~.~.~Parts 91-93~.~.~
•Y/n's POV•
I felt happier for the rest of the weekend than I had done all term. I spent much of Sunday helping Fred and George catch up with all their homework again, and although this could hardly be called fun. The last burst of autumn sunshine persisted, so rather than sitting hunched over tables in the common room, we took their work outside and lounged in the shade of a large oak tree on the edge of the lake. I, of course, was up to date with all my work. The knowledge that we were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry and that he was a key part of the rebellion, gave me a feeling of immense satisfaction.
That Monday morning, I met the twins at their dorm and we headed downstairs from their dormitory together, we were halfway across the sunlit common room when we noticed the addition to the room that had already attracted the attention of a small group of people. A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there — the lists of second-hand spellbooks for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog cards for others, the twins' new advertisement for testers, the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends, and the lost-and-found notices. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.
— by order of —
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor 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 formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been 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
We read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second years. "Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.
"I reckon you'll be okay with Gobstones," Fred said darkly, making the second-year jump.
"I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked George and me as the second years hurried away. I was reading the notice again. The happiness that had filled me since Saturday was gone. My insides were pulsing with rage.
"This isn't a coincidence," I said, Fred's hands forming fists. "She knows."
"She can't," said George at once.
"There were people listening in that pub. And let's face it, we don't know how many of the people who turned up we can trust. . . . Any of them could have run off and told Umbridge. . . ." I suggested informatively
"Zacharias Smith!" said Fred at once, punching a fist into his hand.
"Or — I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look too —" George added after
"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" I questioned, looking around at the door to the girls' dormitories.
"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily. "They can't have done it," said Hermione in a low voice. "You're so naive," said Ron, "you think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy —"
"I wonder whether this has been put up in all the Houses?" I asked as the three of us made our way for breakfast.
It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny descended upon them.
"Did you see it?"
"D'you reckon she knows?"
"What are we going to do?"
They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them.
"We're going to do it anyway, of course," he said quietly.
"Knew you'd say that," said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.
"The prefects as well?" said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.
"Of course," said Hermione coolly.
"Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbott," said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith . . . and no one looks very spotty." Hermione looked alarmed.
"Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious — sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. "Later! We'll — talk — to — you — later!"
"I'll tell Michael," said Ginny impatiently, swinging herself off her bench. "The fool, honestly . . ." She hurried off toward the Ravenclaw table; Harry watched her go.
"Harry! Ron! Fred! George!" It was Angelina and she was hurrying toward them looking perfectly desperate, my fists were clenched together and I looked down at the toast on the table, not being able to look into her eyes after what she had done to me.
"It's okay," said Fred quietly, resting his hand on my clenched fist.
"You realize she's including Quidditch in this?" Angelina said. "We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!"
"What?" said Harry.
"No way," said George, appalled.
I looked up at Harry and Ron in shock, Umbridge can't do this, can she?
"You read the sign, it mentions teams too! So listen, Harry . . . I am saying this for the last time. . . Please, please don't lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!"
"Okay, okay," said Harry, for Angelina looked as though she was on the verge of tears. "Don't worry, I'll behave myself. . . ."
Angelina looked over at me, she gave me a malicious smirk and walked back off to join her friends.
~.~.~Three Days Later~.~.~
"Come on boys! We're going to be late!" I said, standing at the doorway as the twins were tying their shoelaces. "I managed to get dressed, cover my scars, and wait here for five minutes just for you two to finish getting ready."
"Relax, my love. We have plenty of time, we will be fine." Fred said, finally standing up and adjusting his robes
"Okay okay," I said, putting my hands in the air, "I don't want to be the last ones there."
"Okay fine then, let's go now," George suggested.
"Thank you!" I said, ushering the twins out of the door and down the stairs to the common room.
We casually walked to the room of requirement, trying not to draw too much attention to us, we stood by the wall and thought about what we wanted, the dark detailed door started to appear in the sandstone wall, it turned a dark shade of blue and the door handled stuck out of the wall. I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open to reveal the large room.
The walls were lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs, there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors, and a large, cracked Foe-Glass.
Harry looked around; Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, Dean, and I had arrived.
"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"
Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived, and he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at him. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.
"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've — er — obviously found it okay —"
"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.
"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, Y/n George? But it was just a broom cupboard then. . . ."
"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.
"Dark Detectors," said Harry, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled. . . ." He gazed for a moment into the cracked Foe-Glass; shadowy figures were moving around inside it, though none was recognizable.
He turned his back on it. "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and — er —" He noticed a raised hand. "What, Hermione?"
"I think we ought to elect a leader," said Hermione.
"Harry's leader," said Cho at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad.
"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So — everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"
Everybody put up their hands, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very halfheartedly.
"Er — right, thanks," said Harry, who could feel his face burning.
"And — what, Hermione?"
"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"
"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" I said hopefully.
"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.
"I was thinking," said Hermione, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."
"The Defense Association?" said Cho. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"
"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," said Ginny. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"
There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.
"All in favor of the D.A.?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority — motion passed!" She pinned the piece of paper with all of their names on it on the wall and wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY across the top in large letters.
