A/N: Sorry everyone for such a long time without updating, I've been having family problems and a major writers block (not to mention I've been too depressed this past months thanks to my own parents) T-T I hope you like this chapter and would like to hear/read what you think of it.
Chapter Warning: a little bit of Hermione!Bashing
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but my OC and the ideas, everything else belongs to Matsuri Hino (VK) and JK Rowling (HP).
Chapter 12: New Educational Decree Number Twenty-four
Harry felt happier for the rest of the weekend than he had done all term. During the weekend, he stayed with his mate, her family and the other vampires training his powers (the already trained ones) to the maximum of his abilities. His homework was already taken care off since a long time ago and revised by Hanabusa Aidou (the genius prodigy), who demanded to see his work instantly. They have been helping the ravenet teenager with his practical studies like potions (which he was still struggling to pass) and to his amazement he had extreme talents for it.
The knowledge that they were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry, and that he was a key part of the rebellion, gave Harry a feeling of immense satisfaction. He kept reliving Saturday's meeting in his mind: all those people, coming to him to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts … and the looks on their faces as they had heard some of the things he had done. The knowledge that all those people did not think him a lying weirdo, but someone to be admired, buoyed him up so much that he was still cheerful on Monday morning, despite the imminent prospect of all his least favorite classes.
He and Ron headed downstairs from their dormitory together and not until they were halfway across the sunlit common room did they notice 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 secondhand 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 Weasleys' 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
Harry was reading the notice through again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage.
"This isn't a coincidence," he said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."
"She can't," said Ron at once.
In that precise moment Ayame and Zero came down the stairs and stared at the notice on the board. They sighed in exasperation for the woman's stupidity. They could feel the young pureblood's irritation and frustration from everyone in the room.
"Believe us," Zero countered at Ron's remark. "She can and there's no stopping her now that she has gain so much power from the minister."
"Though," Ayame started. "That girl Hermione was very stupid and narrow-minded to held that kind of meeting in that kind of place. As we said before, anyone could have heard you and told her after they left. It wasn't one of the kids on the meeting though of that I'm almost certain. It had to be someone from outside or one of the adults inside the pub."
"Let's go check on Hermione first," said Ron running up the stairs for the girls' bedroom. Harry was going to run up the stairs with his best friend when Ayame hold him by the shoulder and squeezed sending a mute message 'wait and see what happens when a boy tries to go to the girls' bedroom'. Harry waited and soon enough he saw with his own eyes the stairs disappear and become a slide and sliding down was Ron.
"Er — I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories," said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh. Two fourth-year girls came zooming gleefully down the stone slide.
"Oooh, who tried to get upstairs?" they giggled happily, leaping to their feet and ogling Harry and Ron.
"Me," said Ron, who was still rather disheveled. "I didn't realize that would happen. It's not fair!" he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly. "Hermione's allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed?"
"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," said Hermione, who had just slid neatly onto a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, "but it says in Hogwarts, A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"
"To see you — look at this!" said Ron, dragging her over to the notice board. Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice. Her expression became stony. "Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.
'Heh, she's only smart on the academic part but not on the logical one.' Ayame thought while viewing the spectacle. 'Oh the drama,' she thought sarcastically trying not to sneaker as they continued to beaker at each other.
After Ron's and Hermione's little 'fight' they went back to the great hall for breakfast. They all had breakfast, but before going to their first class Angelina came to Harry and demanded that he behave in front of the toad so that the Quidditch team could play on the season. After Angelina's little discussion with Harry they all went for their first class which was History of Magic, where they were expecting to see the toad like woman since she's never been to that class and inspected Mr. Binns yet, but the woman never came to that class.
As the class went on Hedwig appeared on the window edge of the class room all injured and with a letter tied on her leg. The pureblood ravenet hurriedly went to her, took her in his arms and excused himself to the ghost professor.
Once outside the room Harry returned Hedwig to his shoulder and hurried off up the corridor, pausing to think only when he was out of sight of Binns's door. His first choice of somebody to cure Hedwig would have been Hagrid, of course, but as he had no idea where Hagrid was, his only remaining option was to find Professor Grubbly-Plank and hope she would help.
He peered out of a window at the blustery, overcast grounds. There was no sign of her anywhere near Hagrid's cabin; if she was not teaching, she was probably in the staffroom. He set off downstairs, Hedwig hooting feebly as she swayed on his shoulder.
Two stone gargoyles flanked the staffroom door. As Harry approached, one of them croaked, "You should be in class, sunny Jim."
"This is urgent," said Harry curtly.
"Oh~, urgent, is it?" said the other gargoyle in a high-pitched voice. "Well, that's put us in our place, hasn't it?"
