"Make it a powerful memory. The happiest you can remember, allow it to fill you up. Keep trying Seamus" Harry said walking around the room of requirements. I stayed with Luna trying to perform the patronus charm. Ginny was the first one to be able to produce one, everyone else was close.
"Just remember, your patronus can only protect you as long as you stay focus, so focus. Luna?" He came around to Luna and I. She stood still for a second with a slight smile on her face.
"Expecto Patronum" She whispered flicking her wand. From her wand a bright blue light came out taking the form of a rabbit. It bounced around her then freely roamed around the sky.
"Fantastic Luna!" Harry said with a smile, "Evelyn?" He turned to face me waiting for me to try. My happiest memory, I never really thought about it. It would definitely be one from Hogwarts where I truly felt at home. I turned to face Harry meeting his beautiful green eyes. Ones that shined the brightest in the air while we were riding Buckbeak. I still remember the euphoric feeling that rushed over me.
"Expecto Patronum" I whispered pointing my wand in the air. A bright blue light came out of my wand very slowly taking a form of a thestral. I caught a lot of other students attention because of how big my patronus was compared to theirs.
"I knew it, you're very gentle at heart" Luna said with a smile. The thestral slowly made it's way towards me spinning around. It was beautiful and so elegant, even if it was the symbol of death.
"That's beautiful Evelyn" Harry said not taking his eye off of the thestral.
Suddenly, there was a slight bang on the wall and the chandelier began to shake a little. My focus shifted from the patronus towards the wall making my thestral disappear. The lights started to flicker as another bang echoed. The students all walked towards the wall cautiously. With another bang the glass wall completely shattered revealing a hole. I walked up towards it along with Harry and Nigel looking through the hole. On the other side of it was Umbridge and a couple of Slytherin students.
"I'll make sure it'll work this time. Bombarda Maxima" Umbridge said pointing her wand towards the wall. I quickly pushed Nigel to the side making him fall. The wall soon exploded and Harry pulled me close defending me from the debris. When the dust settled the two of us turned to face the wall again and Umbridge smiled at us, we had been caught.
Draco came from the side pulling Marietta and Cho aggressively looking at them with so much disgust. He looked around the room smiling, proud he had caught a bunch of Gryffindors. His smile turned into a frown when his eyes met mine. I smiled a little at him to which he shook his head.
"Get them" Umbridge said smirking at Harry and I. A boy named Cassius Warrington grabbed me by my robes as Goyle grabbed Harry's. I didn't try to struggle at all and let them pull me out of the room of requirements following Umbridge towards Dumbledore's office. Outside was Cornelius Fudge, Kingsley, and Percy Weasley. Percy glared at me with such disgust grabbing Harry and I by the robes from Cassius and Goyle.
"Hope you like your new job" I muttered.
"Can't believe Dumbledore is letting the daughter of a death eater roam around Hogwarts" He spat pulling me inside the office roughly followed with Cho and Marietta. I took a close look at Marietta's face, it had a huge burnt mark with the letters 'SNEAK'. I cracked a small laughter, she had boiling spots and rashes. I didn't feel bad at all, she deserved it. Profesor McGonagall would be proud. Cho didn't have the word SNEAK marked on her face though meaning she didn't snitch technically.
"Proof of what I've been telling you right from the beginning minister" Umbridge said handing him the parchment with all the names of the DA.
"We saw your lies, a smoke screen for your bit to cease control of the ministry" she muttered glaring at Dumbledore still with a smile.
"Accurate" Dumbledore said with no change in his facial expression.
"No professor- He had nothing to do with it, it was me" Harry exclaimed from beside me.
"Most noble of you to cover for me Harry, but as it has been pointed out, the parchment clearly says Dumbledore's army, not Potter's. I instructed Harry to form this organization, and I alone am responsible for these activities" Dumbledore said calmly. I rolled my eyes and glared at Cho who quickly looked away. I literally warned this would happen.
"Dispatch an Owl to the daily prophet. Please escort Dumbledore to Azkaban... to await trial for conspiracy and sedition" Fudge ordered.
"I thought we might hit a little snag. You seem to be thinking that I'm going to... What was the phrase... Come quietly? Well I can tell you this. I have no intention of going to Azkaban"
"Enough of this, take him!" Umbridge yelled. There was a screech of a phoenix as Faux flew down towards Dumbledore. He grabbed onto the phoenix and bursted into flames disappearing into thin air sending a big amount of wind. Harry pulled me close hugging me tight to shield me from the wave of wind while the others dropped to the floor.
"Well you may not like it minister.. But you can't deny... Dumbledore's got style" Kingsley said as he pulled himself back up.
"Special piece of parchment Marietta, the jinx will only go away once I wish it to" I said pulling away from Harry and turning towards her.
"Please Evelyn, she had her reasons" Cho pleaded from beside Marietta.
"I had my reasons when I jinxed the parchment" I said storming out of the office purposely bumping into Percy's shoulder.
***
"DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE HAS REPLACED ALBUS DUMBLEDORE AS HEAD OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY"
Hermione Ron Harry and I were making our way to the great hall for detention when another rule hung up on the wall just outside the great hall. Paintings were being taken down and Umbridge would broadcast new rules everyday through the loudspeaker. The four of us walked inside the great hall where all the other DA members were, except for Cho and Marietta. We took a seat next to each other in front of the black quill and a parchment paper.
"I'm sure all of you know why you are here. You broke the rules, naughty children must be punished. You'll be writing some lines for me, you won't be needing any ink. Write 'I must not tell lies' for.. as long as it takes for it to sink it" She smiled at all of us.
I took a deep breath looking down at the back of my hand before I started to write. It was already filled with words overlapping from each other causing my skin to be extremely sensitive. I know it would hurt so much to write even more lines over my already ruined skin. The other students had already begun writing and soft whimpers and groans filled the great hall.
"Miss Clermont? Is there a problem?" Umbridge asked looking down at me with a smile. I picked up the quill and hesitated before writing. When I had finished my first line the words started to carve into my skin. My body tensed up as a I clenched my hands tight taking a deep breath. Umbridge looked down at me drinking her tea with so much satisfactory. I was writing extremely lightly yet the words cut into my skin deep effortlessly.
*
"Alright everyone, I'm sure we all let it sink in by now. You are all now excused" Umbridge smiled after an hour or so. The students were all eager to get up and leave as so was I, "..Except miss Clermont"
Harry Hermione and Ron all turned to look at me concerned. I slowly nodded and sat back down on my seat as the three hesitated before leaving the great hall.
"Miss Clermont, I guess you were wrong. I do have all the control" Umbridge said walking towards me. I kept my eye on the desk not looking up at her.
"I'd like for you to write a few more lines for me, 'I must respect the headmistress'" She smiled placing a hand on my back. I picked up the quill slowly again when the door to the great hall suddenly opened drawing our attention towards it. On the other side of the great hall, Draco walked in.
"Professor Snape would like to see Evelyn" He said walking up to the two of us.
"Tell him she is busy right now"
"He said it was an emergency" Draco said grabbing my arm pulling me out of my seat and out the great hall leaving Umbridge behind.
"Draco what is going on? Is everything alright? Why does Snape want to see me?" I asked as he continued to pull me through the corridors.
"It was a lie, Snape doesn't want to see you" He said as he stopped walking raising my hand to examine the scars. "I knew Umbridge was using a form of torture as a punishment but I never expected this"
"Nothing out the ordinary"
"God I hate snitches" He spat throwing my hand away.
"I could not agree more"
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade? There's something I need to talk to you about"
"Sure" I said hesitating for a moment. Draco had gone home for Christmas so I figured this would be something about you-know-who.