Year Five: The Order of the Phoenix

Darkness is rising as Marie's fifth year approaches. The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts and is represented by a new breed of vile known as Dolores Jane Umbridge. Determined to learn proper magic, Dumbledore's Army is formed in secret. All the while, Marie must quickly learn how to walk the fine grey line between the Dark and Light or else she may be her own undoing...

Chapter Ten-Genetics

-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

The Slytherins had gathered around the notice board where the new decree was freshly pinned for them all to see. Marie stood up on her tiptoes to see around the taller students with Draco beside her and his jaw dropped.

"She can't get rid of Quidditch," decided the Malfoy. "Not before we've had the chance to beat Gryffindor." He stood up straighter and corrected his robes, chin held high. "We're going to settle this right now."

"Wait-we?" repeated Marie with a small yelp. The blonde had already grabbed her hand and she was following him, hurrying to keep up.

"Yes, you are coming with me," he stated plainly. "I'm a naturally persuasive person, but it will go twice as well with you there. As the top students of Slytherin and the respective Prefects, we'll be able to make her see our side. Cancelling Quidditch..."

Marie followed her friend throughout the castle, her mind not focused on the wizarding sport. It was too much of a coincidence that Educational Decree Number Twenty-four went up shortly after the secret meeting at the Hog's Head. Umbridge knew. Somehow, she knew they were putting a group together to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. But how could she possibly know? No one in the group would dare speak a word to the vastly disliked professor. Especially not after they all signed their name on that piece of parchment, holding everyone present accountable.

"That was a poor choice of Granger's to have your top secret meeting at the Hog's Head. The entire pub could over hear what you were planning..."

She bit back a curse as the two students made their way up the staircase. Of course! There were other people at the pub. Three of which were completely concealed by their garments, keeping their true identities a mystery as well as the man with the bandages around his face. As well as the bar tender, he was present, but would he actually report their meeting to the school? It may have sounded like they were indeed planning some type of rebellion, if only slightly, but enough to gain Umbridge's attention?

Marie and Draco arrived at Professor Umbridge's office in a timely manner, stealing a glance at the peek-a-boo window that was closed with a curtain. Raising up his fist, Draco rapped his knuckles against the door sharply.

"Come in," came her sickly sweet voice. Taking a breath, the two Prefects shared a glance before daring to step inside.

Now, Marie remembered when the office used to belong to Remus Lupin and it was clean and orderly, a person would also most likely find an interesting new creature inside as well. Mad-Eye Moody (the impostor) had owned it last term, and though her memory was fuzzy about how it looked due to the adrenaline and pain of the third task that night, it had been dark and cluttered with Dark Artifacts. The office now was completely unrecognizable as a space for someone who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. Every available surface was draped with a lace cloth, doilies under each vase of dried flowers, and the walls bore a vast collection of ornamental plates each decorated with a large colorful kitten, all wearing some kind of bow around their necks. Of course, the underlying color theme was pink.

"Good morning," greeted the professor, working on some paperwork at her desk. The two flinched as she blended so well with the room with her pink cardigan.

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," said Marie, recovering first. Draco was still dumbstruck by the setting. It was certainly unnerving.

"How may I help you?" she asked with a smile. Marie and Draco returned the smile, both well trained with social appearances. Umbridge gestured to the two available seats before her desk and they accepted. They were sitting with their backs pin straight, Marie's ankles crossed and hands in her lap, both fitting the image of formality.

"We've just read Educational Decree Twenty-four," began Draco, glancing toward his fellow Prefect and she finished the request.

"And we would like to ask you for permission to re-form the Slytherin Quidditch. As you are the High Inquisitor."

Umbridge laced her short fingers together as she studied the two, still wearing too many over sized rings. Marie knew adding the woman's new title was the proper move as her eyes took on a type of shine, sitting up straighter.

"Well, you two have certainly acted promptly. You're the first to see me about your House team," she said, interested. Draco couldn't help but give his infamous smirk, settling into his chair.

"As acting Prefects of Slytherin, you can certainly say that Marie and myself are more ambitious than most," he said, silver tongue at work. "Surely, you can appreciate that, High Inquisitor?"

The Ministry official gave an encouraging smirk of her own as she selected a blank sheet of parchment, dipping her elegant quill into the inkwell. Her gaze glanced over to Marie and she remained cool and composed, her own lips tugging into a smirk, green eyes sharp with attention. There was an air of understanding, people of their own power and influence acknowledging each other. Clearly, Professor Umbridge understood their status in the Slytherin House as Prefects and more so as they were both tied to Lucius Malfoy, who was quoted in the Daily Prophet supporting the teacher's new role of additional authority.