Harry knocked; he heard footsteps and then the door opened and he found himself face-to-face with Professor McGonagall. "You haven't been given another detention!" she said at once, her square spectacles flashing alarmingly.
"No, Professor!" said Harry hastily. "That's not it!"
"Well then, why are you out of class?" she asked.
"It's urgent, apparently," said the second gargoyle snidely.
"I'm looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank," Harry explained. "It's my owl, she's injured."
"Injured owl, did you say?" Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared at Professor McGonagall's shoulder, smoking a pipe and holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Yes," said Harry, lifting Hedwig carefully off his shoulder, "she turned up after the other post owls and her wing's all funny, look," he said showing the injured owl.
Professor Grubbly-Plank stuck her pipe firmly between her teeth and took Hedwig from Harry while Professor McGonagall watched. "Hmm," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, her pipe waggling slightly as she talked. "Looks like something's attacked her. Can't think what would have done it, though. … Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagrid's got the Hogwarts thestrals well trained not to touch owls …"
Harry neither knew nor cared what thestrals were, he just wanted to know that Hedwig was going to be all right. Professor McGonagall, however, looked sharply at Harry and said, "Do you know how far this owl's traveled, Potter?"
"Er," said Harry. "From London, I think."
He met her eyes briefly and knew that she understood "London" to mean "number twelve, Grimmauld Place" by the way her eyebrows had joined in the middle.
Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled a monocle out of the inside of her robes and screwed it into her eye to examine Hedwig's wing closely. "I should be able to sort this out if you leave her with me, Potter," she said. "She shouldn't be flying long distances for a few days, in any case."
"Er — right — thanks," said Harry, just as the bell rang for break.
"No problem," said Professor Grubbly-Plank gruffly, turning back into the staffroom.
"Just a moment, Wilhelmina!" said Professor McGonagall. "Potter's letter!"
"Oh yeah!" said Harry, who had momentarily forgotten the scroll tied to Hedwig's leg. Professor Grubbly-Plank handed it over and then disappeared into the staffroom carrying Hedwig, who was staring at Harry as though unable to believe he would give her away like this. Feeling slightly guilty, he turned to go, but Professor McGonagall called him back. "Potter!"
"Yes, Professor?" he asks. She glanced up and down the corridor; there were students coming from both directions.
"Bear in mind," she said quickly and quietly, her eyes on the scroll in his hand, "that channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched, won't you?"
"Of course Professor," said Harry, but the flood of students rolling along the corridor was almost upon him. Professor McGonagall gave him a curt nod and retreated into the staffroom, leaving Harry to be swept out into the courtyard with the crowd. Here he spotted Ron and Hermione already standing in a sheltered corner, their cloak collars turned up against the wind. Harry slit open the scroll as he hurried toward them and found five words in Sirius's handwriting:
Today, same time, same place.
After all the drama with Hedwig they all went for their next class which was Double Potions. While going to the dungeons for class they found Malfoy and said boy started ogling about the Slytherin's Quidditch team having been granted immediate permission from Umbridge to continue playing straightaway. To top it all up said Slytherin and his friends started to laugh and mock the Gryffindors as if he had the right. The pureblood teen wanted to murder them so bad. It was Zero who intervene and held the ravenet back. After jabbing Harry about Quidditch, he went and started making fun of Neville and his parents predicament of been mentally destabilized because of the torturing curse.
The door to the dungeon classroom opened just when Ayame held Neville back from murdering the Malfoy brat. Harry sat with his girlfriend at the back and since they became an item they had been sitting together and his potions were beginning to improve now that he was far away from Malfoy and closer to Kaname. To their displeasure, Umbridge, was sitting on the front with her clip board waiting for Snape's class to start. Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes in her corner of the room.
"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," she said briskly to Snape's back. "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 up slowly and turned to look at her.
"Now … how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.
"Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable.
"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape.
"Yes," said Snape quietly.
"But you were unsuccessful?" Umbridge taunted.
"Obviously," the potion Professor said sarcastically.
Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"
"Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.
"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge.
"I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily.
"Oh I shall," said Professor Umbridge with a sweet smile.
"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed.
"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers' … er … backgrounds …"
She turned away, walked over to Pansy Parkinson and began questioning her about the lessons. Snape looked around at Harry and their eyes met for a second. Unfortunately for Snape Harry's potion was a perfect one even though the boy had been paying more attention to the 'conversa-tion' with the toad woman then his potion. The potions master's face contorted into one of rage at seen he could not blame nor take points from the boy.
