Love & Potions: A Tom Riddle X Reader Story. Part 2 (Fifth Year)

Chapter 36: Dumbledore disappears and Easter begins

"Did you hear?" Pansy whispers excitedly to Daphne as you all sit and study on one of the final days before the Easter holidays in the Great Hall.

"I know I can't believe it. What does that even mean, illicit activities?" Daphne says.

"Basically if we do anything she finds suspicious or supportive of Dumbledore the way Potter and his friends did, we're expelled." You say as you write.

"I still can't believe it. Dumbledore's Army? Like Potter and that lot, what were they gonna do? Take down the Ministry?" Astoria scoffs and your eyes flick between her and down to Draco, who had been one of the Inquisitorial Squad members who had rounded up the students who had been hiding in the room of requirement.

Your eyes flick over to Mattheo as he continues writing, ignoring the conversation as much as he could. You all knew who Potter wanted to take down, it was common knowledge but nobody in your friendship group ever discussed it because it was taboo but also for Mattheo's sake. Any gossip about you-know-who was always done behind hands and in hushed whispers far away from Mattheo and Draco. From what you knew of Harry and his friends, you really didn't think he was keen on bringing down the Ministry. Umbridge, yes, but not the Ministry. But if the papers were to be believed, him and Dumbledore had been cooking up this bid to seize the Ministry for awhile.

"Apparently they were using the room of requirement? I've never even seen it!" Daphne whispers as you all lean your heads closer to gossip quietly, whilst keeping an eye out for Snape.

"No me neither. Apparently it just appears if you need it. It can change size and shape apparently! Always has stuff in it, depending on what you want! Course it appears for the Chosen one." Enzo whispers to you all and throws a dirty look across at the back of Harry's head at the Gryffindor table, and you all turn and look at him and Pansy scowls hard.

"Who cares about some stupid room? Or Potter! I'm more worried about that fat, ugly little dugbog running the place! You think she'd cut us Slytherins some slack seeing as she used to be one of us but no, she's just... a nightmare! You know she put Theo and I in detention for holding hands!" Pansy snipes angrily as she scratches her quill across her parchment. "She's turning the place into Azkaban. Have you heard we're now only allowed out to Hogsmeade with written permission from home and a teacher now and only on the specified day with a teacher? I heard Mcgonagal talking about it. We literally are only allowed an hour at most then we have to all march back together in a group! She's even going to be inspecting people's bags to see what we've been buying!"

You hadn't heard this bit of gossip and you wrinkle your nose in disgust. It felt like the rules were getting tighter and tighter and you knew when you came back after the holidays, Umbridge would have had time to think up more crazy, controlling rules.

"You know she wanted to lock the school down for Easter? Not let anyone go home!" Pansy whispers to you all and you all frown and make annoyed faces and further down the table, Draco overhears.

"My father stopped that." Draco says with a proud smirk. "I told him I wanted to come home for the holidays and he made sure the governors didn't let her pass that rule, so I can go back and see him on his time off from work."

You roll your eyes as Astoria smiles at him with the most adoring smile and he smirks back.

"Aww is it time for your annual hug from Daddy Malfoy already? I thought you only got one on your birthday Dray?" Enzo says with a wicked little grin and you all grin as Draco's incensed scowl deepens, his pale eyebrows knitting together in rage and he digs Enzo in the ribs sharply with his elbow and Mattheo and Theo chuckle.

You all settle down quietly and work for a minute or two more when suddenly a loud voice who didn't understand the concept of whispering asks a question.