Playing with Fire

Chapter twenty-one ~ The Truth

"So, your Godfather is Sirius Black?"

"Yes."

"And he is not a murderer?"

"No."

"He was framed?"

"Yes."

Harry was looking at me intently, as Hermione and Ron kept on filling in on small details about Harry and Sirius in case he forgot about something. At first when I found out all of the information about Sirius Black I had laughed, but then, reading from the serious looks on their faces, I had decided to trust my friends.

"The Daily Prophet sucks," I said. "Is there anything else I am supposed to know?"

Hermione shrugged, looking at the others.

"Not really," she said. "If you don't have any other questions?"

I thought long and hard, not knowing if I really had anything to ask. Of course I had questions, considering the three of them had lately put their heads together to whisper among each other more than before. At first I had tried to ignore it, but now I felt rather alone and annoyed by it.

"No," I decided.

"Brilliant," said Harry and leaned back in the sofa. Saturdays were nice, especially the evenings in front of the hot fire.

"Umbridge has forged a new degree," said Hermione then with a tired voice as she then quoted in a high-pitched girly voice; "Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach."

"Meaning what?" asked Ron.

"Meaning," I said, "we can't ask teachers about the breakout or anything unrelated to the particular subject their teaching. It's outraged."

"Lee Jordan got detention with Umbridge because of it," said Harry. "He had said something about it during class when Fred and George hadn't been reading."

"That woman is the most awful, disgusting and gross person there can possibly be walking on this earth!" said Hermione, her eyebrows turning thicker as she frowned out of fury. "We need to make a statement, something which will make her sweat."

"Like what?" asked Ron.

"I will figure something out..." said Hermione mischievously.

And she did. As January came to an end and February had begun, Hermione's plan had come into the works. After convincing Harry to have a private interview with Rita Skeeter during our visit in Hogsmeade for Valentine's Day (Hermione had been wandering off with Blaise afterwards – of course) – Harry's side of the truth regarding Voldemort's return had gone public. Luna Lovegood, whose father owned his own magazine – The Quibbler – had agreed on publishing the article. As the Quibbler with the interview was published, every student and teacher had their own copy, reading it carefully. It had been quite the sight.

Until, of course, Umbridge got her pig-like hands on them and forged another degree, banning all copies of the Quibbler there was. She had also given Harry another week worth of detention, taken fifty points away from Gryffindor and forbidden him from ever going back to Hogsmeade – though it was all worth it. Because now people knew the truth about Harry, and he did get a massive amount of support by a lot of people. There were strangers sending owls to him, thanking him and telling him to continue with what he was doing as they supported him. A fact of which made Umbridge's head turn red and fists white.

During dinner that night, the four of us ate our potatoes and sausage with satisfied smiles on our faces. We hadn't won the battle, but we had made a great stand.