Instead Snape had already given them homework, and he had Quidditch practice this evening; this would mean another couple of sleepless nights. It did not seem possible that he had awoken that morning feeling very happy. All he felt now was a fervent desire for this day to end as soon as possible. After lunch was divination which passed fairly quickly with a grouchy Trelawney. Later was DADA with Umbridge. They all entered the room and Harry started to talk to Hermione about Trelawney. In that moment Umbridge entered the room as he spoke, wearing her black velvet bow and an expression of great smugness. "Good afternoon, class," she squeaked.
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted drearily.
"Wands away, please …" the woman said and looked at the vampires with hatred before walking to the front. But there was no answering flurry of movement this time; nobody had bothered to take out their wands. "Please turn to page thirty-four of Defensive Magical Theory and read the third chapter, entitled 'The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack.' There will be —"
"— no need to talk," chorused all of the vampires on the room.
Angelina was not happy in the least that evening. She had to cancel their practice thanks to the toad not wanting to give them permission yet. Harry was not thrilled in the least; he wanted to practice and blank his thoughts from the day's events. The pureblood teen, who was making very little progress with his Potions essay, decided to give it up for the night. As he put his books away, Ron, who was dozing lightly in an armchair, gave a muffled grunt, awoke, looked blearily into the fire and said, "Sirius!" Harry whipped around; Sirius's untidy dark head was sitting in the fire again.
"Hi," he said, grinning.
"Hi," chorused Harry, Ayame, Ron, and Hermione, all four kneeling down upon the hearthrug. Crookshanks purred loudly and approached the fire, trying, despite the heat, to put his face close to Sirius's.
"How're things?" said Sirius.
"Not that good," said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him singeing his whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams —"
"— or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius. There was a short pause.
"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.
"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. "The Hog's Head, I ask you …"
"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people —"
"— which means you'd have been harder to overhear," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."
Ayame nodded her head in understanding. 'I somehow knew this was bound to happen thanks to Hermione and her stupid book brain,' she thought in exasperation.
"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded. Inside he grimaced knowing this was all Hermione's bad luck in looking for good places for a secret meeting.
"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius, and when they all looked puzzled he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil."
"That was Mundungus?" Harry said, stunned. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head anyway?"
"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius impatiently. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."
"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry angrily. His eyes beginning to change color. Ayame noticed and wrapped her arms around the angry teen and kissed him on the base of his neck to calm him down. He instantly calmed down somewhat but you could still see a hint of red in the base of his irises.
"Yeah, you are," said Sirius, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group." But he looked neither angry nor worried; on the contrary, he was looking at Harry with distinct pride.
After relying a message from Molly Weasley to her son, Harry and Hermione about not wasting their life on secret organizations that, if found out would get them expelled. There was another pause in which Crookshanks, mewing, attempted to paw Sirius's head, and Ron fiddled with a hole in the hearthrug.
"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defense group?" he muttered finally.
"Me? Certainly not!" said Sirius, looking surprised. "I think it's an excellent idea!"
"You do?" said Harry, his heart lifting. Ayame smiled and gave him another peck.
"Of course I do!" said Sirius. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"
Ayame giggles at Sirius retort on the subject. She was beginning to like the other male and his antiques. "But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —" Harry starts.
"Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" said Sirius impatiently. "This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"
"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face. All of them looked at her at her question.
"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" said Harry, staring at her. The pureblood princess glares at the bushy hair girl in exasperation.
"I know it was. … I just wondered what Sirius thought," she said, shrugging.
'Sure, you were,' thought Ayame while rolling her eyes in a quizzical and sarcastic way.
"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," said Sirius. "So, how are you organizing this group? Where are you meeting?"
"No, not yet," Harry said.
Sirius started by suggesting the shrinking shack but Hermione ruled out that idea on been too small. Then he suggested a passage on the fourth floor but this time it was Harry who rule it out by saying the passage was blocked.
"Oh …" said Sirius, frowning. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to…" He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.
"Sirius?" said Harry anxiously. But he had vanished. Harry gaped at the flames for a moment, then turned to look at Ron and Hermione. 'What the hell is going on now,' he thought in alarm. 'I have a very bad feeling.'
"Why did he…?" Hermione gave a horrified gasp and leapt to her feet, still staring at the fire. A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings.
All four of them ran for it; at the door of the boys' dormitory Harry looked back. Umbridge's hand was still making snatching movements amongst the flames, as though she knew exactly where Sirius's hair had been moments before and was determined to seize it.
A/N2: Hi, everyone. I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a long while XD I hope you liked this chapter and don't mind the little bit of Hermione bashing here but it's actually true in a way... she's only smart on the academic/book part not on the practical/logical part =-=' Anyways please tell me what you think and I'm already working on the next chapter so expect it soon. RxR
