Cassi and Draco were walking towards the dungeons when they noticed the novelty that had already attracted the attention of a small group of students.
A large notice had been posted on the Slytherin bulletin board; so large that it covered everything that was there: The reminders about the school regulations pinned up by Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule. The new notice was printed in big black letters and had a very official-looking seal below it, alongside a fancy and clear signature.
BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
All student organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs are hereby disbanded.
An organization, society, team, group, or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form them must be sought from the High Inquisitor (Prof Umbridge).
No student organization, society, team, group, or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
Any student found to have organized or be a member of an organization, society, team, group, or club not approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.
Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor.
"Well, now Potter's antics are over," Draco said with a broad smile.
"That means no more parties for Slytherin," Cassi whispered harshly, and Draco's eyes widened.
"That pink toad!" He said too loudly, and many Slytherins looked at them.
(...)
Cassi was in Snape's office as he carefully evaluated her work. The professor had asked her to visit for feedback.
"So, you have 8 'O's and only one 'E,' which proved to be a mistake and was changed to an 'O,' leaving you with the highest grade in all the assessments we've done," Snape said, looking very proud.
"I've noticed you, Ms. Gaunt. You don't need to stop to read a book; just look in your direction and flip through it slowly. You don't follow the instructions to the letter; you have your own method, and I'd say it's stupid if I didn't do the same at your age," he pursed his lips. "Your mother must be proud."
Cassi smiled at that. "I hope so, but she hasn't been responding to my letters lately," she looked down at her hands.
Something sparkled in Snape's eyes, as if he knew something. Before the professor could respond, a commotion started outside the room, and Snape rolled his eyes before walking to the door.
The dungeon door swung open, and on the other side were Harry and Ron holding a very angry Neville, trying to attack Draco. On the other side, Blaze and Pansy were ready to jump in to defend their friend.
"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape inquired with his cold and disdainful voice. "Ten points deducted from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or you'll receive detention. Inside, all of you."
Harry let go of Neville, who was gasping and scowling at him. Cassi sat in the front row as usual, and Draco gave her a big smile.
"I got permission for Slytherin to practice," he said excitedly.
"That's great, Draco!" Cassi celebrated. "Wait, is that why you were fighting? You provoked Potter because Slytherin got permission and Gryffindor didn't, right?"
Draco chuckled. "Potter blushed, and I couldn't resist."
"I swear, you two are hopeless," Cassi rolled her eyes exasperatedly.
Around her, the class murmured about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with a resounding thud, everyone immediately fell silent. "You will notice," said Snape, in his low and disdainful voice, "that today we have a guest among us." He gestured, and Cassi saw the pink toad following right behind Snape and taking a position in a corner of the room.
"Today we will continue our Strengthening Solution. You will find your mixtures as you left them in the last class; if they were made correctly, they should have matured properly over the weekend... the instructions..." He waved his wand at the blackboard. "You may begin."
Umbridge spent the first half-hour of the class taking notes in her corner. Cassi was praying that she wouldn't disrupt the class.
Umbridge had just gotten up. "Ah!" she exclaimed quietly when she walked between two rows of desks toward Snape, who was bent over Dino Thomas's cauldron.
"Well, the class seems quite advanced for its level," she said cheerfully to Snape's back.
"Although I question whether it's advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it to be removed from the curriculum."
Snape straightened up slowly and turned to face Umbridge.
Cassi was filled with anger. As if ruining dark magic wasn't enough, now this fucking bitch want to mess with potions too?!
"Now, how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked Snape, with her quill poised above the clipboard.
"Fourteen years." Snape's expression was indefinable.
"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, didn't you?" the teacher asked Snape.
"I did," he replied quietly.
"But you weren't accepted?"
Snape's lip twitched.
"Obviously"
Prof Umbridge made a note on her clipboard.
"And you have applied regularly for that position ever since you were admitted to the school?"
"Yes," Snape replied, almost mouthing the words, his voice low. He seemed very irritated.
"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked.
"I suggest you ask him," Snape retorted in bursts.
"Ah, I will," the teacher said with a sweet smile.
She turned her back and left with an insufferable smile.
Ron chuckled, and Snape slapped him with a book.
(...)
At the end of the afternoon, Hermione appeared at the entrance of the Slytherin common room. Some tried to mock her, but with just a look from Cassiopeia, they fell silent. Ever since their third year, when Cassiopeia got angry and vowed to hex anyone who dared to call Hermione a Mudblood, they didn't dare to provoke her. Pansy tried in her fourth year, but after their little argument, she didn't proceed with the offense.