"I certainly can, Mr. Malfoy," she said, extending the parchment to him, the ink still shining, "as I was in Slytherin myself."

Marie's stomach clenched at the thought of the revolting woman bearing the name of her beloved House but her smile didn't betray her as the two students rose to their feet. Draco took the parchment, nearly bowing with their height difference.

"Thank you very much for your time and approval, High Inquisitor," said Marie, making her voice sound as sincere as possible.

"You're both very welcome," she returned, giving her own sharp tooth smile. "Now, you two better be off to class. Wouldn't want to be late."

The two fifth years quietly left her overly frilly office and started to make their way back toward the dungeons for the first class of the day, Potions, which was to be a session with the Gryffindors. It was when they were a safe distance away from the teacher's ears when they allowed the composure to slip and they broke into a fit of muffled laughter.

"Merlin's beard, that office!" choked Draco.

"Did you see the plates on the wall? With all of the cats?" asked Marie.

"How could I not see a wall full of china and cats staring at me?" he returned. The two continued their fit of giggles all the way back to the dungeons, cheeks colored from the exertion. By their own will power, they managed to collect themselves and maintain their regular front by the time they met up with their fellow Slytherins.

Draco waved the parchment for them to see and a consensus of congratulating broke out. The Slytherin House was back on track to earning the Quidditch Cup once more, even with the new power struggle of Umbridge against the staff, they were all still safe from any repercussions.

"How did it go, Draco?" asked Pansy. The rest of the class gathered around to hear just as the Gryffindors approached, all of the students stationed outside of the Potions classroom. The Malfoy held himself at his full height, brandishing the parchment for everyone to see.

"As you can tell, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway, as Marie and myself went to ask her first thing this morning," he recounted, voice taking the storytelling lilt. "Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry...It'll be interesting to see whether or not Gryffindor will be allowed to keep playing, won't it?"

Marie stole a quick glance over at the other fifth years to see Harry and Ron with set jaws and tightly clenched fists. While Draco was clearly provoking them, it was a serious question. Would Umbridge allow them to keep their team? Harry was difficult in her class, not to mention the rumor of the secret meeting that she had caught wind of somehow. Hermione whispered sharply to the boys to keep them back.

"I mean," continued Draco, making sure he could be heard, "if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much of a chance...From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years..."

Marie stepped closer to the blonde, lowering her voice so only he could hear her. "That's enough, Draco."

"And as for Potter," he continued, either having not heard her or blatantly ignoring her words, "my father says it's only a matter of time before he's carted off to St. Mungo's, apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic..."

"Draco, stop it," Marie repeated, but her voice was overpowered by the laughter of her nearby classmates. Marie flinched when she heard hard footfalls against the marble floor and she spun around to see Neville Longbottom charging right at them.

"Neville, no!" Her voice rang out with Harry's as her brother managed to jump forward and grab the back of the boy's robes, digging his heels into the ground. Ron wrapped his arm around Neville's neck as the two tried to pull him back but he was fighting tooth and nail to get at Draco. Her pulse picked up when Crabbe and Goyle both cracked their knuckles and stepped in front of the blonde and herself, ready for a fight.

"No!" she called out. Pushing past the others, Marie threw herself in front of the two thickset boys before they could get any closer to the Gryffindors.

"Stand down!"

The pair loomed over her with their generous difference in build. They were impressive as a set but size didn't frighten her. Goyle lowered his shoulders and unclenched his fists but Crabbe was still coiled tight, eager for a fight. Marie stepped closer to him and dropped her voice to a sharp whisper, allowing her own authority to show.

"I said to stand down," she warned. Crabbe made brief eye contact and she pinned him with a firm glare.

"Why should I?" he growled back.

"Because I am a Prefect and I am not afraid to take points from my own House," she informed him sharply, voice still a whisper between them. "Another detail you've seemed to have forgotten is that we are right outside of Professor Snape's class and even he can't ignore a fight if it breaks out, and you would most likely be expelled for beating them bloody. We all know you would win, Crabbe, it wouldn't even be anything close to a fair match, now would it?"

"Not even close," he answered immediately, confident in his physical strength. Green eyes glinted with her own power as she ordered him once more.

"Then stand down."

Finally, he released his own fists and took a step back so to be in line with Goyle. With a relieved sigh, she turned about to get a look at the Gryffindor side. Harry and Ron were doing their best to keep Neville back, whose face was becoming steadily redder.

