creepy hooded group had appeared. They always showed up at the worst times.

And now they were ordering them to take down all the portraits of those who weren't purebloods. And they had to give up their wands until they were done. A part of her mentally recoiled at this. It, along with everything else these horrible people taught, went against what her mum had taught her. Always keep your wand close.

But, also like everything else that had happened this term, what choice did she have?

Certainly not the choice to talk back to them like Kale was doing again. Ivy's grey eyes widened, not wanting to watch him or anyone else get hurt again. She was grateful that Aboli seemed to be taking charge, appreciating her answer to Mamie too since she'd also wondered the same. She wasn't sure how much of that would be disclosed on the plaques, but they could all probably figure it out just fine. She just wanted to get away from-

A chill ran down her spine.

Oh no. Of all the people, why did he have to show up?

And his next words drained all of the oxygen out of the room.

No. No no no no no no no.

This couldn't be happening. There had to be a way to stop this. Ivy vaguely heard Aboli talking to Rosier, but she was too numb to listen, her mind racing to grasp at anything that might help this situation. Surely-

Professor Recard appeared, and it jolted Ivy out of her thoughts. Yes, yes, maybe...maybe Recard could help? And whatever Aboli had said? Maybe there was still hope, even if Ivy couldn't find the words to say or the ability to do anything herself to help fix it. She was as frozen as a deer in headlights (or whatever the magical equivalent might be).

Mamie was a Muggleborn.

She was going to listen to Aboli, and take down the portraits, without magic for some weird reason. She was really gonna.

But then Rosier showed up...and...he wanted to kill them? Mamie shrank, trying to make herself as small as possible, which was not much smaller than her normal size. She eyed her wand, still on the floor where she had put it down LIKE THEY TOLD HER TO. Should she grab it run? She looked around...she knew Bernie was also a Muggleborn, from the time they'd had their brooms taken away during flying class. She could...grab Bernie, grab her wand, and run away, like Simba did in the Lion King. Her and Bernie could leave Hogwarts, find some Timon and Pumba equilalents, and...save everybody. Because Rosier was definitely Scar.

Mamie wasn't useless! Mamie wasn't defiant!

She clung to Aboli, trying her best not to cry (and failing). She was hardly even relieved when Recard showed up, she was too scared--she was sure Rosier wouldn't listen to the healer. They had been so upset when she showed up to help during classes, she doubted they would listen to her. But also...she really wanted her wand from the floor.

She reached out SO SLOWLY with her foot to try to sliiiiide the wand back toward her. While also trying to not move... Not that she could do anything useful with her wand if she scooted it back, but...it was hers.

"We're doing what we were told to do!" Phoebe didn't dare look at her devastated little sister, because that child was a pureblood and nothing bad was going to happen to her. But Bernie was in danger, and Phoebe didn't know what to do. This was the thing that everyone had been warning her about, right? RIGHT?

Phoebe grabbed hold of the portrait frame and heaved it off the wall, letting it fall on the floor with a clatter. "We can do as we're told. I promise."

The fifth year knew that Aboli was trying to use common sense when she straight up chastised him, but Kale really didn’t think that common sense and these guys went hand-in-hand. Besides, he was O V E R letting these dudes bully his peers. He had a right to dance!

He was revving up to say as much when the actual worst person alive turned a corner.

Kale was flippin’ tired of Rosier, okay? He had been tired of him the moment he had melted his father’s face and revealed that he had basically ruined Kale’s family and destroyed his life. And no, he didn’t regret throwing a shoe at his lumpy, stupid head even if it got him the Cruciatus Curse in return for his perceived insolence. He was a straight up villain and a shoe to the head wasn’t even the least of what this dude deserved. In fact, Kale could think of about ten things he deserved this very moment for stifling dance.

These were all real thoughts he had until Rosier threatened to kill the muggleborns.

Murder had a real way of sobering courage. And even if his face was THUNDEROUS (and he was pretty sure Rosier and the Hooded Dudes could see just how mad Kale looked), he didn’t want to try anything that would get anyone killed. But omigod he hated Rosier so much. Someday soon karma was gonna come and kick him in the teeth and Kale would be right there to watch.

If there was any justice in the world, he would get to do the kicking.

But for now he had to focus on everybody else. This was such a bad way to end a dance party, for the record.

It was Winifred's shriek that caught Camilo's attention when he was walking down a nearby corridor. He immediately drew his wand and ran toward the source of commotion, almost slipping on some history papers on the floor as he turned the corner. He had not heard Headmaster Rosier's command, but the tense atmosphere and unusual silence, as well as Gabriela's plea to let her "handle their punishment" told him everything he needed to know. Returning his wand into his pocket for the time being, he stood at the back of the group, ready to help with the rescue mission. Heart racing, mind blank, but still ready to help.

He really hoped Professor Recard had a plan.