"Right," said Harry, when she had sat down again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful —"
"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"
"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life last June."
Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.
"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said. Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else. "Okay," said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all those eyes upon him, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."
Everybody got to their feet at once and divided up, Fred and I made a pair and George and Lee Jordan paired up too.
Predictably, Neville was left partnerless. "You can practice with me," Harry told him. "Right — on the count of three, then — one, two, three —"
The room was suddenly full of shouts of "Expelliarmus!"
Wands flew in all directions, missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air. I was too quick for Fred, whose wand went spinning out of his hand, hit the ceiling in a shower of sparks, and landed with a clatter on top of a bookshelf, from which I retrieved it with a Summoning Charm.
"Well look at you, you're amazing!" Fred gawked as I handed his wand back.
"Well thank you, Freddie," I replied, taking a bow.
"You're welcome, I'll have to disarm you at some point." He winked, and a blush appeared on my cheeks.
"Not now, Fred. Please not now." George begged, pulling a disgusted look on his face.
Me and Fred chuckled to each other, I hid my face in an attempt to hide my blush from the rest of the group, Fred smirked at me and ran a finger down the side of my cheek, leaning in and giving me a peck on the nose.
"Expelliarmus!" said Neville, and Harry, caught unawares, felt his wand fly out of his hand.
"I DID IT!" yelled Neville gleefully. "I've never done it before — I DID IT!"
"Good one!" said Harry encouragingly.
"Hey, Y/n, George watch this!" Fred said he pointed his wand over at Zacharias Smith, "Expelliarmus!"
Zacharias' wand flew out of his hand just as he was about to disarm his pair, Anthony Goldstein. The three of us burst into laughter and we took turns disarming him before he got the chance to.
"Sorry, Harry," said George hastily, when Harry caught his eye. "Couldn't resist . . ." He smirked and turned around.
The three of us continued to practice until Harry blew his whistle, everybody stopped shouting, "Expelliarmus!" and the last couple of wands clattered to the floor. I looked up at the clock, it was already ten past nine, which meant they needed to get back to their common rooms immediately or risk being caught and punished by Filch for being out-of-bounds.
"Well, that was pretty good," said Harry, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"
"Sooner!" said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement.
Angelina, however, said quickly, "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!"
"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry, "and we can decide on additional meetings then. . . . Come on, we'd better get going. . . ."
He pulled out the Marauder's Map again and checked it carefully for signs of teachers on the seventh floor. He let them all leave in threes and fours, watching their tiny dots anxiously to see that they returned safely to their dormitories: the Hufflepuffs to the basement corridor that also led to the kitchens, the Ravenclaws to a tower on the west side of the castle, and the Gryffindors along the corridor to the seventh floor and the Fat Lady's portrait. Fred, George, and I were one of the first groups to leave the room of requirement, we walked up the corridor quietly and when we finally made it to the common room, we fell onto the sofa and we talked for a couple of hours, it was late when I finally realised that it was nearly 11:45 pm.
"I actually hate Umbridge so much!" I said, following the flow of the conversation.
"Me too! We have so many pranks for her." George added with a smile.
"How much do you actually hate her?" Fred asked.
"Let me see, there are 1,013,150 words in the entire English dialect, and there is not a single combination of them that describes my urge to hit her with a chair!" I replied.
"How do you know that there are that many words?" Fred asked.
"Simple, Dad knew it, and we were having a conversation about it whilst we were waiting for the full moon to rise." I said nonchalantly, "You know, the normal conversations."
The twins started laughing, which obviously meant that I started laughing too.
"On that note, I'm going to go to bed, goodnight boys!" I said, leaning over to hug George and give Fred a kiss.
"Good night my love." Fred said happily
"Night Y/n/n." George added.
I smiled at the twins and walked up the stairs to my single dorm room, I closed the doors behind me and sighed. I closed all the curtains around my room and walked into my bathroom and opened the drawer for my makeup remover, I rubbed the wipe over my face to clean the foundation off, once my face was clean I threw the wipe away and washed my face. I looked in the mirror once my face was dry, the five scars across my face were red, prominent, and clear. I can't help but shudder when I ran my fingers over my face, they were raised and smooth, I had to shake this insecurity off at the moment to change into my pyjamas and climbed into my bed. I turned off my light and settled into bed, my fingers tracing over the scars given to Umbridge, I turned over with a shudder and closed my eyes to sleep.
The next morning was as typical as usual, I woke up, read some of my book, and opened the curtain to let the sunlight pour into my room, the rays running along the floor and up the wall. I had a shower, washed my hair, and changed into my robes. I looked in the mirror at the scars painted across my face, they were red this morning, I grabbed some foundation and tried my best to make sure that my scars are hidden or the colour of them is tamed slightly.
I put on my shoes and grabbed my bag to meet the twins that morning. They sat on the sofa happily taking to themselves.
"Good morning" I smiled
"Morning." They replied.
We walked out of the common room and was immediately met by Umbridge.
"Good morning, Miss Lupin. I see you have make up on, remove it."
Word Count: 3000