Neville and I sat with Hermione and Harry at the Quidditch match on Sunday. To say it was terrible was an overstatement, Gryffindor didn't do well at all. Poor Ron failed so miserably that I couldn't even get within six feet of him without him turning away and burying his head into his sweater. So I just decided to leave him alone and pretended that I wasn't pitying him constantly.
Now it is March, and the snow was slowly beginning to melt. Neville and I have been spending more and more time together but ... he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend and well ... I'm too nervous to ask him to be mine. It was Monday morning and I walked in with Neville to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione over a huge pile of letters. Apparently, Luna's father had published Harry's interview with Rita, and a whole bunch of readers sent in letters.
"Isn't that Umbridge beside him?" Neville said, and when I looked over I did notice a very angry Umbridge storming off. We rushed over to the table and found out that due to his interview, Harry was no longer allowed to go to Hogsmeade. We spent the rest of breakfast passing around letters after letters, both good and bad. And by that afternoon, The Quibbler had been banned from the school.
"Pity, she thinks that's actually gonna solve the issue," Neville remarked as we headed past the ever-growing wall of decrees and found our way to our classes for the week. With now extra activities, the weeks seemed to be going by quicker and quicker, I found myself sitting in the Great Hall attempting to study on a Monday night (which was hard). As I finally slammed my Potions book shut, Dean came running in with Seamus on his heels.
"Weaslette!" Seamus shouted. I smiled as it was the first time in forever he called me that. Oh yeah, he apologized by the way, in a rather sweet way too. He and Dean got Neville to keep me in the Common Room late on the day after Harry's article went about the school, where Seamus gave me a whole bouquet of Jelly Slug boxes. Anyway, I digress.
"What's up, boys?" I asked slipping my book into my bag. That's when I heard the screaming, agonizingly, ear-piercing screaming. "What the hell?"
"Umbridge ..." Seamus started.
"She's sacking Trelawney!!" Dean shouted grabbing my hand and yanking me off the bench and out into the Entrance Hall. There standing in the middle of the hall was Professor Trelawney sitting on a trunk while Filch lugged another one down the marble stairs. We joined a few other Gryffindor students on one side of her, as the trunk banged on the ground. Filch then hobbled closer with the trunk and slammed it down on the ground in front of her, causing her to both jump back at the noise, but in shock as she was officially getting the boot.
"Not Trelawney." Lavender sniffed into Parvati's shoulder. I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. As much as Lavender may annoy me, I knew how much she and Parvati loved Trelawney. Eventually, the pink toad made her way across the hall towards her and smiled sweetly.
"P-please!" Trelawney whimpered. "Y-you can't do this. H-h-Hogwarts i-is my home!" Trelawney blubbered into a handkerchief. Suddenly McGonagall shoved her way past us students and went to her side. As she wrapped an arm around her, Umbridge dared to speak.
"Anything you would like to say, dear?"
"Oh, there are several things I would like to say." McGonagall snapped. "However, none of which are appropriate to do in front of these students, Dolores!"
"Oooooh, this may be too good. Where's the popcorn?" Seamus remarked. I reached over and slapped him for being so tactless.
"Well, I can tell you one thing, Minerva." Umbridge took a step closer to the pair of them. "You cannot do anything about this, for I have the power to dismiss any staff member I do not see fit."
"However, you have no right to banish them from the grounds." boomed a deep voice, from behind the closed doors. Suddenly they banged open, and in walked Dumbledore looking angrier than ever. At the sight of him, Trelawney started sobbing harder and McGonagall fell to the ground trying to comfort the almost uncomfortable women around.
"I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here" - Umbridge pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes - "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she - that is to say, I - feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her. As I just explained to Minerva right here."
"You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor, you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continues to live at Hogwarts." Umbridge just stood and sputtered on about how the new Divination Professor would need her lodgings, but Dumbledore just smiled.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."
"You've found - ?" said Umbridge shrilly. "You've found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-two -"
" - the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if - and only if - the headmaster is unable to find one," said Dumbledore. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"
He turned to face the open front doors, through which night mist was now drifting. The sound of hooves could be heard approaching. Through the mist came a face I hadn't seen since that dark, dangerous night in the Forbidden Forest: white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes, the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse. "This is Firenze," said Dumbledore happily to a thunderstruck Umbridge. "I think you'll find him suitable."
Umbridge just huffed and stormed back into the castle, leaving the rest of us standing and staring at our new Divination Professor. Suddenly Dumbledore told us all to get back to our Common Rooms as the curfew was growing ever closer, but as I walked away with Dean, Seamus, Neville, and the other Gryffindors, Dumbledore called out to me.
"Miss Weasley, would you actually follow me please." I exchanged some weird glances with my friends before giving my bag to Neville and walking over to Dumbledore and following him up to his office. All along the way, I wondered what I might have done wrong, but couldn't figure out anything. So I just kept following him in hopes it was for a bad reason. Luckily once we got to his office, my fear of getting in trouble vanished as it was replaced with curiosity as Lupin and Bill sat in front of his desk.
"Remus? Billy? Why are you here?" I said taking the seat between them. Just as Bill opened his mouth to respond, Dumbledore spoke.
"Lorrinda, remember in your first year when you found the Mirror of Erised?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," I said nodding my head. "I remember coming to you the next day with the question of how come I heard things when I touched the mirror when neither Ron nor Harry could." As I said that, Remus's eyes went wide in awe as he stared at Dumbledore. Bill just coughed and placed a hand on my knee.
"Now, I have a proposition for you," Dumbledore spoke again. "With the assistance of Mr. Weasley and Mr. Lupin, would you be willing to do some extra defense training in our Room of Requirement?"
I stared at him in shock, he was now differing my extra lessons?! Where was this earlier in the year when Umbridge first took over the school?! Where was this offer, before we had to break school rules and form the DA?! Wait a moment - did he know about the DA? Was this a whole ploy to get me to admit to being a part of the DA?! I must've overthought the situation a million times before Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"I can tell you're having doubts," he said leaning forward. "Let me put it this way, Miss Weasley, you are one of our most promising witches. You're strong, agile, caring, brave, and most of all resilient. If you choose to take these extra lessons, you would be able to get into the early Auror training program offered after you get your O.W.L scores and-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I said, cutting Dumbledore off. "Who said I was going to be an Auror? I know I have never expressed any desire to be an Auror. I've either always wanted to be a Hogwarts Professor or a Dragon Trainer like my brother Charlie."
"Really? I always thought you'd want to be an Auror with all your respect for the rules and upholding them." Dumbledore remarked.
"Well you thought, wrong." I snapped back. "If you want to offer extra lessons, offer them to Ronald, he's actually wanting to be an Auror." I started to get up when Bill grabbed me and pulled me into my seat.
"I'm afraid these lessons, are only offered to you. You see, Lori ... you're a gifted witch. Far more gifted than any of your siblings, even William here." I looked over at Bill who nodded, and back to Remus who flashed a small smile.
"If I were to accept these lessons," I said slightly catching onto his little game. "What would be in it for you?"
"Lorrinda!" Bill said lightly slapping my shoulder.
"The only thing 'in it' for me would be to see you using your talent for the greater good." He leaned forward. "Now what do you say?" I glanced between him, Bill, and Remus for a few moments before looking Dumbledore dead in the eyes.
"I'll do it."
If only then, I knew what I signed up for.