These kids were insufferable. The two hooded figures gave each other annoyed glances as one wrote a few more things the other held his wand toward the children. He was just about to hex the young Trent when he heard Lucien's voice.

It was about time and the one holding his wand scooped up the robes of the Gryffindor (Bernie) he had jaw locked earlier. just as one of the professors came to their rescue. These professors were never going to learn it seemed. "You heard him follow us." For now the hooded figures were going to ignore the professors unless Lucien said other wise.

The figure that had the quill now had a wand out and his hand on the former headmasters son (Kale) with a wicked smile on his lips under his hood. He didn't care the blood status of this one, it would be enjoyable to use him as an example. "You heard the orders, get moving."

Bella face drained white with fear and shock as Bernie got hexed by the hooded figures to silence in front of her. Mouth going dry and being too scared to say anything she dropped her wand to the floor with the others and waited for further instructions. Going with Aboli to take down some portraits didn't sound so bad. Damaged protraits could be repaired later she hoped.

Bella hadn't managed to take more than one step towards Aboli to ask which way they should go when the scariest man of all showed up. What came out of Rosiers mouth was so shocking and frightening that Bella wanted to scream out her thoughts and feelings, but she knew it'd just make things worse. Scared out of her wit's Bella inched closer and closer to Aboli for support almost even reaching for a hand to hold on to. Killing muggleborns and making purebloods suffer sounded very alarming.

Then professors Recard and Aguilar showed up on the scene and her head of house tried to take over their punishment. Biting her lip and looking on silently Bella hoped Recards offer wouldn't make things worse for them all, but she feared it would.

A brow rose as the pleas they were behaving and the offers to be punished came pouring in. Some went silent entirely, some thought it best to step in. Take the Professors for instance. Did he need to take their word for it? Soon the castle would be overflowing. It really could use some trimming here and there. The fact a few of these kids fell into the "usual suspects" category was all the more reason to stick to his resolve.

Lucien looked from face to face, blatantly ignoring the Healer who was currently ignoring his personal space.

Benevolence, then. Turning this and putting it in their hands. "Fine." He waved the squad still for now, seeing better opportunity. "I'll let you prove to me that you can and will do what you're told. Remember this moment well, it will come in handy sooner than you think." They had better take notes.

He looked between Recard and Aguilar. "Punish them, as you see fit then. My squad will decide how acceptable it is and you'll make up for any lack therein."

He nodded toward his squad. "Follow them. Make sure they do what needs to be done right."

Bernie's eyes were welling up; she couldn't help it, it was just so DRY out here and plus her eyes were working overtime to communicate all the things that her mouth could not. This was like the worst case of lockjaw/dry mouth/cursed life EVER.

She also kind of hated herself now for getting all these other kids in trouble. They deserved a better hero.

Under better circumstances, she could have laughed at Phoebe knocking the portrait off the wall. It was just so sudden, such a... half-ditched effort to save them. When another professor showed up to join the cause, and it was the HAWT flying instructor at that, Bernie felt the tears (tears from dry eyes ONLY, not from this near-death experience) begin to slide down her cheeks. Why oh why did he have to witness this buffoonery of hers.

Now crying and internally screaming, she could only flail at the goon hand grabbing her robes. Her legs began kicking uselessly as she tried to lock her feet (in addition to her jaw) and keep him from taking her. WHY WAS THIS ONE SO TALL AS WELL? Was everyone taller than Bernie now? Did she have to just accept that as a fact of life, for however long she had left to live?

She felt herself releasing a huge, snot-ridden breath when the Headmaster unbelievably turned punishment over to the professors. Oh Merlin, Merlin, thank Merlin and Morgana and Circe and Aberforth-and-his-goats-Dumbledore. Bernie understood now how Atlas Flamsteed had peed himself twice so far this semester because she almost did the same.

But, she didn't. She was a girl, so she could hold it in. She could hold everything until (even her silent screams) until the professors saved her and also released her from the lockjaw. Right? Right.

Stage one of Gabi's plan was simple - avoid any DEATH. So far, she seemed to be on the right track there. Thank Merlin. That had been her goal first and foremost, so even though she now had a BIGGER problem on her hands, she could at least buy herself some time to figure out how to tackle it.

"We can take them somewhere quieter and deal out their punishment there," she said, nodding to Camilo with a pleading look - this would be MUCH easier if she had someone nearby to help. She was sure she wouldn't think of anything to punish them with that was up to the Squad's standards. She'd seen how they operated, and she was not going to harm her students. But she could offer up less dangerous forms of punishment. Kitchen duty, maybe. Give the house elves a break. A week long silencing charm. More acne in the form of words. As long as it kept them safe, they'd survive it. Rosier might think they were weak, but she knew these kids were TOUGH. They'd nearly VANISHED in to thin air a few years ago, and some had been possessed only a few months ago! None of those inconveniences would truly trouble them.