"Not...funny...don't...Mungo's...show...him..." he sputtered.

The students all flinched when the dungeon door opened with a sharp sound, all of them looking to see Professor Snape step out into the middle of the fray.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" he sneered. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention." He turned to the rest of the fifth years with a firm glare.

"Inside. All of you."

Not wasting any time, they all hurried into the dungeon and took their seats and set up their work space without a word. When everything was settled, Marie sent Draco a stern look to which he responded with a shrug and mouthed 'How was I supposed to know?'. Marie gave a huff and busied herself with tying her hair up for the lesson.

The dungeon door closed with a resounding bang and all hints of conversations fell silent. Snape stalked up to the front of the room, his robes cracking with the sharp turn as he faced the class entirely.

"You will notice," he began in his low voice with a sneer, "that we have a guest with us today."

He gestured to the side and Marie's chest tightened at the sight of Professor Umbridge sitting in the corner of the room with a clipboard on her lap. She gave a little wave to the class to which no one returned. When did she get there? She must have slipped inside shortly after Marie and Draco began to explain how Slytherin's Quidditch team was reinstated. Did she see the potential fight? If so, that would certainly count against Gryffindor.

"We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today. You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend-instructions-" He gave a familiar wave of his wand and writing appeared on the chalkboard, "-are on the board. Begin."

For the first portion of class, Umbridge simply sat in her corner taking notes and Marie busied herself with her potion. As much as she wanted to listen in, she needed to focus on her classwork first. The dungeon was quiet as everybody worked on their assignment which made it easier to eavesdrop when Umbridge finally began to speak and wander about the classroom, to Marie advantage.

"Well, the class seems very advanced for their level," she informed Snape in a brisky tone, although the professor had his back to her as he looked over a student's brew. Umbridge continued on nonetheless. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus."

Snape straightened to his full height and turned to look at the woman. Marie wanted to throw her vile of salamander blood in her direction. She wanted to cut things from her professor's syllabus? Sure, the class was difficult and it pushed them, but that was how they would learn and be better prepared for the real world! Honestly, cut the Strengthening Solution?

"Marie," whispered Draco, leaning in toward her. "You're glaring."

"Hm?"

"You're glaring," he repeated, nudging her elbow. "At Umbridge. Stop it or she'll see you."

Taking a moment to take a deep breath, she gave a quick shake of her head and lessened her grip on the vile in her hand. She had to try and swallow her frustration and focus on her work.

"Now...how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" asked Umbridge, her frilly quill prepped against the parchment.

"Fourteen years," answered Snape. Marie stole a glance and was pleased to see that his expression gave absolutely nothing away.

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"But you were unsuccessful?" Marie had to set down her vile just in case she was tempted to throw it again. What a useless question, the only purpose being to pick at Snape and get him to crack open in some way.

"Obviously," he gritted, lip curling.

Umbridge didn't seem to register that the Potions master was losing his patience with her and her questions. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"

"Yes." His lips barely moved as he gave his answer, his anger starting to seep through his carefully guarded expression.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" pried Umbridge.

"I suggest you ask him."

"Oh I shall," smiled the Inquisitor.

"I suppose this is relevant?" asked Snape tersely, dark eyes narrowing.

"Oh yes," answered Umbridge, a bit too quickly. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'-er-backgrounds-"

Marie couldn't stand listening to the woman any longer and thrust her hand into the air as if she had a question. Snape left Umbridge at the front of the class without a word, which encouraged her to scribble away at her parchment. Her teacher towered over her work station, hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes, Miss Rogue?" he said. She could have sworn she heard a degree of relief in his voice.

"I-I wanted to ask...if my potion was looking all right?" she lied feebly. "I wanted to double check-I think I might've added an extra drop of salamander blood-?"

"While your lie is completely transparent, Miss Rogue," tutted Snape, waving a wand over her cauldron to check, "your potion is as it should be. Don't let it sit too long otherwise it will congeal."

She gave a nod. "Yes, sir."

He almost gave the slightest hint of a smile as he walked away to check on the other potions.

Marie had made the early evening rounds first and the opportunity allowed her to slip away to her private training sessions with Professor Snape. Typically they were to keep the additional lessons on the weekend but she had received a note that morning at breakfast and she complied without a fuss. She had finished most of her homework before dinner and there was only one essay she could finish afterwards. Pulling the heavy door open, she stepped inside and allowed it to close behind her, the additional locks and preventatives taking place due to Snape's spellwork.

