I refused to come down from my dorm for the entire of Saturday, trying my best to avoid the twins. I glance at the two way mirror and my parchment debating whether I want to talk to any of them only to see a message from Charlie already there.
Hey Nova, is everything ok? You've been very quiet this past week.
I pick up my quill to write a reply not wanting him to worry about me.
Hey Charlie, I'm fine just been a bit busy with homework and detentions that's all.
His reply doesn't take long.
How did you get detention in the first week?
Argued with the new defence teacher. And wasn't even the first week it was the first day
Seriously, that's got to be a new record for you
It is indeed. Shame I've still got to go to more detentions next week for it
Really two weeks of detention for arguing with the new teacher
Yeah well she's from the Ministry and seems to be trying to make it clear she's not to be messed with except she's really not that scary she's constantly dressed in pink
Nova, you need to try and keep your head down. It's your final year just concentrate on that and not annoying Ministry people
I didn't intend on doing it she just annoyed me that's all and I snapped
Just try to ignore her. Oh on happier news for you, I'm around for Christmas this year
Really
Yep so you better be back for Christmas or I'll come to that school and get you myself
I would never miss an opportunity to see you
I love you Aurora Nova Potter did you know that
I did know that because I love you too Charles Weasley
Right I've got to head to work I'll talk to you later I love you
Love you too Charlie
I place the parchment back down and grab the mirror to talk to Pad's and Moony.
"Pad's, Moony" I call out and Pad's appears after a few seconds.
"Hey Wolf"
"Hey Pad's where's Moony?"
"Order business" I see a slight nervous look on Pad's face.
"Is he okay?"
"He's fine Rory, I promise. So what's been going on at school then?"
"Not much. The new defence teacher gave me detention within the first day"
"That's my girl" He smirks at me.
"Don't let Moony hear you say that" I laugh slightly as he sends me a quick wink. I spend a bit of time talking to Pad's, making me feel better than I had all week. A little while later Angelina comes in covered in mud from Quidditch practice.
"Hey Ang, good practice?"
"Not really. Ron's great when no-ones watching him" She says.
"The thing with Ron is he's got 5 older brothers Ang, 2 of which are Fred and George. He just needs to get some confidence that's all"
"I know, I've asked Harry to continue to work with his"
"That's a good idea" She nod's before heading into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I avoid the twins for the rest of Saturday but come Sunday I realise I can't avoid them forever as I head down to the Common Room. I find Harry sat with Ron doing their homework, Hermione was sat to one side knitting as I walk over sitting next to Harry.
"Hey Ror, where was you yesterday" Harry asks as I put my head on his shoulder.
"Oh I was just catching up with homework, didn't leave the dorm. Where is everyone?" I say looking around the empty common room.
"Probably outside enjoying the last of the sun"
"Did you need any help with your homework?"
"Yes please"
"What about you Ron?"
"Oh my god yes please" I look over what they were working on.
"I'd say these essay's are pretty much done just need to finish the last paragraph. You've got all the information you need in there both of you"
"Thank you Rory, otherwise I'm pretty sure we would of carried on writing random stuff" Harry said as he finishes the last sentence and Ron doing the same.
"What's next?"
"Professor Sinistra's essay about Jupiter's moons" Harry answers.
"Right well Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede and it's Io that's got the volcanos."
"Thank you, that's a great help" Ron smiles at me as they both start their essays. I sit with them giving them the answers to different thing when they ask until the twins arrive. After a while the twins decide to head to bed so I head back over to Harry to see how he's doing just as he slides off the chair onto his knees, gazing into the fire.
"Er — Harry?" Ron said with uncertainly looking at me. "Why are you down there?"
"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," Harry said, speaking quite calmly.
"Sirius's head?" Hermione repeated. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too Sirius!" She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair falling around his grinning face.
"Hey Pad's"
"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."
"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry said, half laughing.
"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear yet."
"But what if you'd been seen?" Hermione said anxiously.
"Well, I think a girl first year by the look of her might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Pad's said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly shaped log or something."
"But Sirius, this is taking an awful risk with the Ministry at Hogwarts" Hermione began.
"You sound like Molly. This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code and codes are breakable." At the mention of Harry's letter, Hermione and Ron had both turned to stare at him.
"You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" Hermione said accusingly.
"He's allowed to write to people and not tell you Hermione" She scoff's at me.
"I forgot," Harry said quickly. "Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"
"No, it was very good. Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed your scar."
"What about — ?" Ron began, but Hermione said quickly,
"We'll tell you afterward, go on, Sirius."
