After Christmas holidays, it was miserable at Hogwarts except for the rebellion. The Ministry was placing my parents on probation, just because they associated with Dumbledore and the rest. In fact, they actually fired the Divination bat, and replaced her with a centaur, from what Harry had shared.
Umbridge herself had given up on detention, but she claimed that she would find out who was leading all this rebellion. To this during her speeches at the Great Hall, Ky would always smirk pointedly at me. If he told, I had a plan set in motion for murder.
Many nights, though, I lay awake, thinking about what the Ministry now knew about me and Ky. They'll execute me, even if they know I'm telling the truth, or worse, I'll be subjected to studies in the Department of Mysteries. It'll happen to him, too. Despite all of it, neither of us deserve those fates.
Then came the day I started teaching the Spark leaders Patronuses. I only knew because I trained alongside Uncle Remus in my third year, and I knew what mine was.
"Alright, my compadres," I said to the six who were standing in front of me. "Time to learn protection from dementors. The Patronus Charm."
They all looked excited, especially Wesley.
"First thing to do is think of something happy, like your fondest memory," I said. I knew what my happiest memory was, by far. Not like I had a ton to draw from. I focused on the night of the Yule Ball, the first night of true love, my Cinderella night.
"Expecto Patronum!" I cried, and a silvery white and blue dragon emerged from the tip of my wand. Everyone watched in wonder.
"And that's how you do it," I said confidently. "Now, I don't expect anybody to be able to do it on their first try-"
"Expecto Patronum," Wesley said, and a dragon of his own, similar to mine, except more fairylike, sprouted out of the end of his wand and joined my patronus, the two dragons twirling in the air, tails entwined.
"Whoa..." Luis looked at me. "Why are they similar?"
I shrugged, although I had a theory.
"Well, I guess it's time for you to try," I said.
It took a couple tries, but Hayden was the first one to unlock hers. It was a wise-looking Ursa Major, a bear. It stood on its back legs and let out a roar, before it faded like the two silvery dragons before it.
"It's beautiful," Hayden murmured, entranced by the evanescent light.
I smiled. "That's the beauty of true happiness shining through."
"Happiness really is beautiful," Wesley agreed as he put an arm around me.
"Expecto Patronum!" Alex cried, and a mockingbird soared out, chirping a beautiful, ethereal song.
I clapped. "Well done, Alex!" I congratulated him.
Teddy was next. A Crup came out, and played around happily. I smiled at the joy on her face. "It looks like my old dog, Toto!" She squealed.
Ellie was having trouble with the spell. Only a few wisps were emerging.
"Don't get too frustrated," I advised her. "Most adult wizards don't know how to do this."
"The wizarding world is inept," Ellie muttered, and she tried again. "Expecto Patronum!" To everyone's surprise, a creature came out of her wand, a rat. She frowned at it. "Why a rat?" She asked.
"Cleverness," I realized. "You're dead clever and resourceful, Ellie. Besides, maybe it's referring to you being a diamond in the rough?"
She smiled, and leaned down to the rat. "I guess you aren't so bad, are you?" She smiled, and attempted to stroke it, before it faded. "I guess you aren't."
Luis had struggled the most with the patronus. Eventually, though, out of his wand came a silvery monkey. "This is so cool!" He cried.
I smiled.
"Can we learn?" I turned around, and Lux Emrys and a boy in black came out.
"Um, we were planning on spreading it-"I said.
"I know," the boy in black interrupted in a voice that could be mistaken for female. "I just wanted to know."
"Well, okay," I said. "First think up a happy thought. Then focus on it, and say Expecto Patronum."
The boy smiled. "Expecto Patronum." A thestral came out, nodding regally. I looked over at Lux.
"Y-Your friend, he has a thestral-"
"He? Korr's a she," Lux interrupted.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said quickly to Korr.
"It's alright," she said, pointedly glaring at Lux. "I try to look like a boy, since they get more respect. Like Harry, right?" She looked at him, who was coming in the courtyard.
Do I really need this? I looked at her, and smiled. "I think we'll get along just fine, Korr." I looked over at Harry. "What's up, Brother Dearest?"
"Umbridge, she's coming," Harry said, panting.
"Who spilled?" I demanded.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Harry demanded, looking me in the eye coldly.
"What are you saying?" I was confused.
"You set this up, didn't you, to get rid of all of the possible rebels? Well, it's not going to work!" Harry cried.
"What? What makes you think that?" I demanded.
"You're a Slytherin, of course you'd support the Dark Arts!" Harry said. "Or it was one of the other Slytherins. It was her, wasn't it?" He pointed at Ellie.
"Stop it!" I barked. "Why do you immediately go for the Slytherins? We're not all evil! I thought you'd've figured it out by now!"