Her teacher was behind his desk, going over his own paperwork and the Slytherin Prefect set her bag down on the table. She was eager to start because she wanted to keep practicing the concept of wandless magic. If that was something she could earn control over, it could be an excellent ace up her sleeve for future encounters. It could potentially get her out of a dangerous situation. Right now it was just some kind of blast of magic that went off whenever she lost control over a vast amount of powerful emotion. It wasn't entirely reliable. Not to mention that Snape instructed her not to practice it without him present which cut back tremendously on the time that she could be improving.

"Good evening, professor," she greeted.

"Good evening, Miss Rogue." He rose from his desk and approached her. "Tonight, you will be learning Occlumency. Have you heard the term before?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," answered Marie, slightly put off by the change in study. "What is it?"

"Occlumency is the magical defense of the mind against external influence and intrusion. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one," he explained. Her green eyes glittered at the new information, her curiosity piquing.

"Occlumency is the defense against Legilimency, the magical ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind. The Dark Lord is highly skilled in this regard, so it is of the utmost importance that you learn how to close your mind to outside forces," he continued.

Marie's excitement at learning the new skill faltered at the mention of Voldemort. Her face paled as she recalled what Marcus had told her during the past Hogsmeade trip.

"It's You-Know-Who. He's interested in you, Marie...He's going to summon you during Christmas break..."

"Sir," she spoke up, not even aware if her teacher was talking. "Is this because I'll be seeing him soon? The Dark Lord?"

The silence dared to ring in the dungeon as Snape kept his gaze on the young witch. His stature was stiff, posture too tight. Marcus' information was correct, You-Know-Who was going to call upon her over the holiday. It took a moment, but the wizard recovered well enough.

"Yes. It has been recently decided that you will meet with the Dark Lord," he answered, voice quiet. "How did you hear of it?"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter." She didn't want to bring Marcus into it in case it somehow got him into trouble.

"Nonetheless, it is very important that you learn how to shut out the influences of others. The Dark Lord always knows when someone is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency can shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection." The professor was standing directly before her and his wand was in his hand, she noticed immediately.

"Now, take out your wand." Without wasting a moment, Marie did as she was told. Her nerves were standing on edge as she faced her Head of House, unsure of what to expect. She couldn't help but wonder if it would hurt.

"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," he said. She nodded, tightening her grip on her wand as her breathing shallowed slightly. His voice was soft.

"I am about to break into your mind. We are going to see how well you resist. Brace yourself now...Legilimens!"

It all happened before she could conjure any kind of defense. The dungeon melted away and her vision was blinded with flickers of images that seemed to flutter past without any kind of sense...She was six years old and exhilarated, having climbed to the top of a very tall tree that allowed her to see the whole town, Remus calling for her to come down, shortly before she would slip and be caught by his magic...Next she was eleven, trapped dancing with Fenrir Greyback at the Malfoy's New Year's Ball, terrified out of her mind...She was thirteen and flipping through the Juniper file, anxiety welling up within her as she read Tess' secret documents...Then it was recent and she was in Hogsmeade with Marcus, his body close to hers as he bent down to her level so to kiss her-

No! You can't see that!

"STOP IT!" she heard herself shout and the classroom snapped back into focus with startling force. Staggering, she grabbed a hold of the nearby table and sank to her knees, beads of sweat slipping under her collar. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, she felt as if she had just finished running a marathon.

"Was it your intention to produce a Reductor Curse?" asked Snape.

"Sorry?" she asked. When his words registered and she saw that a formidable hole had obliterated part of the wall, she shook her head. "N-no sir. I didn't mean to."

"While your method was effective, to a certain extent, it was not quick enough, let alone subtle. You allowed me too much access, as well as destroyed part of my classroom," he critiqued. Finally regaining her wind, she pushed herself back onto her feet.

"Did you...did you see what I saw?" she dared to ask.

"Flashes of it," he answered. "Enough for me to gather that it was Marcus Flint who told you of the Dark Lord's summons."

She flushed darkly at the correct assumption, automatically touching the silver ring she wore. "Yes, sir..."

He made no comment further about Marcus and the kiss, simply keeping his wand pointed at the ground as he continued to teach. Despite his collected exterior, he was very aware of the status between Marie and Marcus and knew that the Dark Lord was equally, if not more, informed. All the more reason for her to learn how to close her mind. If she wanted to keep Flint safe, she needed to learn Occlumency.

"Though you did manage to stop me, you wasted energy and time by shouting," he continued. "You must remained focus. Repel me with your mind and you will not need your wand. Clear your mind, let go of your emotions, and focus," he informed her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Snape raised an interested brow when she pocketed her wand. Green eyes looked back at him, determined to learn.