And once she got them alone...oh, they were going to HEAR it from her. What on Earth did they NOT get about KEEPING. THEIR. HEADS. DOWN?? She was appalled at Rosier's actions, of course, but she wasn't exactly happy that they'd given him a reason to do so in the first place.

"The armour gallery, perhaps," she added as an afterthought when she realized she hadn't spoken in a few minutes. She could think more on the walk there.

The whirlwind of emotions. Aboli was tired. Not only did she have her own emotions to worry about, if she wasn't careful, she'd get a slip of someone else's. And she sooooo did not want that. Rosier was actually letting Recard dole out their punishment? She had been sure he'd never go for it, but she was in shock. She was also scared that if Recard didn't punish them well enough, she'd be killed herself. And that could NOT happen. They could not lose any of the adults that were on their side! They were the only form of some protection, here!

"Just tell us where to go, Professor," Aboli said softly, looking down at her wringing, gloved hands. Her relief that Bernie and Mamie were safe was nice, but now she felt more fear inching its way into her very soul. It was suffocating. She pulled Mamie closer to her as the girl leaned into her. "You're all right, Mamie. For now." She whispered. She gave the younger girl's head a stroke of her hand, like she'd do for her younger brothers if they were upset. In fact...Mamie was around Koko's age. She wondered if Mamie knew him.

Poor Kale Trent. She could see it, in his eyes. The hatred. But she couldn't say anything to him. It wasn't her place, they weren't friends. Perhaps it was something she could talk to Cece about trickling over to him.

Kale felt the firm, taunting grip of the hooded figure that had snatched him up jostle him as Rosier mulled over what would be their fate. The Gryffindor nearly shirked him off. His assailant’s hand was gross and frankly in deep need of a hydration routine. The fist was appallingly dry.

Yes, these were the thoughts Kale chose to focus on ‘cuz the others had a distinctly murdered undercurrent. Look, he wasn’t an idiot. Or, well, he wasn’t naive. Or, wait, hang on, he wasn’t mistaken about this one specific thing— the Neo Alliance was not a Kale Trent fan. It was a precedent set by their cruddy leader, Rosier. The Hooded Dudes had picked up their leader’s disdain for him with glee. Knowing this, Kale probably shouldn’t have resisted.

But it had only been an impromptu dance party.

In their new version of the world was it completely devoid of joy? Why were they all fighting so hard for something so lifeless, so cruel? That was not living.

While Kale waffled back and forth between knocking the jerk hood’s hand away, Rosier decided to play indifferent. He let the Professors decide their fate. So Kale shrugged the Hooded guy’s hand off of his shoulder.

For the sake of expedience only. He had to follow his Professor wherever they went next, you see.

Every second that crawled by felt like an eternity.

Ivy heard Phoebe speaking up, and then Professor Aguilar showed up, and another small spark of hope lit within her because maybe with two professors there this would be fixed - but then the inquisitorial creeps were trying to herd them away and their words smothered that tiny fire and...

...and then, for the first and probably only time, that spark was ignited again by Rosier's words. He would...let the professors punish them? And his creep followers would be there to make sure it was good enough.

It was no perfect solution, but at least he wasn't going to kill anyone.

Unless the punishment the professors decided wasn't enough. Then...what if...

No. Ivy wasn't going to go down that road. Recard and Aguilar knew the harsh standard the Inquisitorial Squad set, so they'd surely...figure something out. And she would accept it without complaint and without holding it against them. It meant that her friends and fellow students were still alive, so it was worth it.

Phoebe scooped up the portrait and held the frame to her chest as she shuffled closer to Professor Recard. She knew they'd only escaped torture (and death) by the thinnest of lines, and it was hard to know what had won the Head Goon over. The begging, probably. Kids couldn't beg after they were dead.

"Professor. They really... none of these kids did anything. They just showed up and we put on music and danced. If you have to hurt someone real bad, it should be me. All my teeth are new, so just saying, it would be okay if I had to grow them in again." Or maybe not grow them back. That would be pretty bad punishment too.

She squirmed as the Inquisitorial Squad grabbed Bernie, and...Kale Trent? He wasn't a Muggleborn, that didn't make sense? Apparently her hiding had worked, though, because nobody grabbed her, so she had that one tiny thing to be grateful for, that maybe somehow they wouldn't remember she was a Muggleborn or here and wouldn't assassinate her in the courtyard.

Oh. They weren't getting murdered?

Mamie needed to rethink her Lion King analogy. Maybe Recard and Aguilar were Timon and Pumba, saving the day. She started breathing again when Scar Rosier said he wasn't going to kill them. She hadn't realized she had stopped breathing.

She loosened her grip on Aboli juuuust long enough that she could actually reach her wand with her foot, and scooted it next to her other foot, and....oh, she did actually have to let go of Aboli. Mamie let go of Aboli and scooped her wand up off the floor. Since they weren't going to be punished by the Squad anymore, she doubted Recard would want them to not have their wands.

She kept her mouth shut. By choice.