I got ahold of myself. "Run!" I ordered the others. They did start. I looked at Harry. "We'll continue this discussion later." I climbed onto the rooftop, and started running. Hopefully, I'm a bit too high for some spells to- a Stunning Spell whizzed right by, and it hit something nearby, causing an explosion, which made me go flying. I hit the ground hard, and was cruelly pulled to my feet by none other than lovely Ky Emrys.
"Working for Umbridge I see," I hissed.
"The Inquisitorial Squad," the little toad said, as she strolled forward in all her crap-saccharine glory. "Is a group of trustworthy students who I have decided will help find the leader of this treasonous revolt."
I arched an eyebrow. "Trustworthy? I gestured as best as I could with my hands behind my back with my head towards Ky. "Him? Wow, you really have scraped the bottom of the barrel."
He tightened his grip on my hands. "Careful, princess. You wouldn't want to tick someone important off."
"Oh, but that only seems to be my job. Calling authority out on their crap when they screw up," I replied airily, hiding my distress when the other members of the I.S. came back with the others.
"Mudblood spawn," Pansy hissed at Ellie. I broke free, and before she knew what was happened, I punched Pansy right in that pug nose.
"Call her that again, and we're going to have some issues," I growled. "Actually, screw it, we have problems."
"Miss Potter! Five points from Slytherin!" Umbridge cried as Ky restrained me again. I narrowed my eyes.
"Didn't you hear her, professor?" I snarled. "She called someone a mudblood? Are you really condoning that term?!"
"She isn't leading treason against the Ministry like your brother's little group has," Umbridge said cooly.
My brother's group-
The realization hit me as we were escorted to Dumbledore's office, where the Minister of Magic, about five different Aurors, my parents, and Marietta Edgecombe, a quiet Ravenclaw in the 51st cell.
"These are the sub-leaders of Harry Potter's group of rebels," Umbridge declared. Mum and Dad were giving me nasty looks. Really? This again? Have we learned nothing, darling parents? Okay, I'll play this straight.
"Good, good," Fudge said to the I.S. "Ah, Mr. Potter, spreading your delusions, are you? You're going to pay for that in Azkaban."
Harry gulped. My parents were giving me a look like, speak up for him.
Little did they know that my own thoughts were having that very argument in my head.
Speak up, take responsibility.
I can't do that, they'll execute me because of my magic.
I can't do that! I've got to be selfless, not a spoiled brat!
Is it really spoiled if it's self-preservation that will pay off later?
You can't do this to Harry.
Why not, what's he ever done for you? Let him woman up.
"He's not the leader." The words escaped my lips, and there was no going back. All eyes were on me, and my eight friends were giving me a look of no, don't, particularly Wesley. In fact, Wesley was trying to break free and was panicking completely because of what I'd told him.
"I am." The small two words let out an explosion. "Hear me out. I'm not rebelling against the Ministry, as inept and incompetent as it is. I'm resisting Voldemort."
A collective gasp swept around the room. "Oh, stop. It's time to acknowledge the truth. I'm calling you out on your crap. Stop pretending that the problem doesn't exist, and start listening to a fifteen-year-old who was Voldemort's apprentice a few short months ago.
"I'm trying to make sure people don't get killed, particularly schoolchildren. All I've done is teach people how to defend themselves," I explained.
"And spread naughty lies!" Umbridge shouted.
"Lies?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Look around you. The whole school believes, whether they're on the side of the rebellion or the Death Eaters. You can see it everyday, duels breaking out in the hallway. This school has caught the fire, and it's not going to burn out anytime soon if adult wizards don't start to believe us and won't fight back."
"Delusions!" Fudge cried.
"I was missing for six weeks! Is that a delusion? Pettigrew pretended to be me! Is that a delusion? That's fact! You have got to face the facts!" I yelled.
"Insolent girl!" Umbridge shook me violently. I got shoved to my knees, which was painful with my hands held in place behind my back.
"Delores, I cannot allow you to manhandle my students!" Dumbledore cried, and he raised his wand. Prat, she already did! Wow, Ellie's right. These people really are inept.
"You're right. I forgot myself," she said in a dangerously sweet voice. She looked at me with pure sadism. "You will die for your actions against the Ministry-"
"What about a trial? To prove that I'm not lying?" I said. "Have we gone lawless?"
"You little brat!" Umbridge slapped me, and there was a collective intake, particularly from Ky. I forced myself to my feet.
"What makes me a brat? The fact that I disagreed with you? That I called you out? That I want a trial to prove the possibility that I might be right? And you call me mad," I said bitterly. "I'm trying to prove my sanity, but honestly, you seem to only see what you want to see. Or is it the fact that I'm a living superweapon that's clouding you'd judgement?"
"That's enough, Miss Potter," Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the Aurors said. "You will get your trial, but for now it would be best if you held your tongue. You're in enough trouble as it is."
I nodded. "I'm sorry I was rude," I lied to Umbridge. She gave a little satisfied smile. It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes and all of that.