"Yes, sir."

"And now we try again. One-two-three-Legilimens!"

The room swayed slightly out of focus but it wasn't like before where it had overwhelmed her. She could feel her pulse pounding away but she kept a firm handle on her emotions this time. She pictured herself as cold marble, letting the heat of emotions slip past her. Her heart was racing and she was growing tired but she tried to keep it together as best as she could. There were whispers of memories that almost surfaced and she was very aware of her wand sitting in her robe pocket. Snape said she could fight back with her mind. Was it the same concept as wordless magic? Mental incantation?

Protego... she tried. He was still prying, his magic picking away of her cold defense, determined to dig up something from her mind.

Protego! she tried again. The outsider magic was starting to seep through, she could feel memories starting to rush forward, like a dam beginning to break.

No! Not yet! she begged. She wanted to prove that she could do it, that she was capable. I can do this!

PROTEGO! she shouted as loud as she could in her own head, encouraging the spell to ring out as loud as possible.

Something seemed to click and the rush of memories she had felt rising up had vanished, and the onslaught of images came from outside her mind, overwhelming her.

A young boy with lank dark hair swinging alone at a playground...The same boy older and at Hogwarts now, walking side by side with a girl with gorgeous red hair...The girl laughing and talking with him when they were older, going over class notes though the boy was clearly distracted by the beautiful girl...Older now, the boy waiting outside of the Gryffindor Tower portrait and begging for the girl to come out as he apologized over and over again...

No! I don't want to see this! protested Marie, trying to push the memories away. They weren't hers, and it wasn't any of her business. She didn't know how to let them go, to get them out of her head. The images kept flashing by rapidly, showing the boy as a student, then an adult, a Death Eater. The red headed woman had aged as well, but she was still so young when her final image was being held in his arms but that moment flashed away instantly.

There was a sudden crashing sound and Marie wasn't even aware that it was her own doing, coupled with Snape breaking the connection. She had thrown herself back into the table, her hands on either side of her head, and her skull was pounding from the force of contact. Slumping over onto her front, she pressed her forehead against the cold marble floor in relief. Thank goodness. Why anyone would want to peek into someone else's mind was beyond her. It was too much. Too many instances at once. How was a person to even decipher all of that mess?

She didn't realize that her cheeks were slick with tears as she remained on the ground, her hair acting as her cover. It was obvious who the woman was in the flashbacks. Lily Evans. Her mother. It was the strangest thing to see her as a young woman, a girl even. It was like looking into a trick mirror with the reflection being her and yet, not her all at the same time. Clearly, they were mother and daughter, the genetics couldn't be denied. A few differences such as the hair, which Lily could tame in lovely scarlet waves while Marie's dark hair was rebellious and sometimes wild. She found herself wishing that the memory would have been more open, so that she could hear Lily's voice, see her mannerisms, just so she could perhaps bond with the idea of her mother, of what she used to be. That they were connected in some way, shape or form.

"That's enough for today," spoke up Snape, voice tight. Marie dared to peek up from her spot on the floor to see him walking toward her.

"I'm sorry-I didn't mean to," she apologized. She didn't know what else to say. It felt as if she had discovered a private moment that was never meant to be seen and she felt entirely guilty for witnessing it. He knelt down on one knee and she pushed herself up right. His hand reached out to touch the back of her head and she winced at the contact. Her body was a bite sore from the random falling to the ground moments.

"You did as you were told. I should have taught you how to stop," he dismissed. "Foolish of me to think you wouldn't learn quickly." There was the slightest voice inflection that showed that he was trying to joke and she gave a small smile and a weak giggle in return. He gave the slightest smirk as he brushed her cheek with his thumb, erasing a rogue tear. He helped her to her feet before walking back to his desk.

"Still, you need to practice. Clear your mind every night before going to bed. I will know if you haven't been practicing," he instructed. She smiled as she slung her bag over her shoulder, green eyes now dry.

"Of course, sir," she answered. "Have a good night."

The door closed behind her when he answered, blocking the message from reaching his daughter.

"Good night, Marie."

REVIEW! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry for the long wait everyone! College had wrapped up for the year, had to move home, short time at home before moving down here to Florida for my internship, and then settling in, training, etc. etc. Whew!

So we had some good ol' fashion Umbridge nonsense, Draco being Draco, and Snape and Marie training moments so to be better prepared for when You-Know-Who summons her, dun dun dunnnn!

Next time: Dumbledore's Army!

Your thoughts would be lovely as always and I hope you enjoyed!