𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓| 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲✔️

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄|𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃.𝐀.

MARA WILLIAMS

Bright red flames crackled and roared as they soared their path to the lip of the hearth. Sultry crimson tongues licked at the grate that withheld the fire from the very flammable common room.

Thick smoke coiled like silver serpents as it disappeared out of view behind the mantle and up the chimney into the night air beyond.

Snakes, they were everywhere. They seemed inescapable in this school when every turn served as a reminder of the Slytherin boy.

Percy let out an annoyed squeak on my lap as I had stopped stroking him, but he settled quickly back into sleep as I resumed absentmindedly.

"-That's not the point Ron!" An annoyed female voice hissed as the portrait to the common room swung open and Harry, Ron and a begrudging looking Hermione entered, holding her scruffy ginger cat like a baby in her arms.

"We have to do it Hermione. Even if we get caught Dumbledore-..." Harry stopped abruptly as he noticed me sat before the fire with Percy in my lap.

"Oh Mara..." Ron said awkwardly, stopping behind Harry so abruptly that Hermione slammed into the back of him. "...Hey..."

"What are you guys talking about?" I said raising an eyebrow at the trio, all three looking guilty as sin.

"Nothing." Hermione said a little too quickly as she stepped forward whilst rubbing her bruised forehead, but behind her back I saw Harry give Ron a small nod.

"Just tell her." Said Ron which caused Hermiones face to turn beet red as she spluttered, "What? No! Harry don't-"

But it was too late. "How do you feel about joining our little club?..."

"Club?" I asked incredulously. "Aren't we a little old for that?"

"Well, it's more of an army really." Added Ron with a lopsided grin, folding his gangly arms over his chest.
I suppressed a smirk. "You've got an army?"

"Yeah," Harry said, puffing up his chest as his courage grew. "Dumbledore's army."

"...Right" I replied slowly with a frown, "So let me get this straight, you want me to join your club, but it's really an army, and it belongs to Dumbledore? What do you do in this club anyways?"

"It's not owned by Dumbledore it's for Dumbledore." Hermione interjected matter of factly as if fed up with the slow pace of the conversation. "-And it's for students who want to learn to protect themselves, to stand up against Umbridge!"

"What's Umbridge?" I asked, which caused Ron and Harry to snort with laughter and Hermione to only look angrier.

"What's Umbridge?" Harry echoed in disbelief, "You mean you haven't met the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Lucky you." Ron mumbled under his breath.

"Well I accidentally missed both lessons last week, so no..." According to my timetable, tomorrow morning would be my first Defence against the Dark Arts lesson.

"Were you not listening to her speech after the Sorting Ceremony?" Hermione grimaced as if the thought of not listening physically pained her as Ron continued. "She's awful. You can hardly miss her, she looks like a human Pom-Pom."

I thought back on it and shook my head, no recollection of any human Pom-Poms came to mind.
As far as I could remember I had hardly even listened to Dumbledore's speech after the Sorting Ceremony, instead my mind had been entirely preoccupied with what I now knew to be Draco Malfoy's famous death glare.