Voldemort's Soft Spot.

Chapter 5

I remembered looking at Lupin last summer, he did look shabbier. My loathing for Umbridge deepened even further.

"What's she got against werewolves?" I said angrily.

"Scared of them, I expect." Sirus said smiling at my indignation. " Apparently she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose..."

My friends and I laughed... well except for Hermione who looked upset. Her and her S.P.E.W.

" Sirus!" Hermione said reproachfully." Honestly, if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher I'm sure he'd respond, after all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said..."

" So what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Sirius interupted " Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"

" No." I said, ignoring Hermione's affronted look at being cut off in her defense of Kreacher. " She's not letting us use magic at all!" I said unhappily.

"All we do is read the stupid textbook." Ron said .

" Ah, well, that figures," said Sirus " Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

" Trained in combat???" I repeated incredulously. " What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army??"

" Thats exactly what he thinks you're doing," Said Sirus " Or rather that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing...forming his own private army, which he will be able to take on the Minsistry of Magic."

There was a pause at this as my friends and I gaped at Sirius.

" That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."

I nodded in agreement. " That loon has lost his marbles." I muttered.

" So we're being prevented from learing Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells agaisnt the Minsitry??" Harry said furiously.

" Yep." Sirus said simply " Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

" So that's why Umbridge keeps coming out with these ridiculous decrees." Hermione said rolling her eyes.

" Decrees?"  Sirius asked.

" Yeah, the nutcase keeps making decrees.... she is on what number is it...ah 25.... It states that students won't have secret organizations in the school unless approved by her." I said rolling my eyes.

" And there is plenty more where that came from... she is so strict and snotty about every little thing." Ron said scrunching up his nose with distaste.

" Yeah, that means that we aren't allowed to have..." Harry began.

" .....secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?"

" How did you know about that." Harry demanded

Sirus grinned. " You want to choose your meeting places more carefully, The hog's head, I ask you..."

" Well it was better than the three broomsticks!" Hermione said defensively " That's always packed with people."

".... which means you'd have been harder to overhear." said Sirius " You've got alot to learn, Hermione."