Together, they found Harry with a small group secretly practicing Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Okay," Harry said in a low voice. "Dobby said we should pass through this stretch of wall three times and concentrate on what we need." Harry explained.
The boys did as instructed, spinning on their heels as they arrived at the window just ahead of the blank wall and going on to the man-sized vase at the other end. Ron squinted and concentrated, Hermione muttered something, and Harry's fists were clenched as he gazed ahead. Cassi closed her eyes to focus. "We need a place to learn how to fight... Give us a place to practice... A place where they can't find us..."
"Cassi!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly when they returned after the third pass.
A very shiny door had appeared on the wall. Ron looked at it suspiciously. Har
ry reached out, held the brass doorknob, opened the door, and was the first to step into a spacious room, lit with flickering torches, much like the dungeons eight floors below.
The walls were covered with shelves, and instead of chairs, there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the back of the room contained a range of instruments like Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors, and a large, cracked Mirror of Erised.
"They'll be great when we're practicing Stunning spells," Ron said enthusiastically, tapping one of the cushions with his foot.
"And look at these books!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly, running a finger over the spines of large tomes bound in leather.
Cassi also went to check and then noticed her family crest, which made her laugh.
"They belonged to Salazar," Cassi said with a smile, and Hermione's eyes widened comically.
"Compendium of Common Curses and their Counter-Actions... Conquering the Dark Arts through Cleverness... Defensive Spells... wow..."
"Harry, this is wonderful; it has everything we need!" Hermione exclaimed. Without wasting time, she pulled Curses and Counter-curses off the shelf, sat on the nearest cushion, and began reading.
Then, there was a slight knock on the door. Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dino had arrived.
"Whoa!" Dino exclaimed, looking around the room, impressed. "What is this place?"
Harry was about to explain, but more people kept arriving, and he would have to start the story again. When it was finally eight o'clock, all the cushions were taken.
Cassi went to the door and tried the key in the lock; it turned with a convincing click, and everyone fell silent and looked at Harry.
Hermione carefully marked the page of Curses and Counter-curses and put the book aside.
"Well," said Harry, slightly nervous. "This was the room we found for our practical lessons, and you... um... obviously found it good."
"It's fantastic!" Cho exclaimed, and several people murmured in agreement.
"It's strange," said Fred, frowning at it. "We hid from Filch here once, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard."
"What's this?" Dino asked from the back of the room, pointing to the Sneakoscopes and the Mirror of Erised.
"Dark detectors," Cassiopeia explained, walking among the cushions to lean against one of the beams.
"They basically show when Dark wizards or enemies are nearby, but you can't rely on them entirely because they can be fooled."
"I've been thinking about what we should do first, and... um..." Harry stopped when he saw a hand raised. "What is it, Hermione?"
"I think we should elect a leader," she said.
"Harry is the leader," Cho said, looking at Hermione as if she had gone mad.
"Yes, but I think we should vote on it properly," Hermione replied, undeterred.
"Make it formal and give him authority. So, does everyone think Harry should be our leader?"
Everyone raised their hands.
"Um... okay, thank you," said Harry, blushing like a tomato.
"And... what is it, Hermione?"
"I also think we should have a name," she said, still with her hand up.
Cassi raised her hand too, amused. "I agree; it would encourage team spirit and unity. What do you all think?"
Some heads nodded in agreement.
"Can we be called the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asked, hopeful.
"Or the Ministry of Magic Has Only Idiots Group?" Fred suggested.
"I've been thinking," Hermione said, frowning at Fred, "more about a name that wouldn't announce to the whole world what we're up to, so we can refer to the group outside meetings without danger."
"The Defense Association?" Cho ventured. "The D.A. , so no one knows what we're talking about?"
"Yeah, the D.A. is good," Ginny agreed. "But it should stand for Dumbledore's Army, because the Ministry's biggest fear is a Dumbledore's army."
There were murmurs of approval and laughter at the suggestion.
"All in favor of the D.A.?" Cassiopeia asked firmly, counting the raised hands.
"The majority in favor... motion approved!"
Hermione stood up with the parchment with everyone's signatures and hung it on the wall, writing above it in large letters:
DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY
"Right, so we have two teachers," Harry said when he sat down again, this time next to Cassi.
"Shall we start practicing, then?" Cassi smiled, and Harry nodded in agreement.