"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"
"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," Harry said, ignoring, as usual, Ron and Hermione's winces. "So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention."
"Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often"
"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.
"Wait what" I say.
"Sorry Ror I didn't want to worry you"
"I doubt it," Pad's said answering Harry's question. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater"
"She's foul enough to be one," said Harry darkly and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," Pad's said with a wry smile. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though you should hear Remus talk about her."
"Does Lupin know her?" Harry asked quickly
"No, but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job." I thought about how much shabbier Moony looked these days and my dislike of Umbridge deepened even further.
"What's she got against werewolves?" said Hermione angrily.
"A lot Hermione, what do you think annoyed me in her class so much" I say ignoring the look Pad's sent me.
"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" Pad's said making Ron laughed but Hermione looked upset.
"Sirius!" she 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?" Pad's interrupted. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"
"No," Harry said as I shook my head. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"
"All we do is read the stupid textbook," Ron said.
"We're all doing the exact same thing. Apparently reading will be enough for us to do the magic in our exams" I tell him.
"Ah, well, that figures," Pad's said. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."
"Trained in combat?" repeated Harry incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"
"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing, or rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic." There was a pause at this, then Ron said,
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."
"So we're being prevented from learning Defence Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" Hermione said, looking furious.
"Yep," Pad's said. "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 and we think he believes that you, Aurora are Dumbledores secret weapon."
"What, I'm not a weapon for anyone"
"I know Wolf but Fudge is scared of you and what you can do and what with Dumbledore keeping it a secret from the Ministry"
"It looks like I'm his weapon" I mutter as Harry starts talking again.
"D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet tomorrow? Only Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be"
"I don't know," Pad's said, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy with their own individual jobs. It's just been Kreacher and me here." There was a definite note of bitterness in Pad's voice.
"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?"
"Ah well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him." Then, seeing our stricken faces, he added quickly, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you lot get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."
"But if he was supposed to be back by now" Hermione said in a small, worried voice.
"Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or well, nothing to suggest he's not perfectly okay." Unconvinced, we all exchanged worried looks. "Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," Pad's said hastily, "it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be okay." And when we did not appear cheered by this, Pad's added, "When's your next Hogsmeade weekend anyway? I was thinking I might come visit"
"Only if you bring Moony" I tell him making him smile.
"Of course I'll bring the old werewolf"
"Pad's" I say in a warning tone as he gives me an innocent smile. "I'll let you know once we know the dates"
"Okay Wolf I'll talk to you all later"
"Night Pad's" I say as he disappears. "I'll see you guys in the morning" I say turning to the other 3.
"Night Rory" They all say as I head up to bed.
As I sit beside Harry the next morning I hear Hermione reading an article from the Daily Prophet. Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline: MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"
"High Inquisitor'?" Harry said darkly, his half-eaten bit of toast slipping from his fingers as I grab my coffee.
"What does that mean?" Hermione read aloud: "In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." 'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.' "This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person." 'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success' "
"She's been a WHAT?" Harry said loudly.
"Wait, there's more," Hermione said grimly. " an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.' "It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor.' " 'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.' "The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts." 'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. 'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.' "Among those 'eccentric decisions' are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror 'Mad-Eye' Moody."Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts." 'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence,' said a Ministry insider last night."Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts." 'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks. 'This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.' (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17)." Hermione finished reading and looked across the table at the other two. "So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge! Fudge passed this 'Educational Decree' and forced her on us! And now he's given her the power to inspect other teachers!" Hermione was breathing fast and her eyes were very bright. "I can't believe this. It's outrageous."
"I know it is," Harry said. He looked down at his right hand, clenched upon the tabletop, and saw the faint white outline of the words Umbridge had forced him to cut into his skin making me do the same except his thankfully was nowhere near as bad as mine. But a grin was unfurling on Ron's face.
"What?" We all said together, staring at him.
"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."
"I hope I'm in that lesson" I say smiling at the thought.
"Well, come on," said Hermione, jumping up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binns's class we don't want to be late." As the day proceeded we had an inspection in Charms class where Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard.
"Miss Potter a word" She said as everyone was getting ready to leave.
"Yes Professor" I said trying to hide my hate for her.
"Don't forget about your detention tonight. My office 5pm don't be late. You may go now" I walk out not saying a word to her and find the twins waiting for me.
"What did she want?" Fred asks as we head to our next lesson.
"Just to say she's glad I got the message about not arguing with professors" I lie not telling them about the extra detentions I've got.
"I hate that woman so much" George mutters as we walk.
"Me to Georgie but be careful I don't want you two getting a detention with her" They both nod as we reach the transfigurations class.