"I've been thinking; we should start with Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's quite basic, but I found it really useful..."
"Ah, come on," said Zacharias, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus will help us face You-Know-Who, do you guys?"
"I used it against him," Harry said calmly. "Saved my life in June."
Zacharias gaped like a fool. The rest of the room
Zacharias gaped like a fool. The rest of the room fell silent.
"But if you think you're not up to it, you can leave," Cassi taunted with a cold look.
The boy didn't move. Neither did the others.
"I think everyone should pair up to practice," Cassi commented, and Harry agreed with a nod.
Everyone got up at once and paired off. Predictably, Neville ended up without a partner.
"You can practice with me," Harry said.
"Alright, then, when I count to three... one, two, three."
The room suddenly filled with shouts of "Expelliarmus!" Wands flew in all directions; poorly aimed spells hit books and shelves, sending them flying through the air. Cassiopeia was quicker than Fred, and the boy scowled when he failed to disarm her even once.
Looking around, Cassi thought Harry had made a good choice suggesting they practice basic spells first. There were many poorly cast spells; several classmates were not able to disarm their opponents but made them jump back or make faces when the spells passed over their heads.
"Harry," Cassiopeia called.
"Disaster," Harry huffed, understanding what she wanted.
"Let's split up and correct wand positions," Cassi requested, and Harry nodded as they walked around the room to correct the mistakes.
Something very odd was happening with Zacharias Smith. Every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony Goldstein, his wand flew out of his hand, but Anthony didn't seem to be uttering any sound.
"Not funny, Weasleys," Cassiopeia said coldly to Fred and George.
"Sorry," George hurriedly said when their eyes met. "We couldn't resist."
Cassi watched, and Harry walked around the pairs, trying to correct those who were performing the spell incorrectly. Ginny was paired with Michael Corner and was doing well, while her boyfriend was either very bad or didn't want to hex her.
Ernie Macmillan waved his wand unnecessarily, giving his partner time to prepare; the Creevey brothers acted enthusiastically but aimlessly, and were the main culprits for the books leaping from the shelves around them. Luna Lovegood was equally unpredictable; sometimes she made Justin Finch-Fletchley's wand spin out of his hand, but other times only messed up his hair.
"Harry, it's not working," Cassi commented, and Harry nodded.
"Okay, stop!" Harry shouted. "Stop! STOP!"
"I need a whistle," Harry huffed, and Cassi handed one to him.
Both stood still for a moment, gaping as a whistle appeared in her hand.
"How...?" Harry began, but Cassiopeia interrupted him.
"I don't know."
He took it and blew hard. Everyone lowered their wands.
"Not bad," Harry said. "But there's definitely room for improvement."
"Harry's being kind, it was a disaster," Cassiopeia scolded. "Let's try again."
They circled the room again, stopping here and there to make suggestions, and slowly, the overall performance improved.
Cassi went to Luna, who was holding her wand the wrong way.
"Try changing how you hold your wand," Cassiopeia suggested gently and demonstrated with her own.
Luna looked closely for a moment and copied the gesture.
"Now, say it with conviction," Cassi instructed, and Luna shouted, "Expelliarmus!" The spell was so strong that Cassiopeia felt herself being pushed back a few steps.
"Very good, Luna!" she praised, clapping proudly.
"Cassie! Harry!" Hermione called from the other end of the room.
"Do you see what time it is?"
Cassi looked at her pocket watch and nearly had a heart attack. It was ten past nine, which meant they needed to return to their common rooms immediately or risk punishment from Filch for being out of bounds.
Harry blew the whistle; everyone stopped shouting "Expelliarmus!" and the last pair of wands clattered flying around.
"Well, it was quite good," Harry said.
"But we're past the time; we better stop here. Same time, same place, next week?"
"Earlier!" Dino pleaded eagerly, and many nodded in agreement.
Angelina, however, rushed to say, "The Quidditch season is about to start, and teams need to practice too!"
"Training is a good idea, as I'm going to kick your ass, Angelina," Cassi joked, and Angelina stuck her tongue out at her.
"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," Harry suggested with a playful smile at the two.
"We can decide if we want more meetings then. Let's go, we'd better get going."
Cassiopeia decided it was better to go as a fox, as she was the only one who had to go down to the dungeons.
"Goodnight, see you tomorrow," Cassi said with a smile before transforming.
It was the first time Ron saw her as a fox, and he seemed very fascinated.
"She seems less intimidating like this," Cassi heard him murmur as she left the room.