The Ministry's impact on the school was only lengthening. It was not long before Professor Umbridge was appointed High Inquisitor at Hogwarts. She would be sitting in classes and observing the teachers and giving them reviews. It was quite distracting at times as she would not only observe but intervein when asking questions.
She was quite a degrading and manipulating person, Haidee had found, for someone who presented themselves so harmlessly. She always wore bright pink and had a high-pitch girly voice. She would walk pristinely and
confidently, but the words she uttered were so humiliating to whoever she spoke to.
Haidee had found she was learning next to nothing in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but it made for quick and easy homework she was able to complete during class time. This had given her some unexpected extra time in the kitchen where she was developing new sweet and antidotes as well as sending a lot of sweets to her friends. Dobby enjoyed her sweets. He had come to talking to Haidee whenever she was in the kitchen, asking about Harry and eating her sweets.
She was sitting in the library when Fred and George waddled up to her, hunched and looking quite uncomfortable. She looked up as they approached, their expressions of distress making her chuckle lightly.
"Are you all right?" she asked as they approached but the scowls on their face deepened.
"We need your help," Fred announced as he pulled at his pants as if he was picking a wedgie. She watched the movement and the smile turned into a sort of amused grin.
"Whatever with?" she asked, making the roll their eyes.
"The Fever Fudge has some side effects. It makes your temperature shoot up but you also get horrible boils," George explained and Haidee nodded, hiding her smile as she pressed her lips together. Slowly, she gazed over their faces.
"I don't see any boils," she announced.
"They're not in a place we generally display to the public," said Fred as George groaned in pain.
"Okay, okay, I will help. I'm just glad you didn't feed those to the first-years," said Haidee as she gathered her things and led them to the kitchen. "I have everything for the Cure for Boils Potion," she said as she led them into her corner.
She watched them as they shuffled awkwardly, pulling at their pants and making distressed faces. She would look up at them with an awfully suppressed smile as she worked, the potion was very simple. It wasn't long before it was complete and she gave it to them to drink. They consumed it rather quickly and watched as their faces expressions turned to relief and please.
"What would I do without you?" Fred asked, giving her a little kiss on the cheek, making her smile.
"Have boils on your bum, I suppose," she laughed as they exited the kitchen. "Check your ingredients and your method of production. If Billywig sting slime is boiled past two-hundred degrees it may cause boils," she informed, making Fred purse his lips and nod. "Or just add Murtlap to the recipe, it should get rid of them."
"We'll look into that," Fred notified, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "It's an unusually nice day outside, wanna walk?" asked Fred, looking down at Haidee.
"Uh, sure," she said with a smile.
"I'll just go look at the ingredients list, then," George huffed with a laugh.
"Get a girlfriend already!" Fred shouted to him as he walked away, causing passing students to turn in their direction.
"Shut up, you git," said George as he rounded the corner. Together, Fred and Haidee walked outside. It was unusually sunny but slightly cold. The cool breeze pushed through her hair as they walked hand in hand towards the lake where they sat under a tree.
"Here," said Fred, taking off his jumper, which had a large 'F' on the front, and handing it to her. "Mum makes me one every year for Christmas," Fred explained as she put it on thankfully, feeling herself being enveloped in his smell and warmth.
He began to lay down under the tree, resting his hands under his head as they both watched the lake, observing as the giant squid surfaced for a moment before deciding again.
"I forgot to mention that on the Hogsmeade weekend coming up, Harry's holding this meeting or something about a secret Defence Against the Dark Arts class where we actually get to learn some spells," said Fred and she laid down beside him.
"That sounds like a good idea," said Haidee with a smile. "I haven't been learning much in that class, admittedly."
"No one had, that's the problem. I don't know what the Ministry thinks is so wrong about learning practical spells," Fred scoffed, turning to Haidee and fiddling with her hair.
"It does seem odd, doesn't it? As if it was done pointlessly, but there has to be a point," Haidee addressed.
"Like what?" scoffed Fred. "They scared some mediocre students are going to overthrow them with some seventh-year defensive skills?" Fred laughed at the thought, but it was quite possible. Fred had not seen how threatened Fudge seemed by Dumbledore that night last year in the hospital wing. But the thought seemed absurd.
"I don't know," she admitted with a smile, turning her head to face his. "I think my Little Owl Patronus was quite threatening," she laughed, as did Fred. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, his hands slithering around her stomach to pull her closer. Her hands slid around his neck to the back of his head, where she tangled her fingers in his hair.
The kiss deepened until they were making out, laying down, under the tree. The sensation of his smell engulfed her as he laid on top of her, his hand sliding up her jumper. The grass tickled her skin as she laid down and she giggled when his lips moved from her lips to her neck. For a moment, he stopped and looked up at her.
"I love you," he reminded her and she smiled, placing a quick and gentle kiss on his lips.
"I love you, also," she replied, laughing and kicking her legs as he dived back into her neck, kissing and tickling her.
The Hogsmeade weekend came rather quickly, Haidee hadn't noticed how quickly the time had gone as she was stuck in her routine of studying and baking, sometimes talking to the portraits when they called her name.
Sneaking into the Hogsmeade, as she still didn't have a signed permission sheet was a lot easier than she expected, considering Professor Umbridge had taken to monitoring the halls more closely. It had caused Haidee only slight trouble, so far, as although the walk from the kitchen to the Hufflepuff common room was short, sometimes she would be forced to stay in the kitchen until Professor Umbridge had passed, which was odd, as she would usually leave the kitchen at early hours in the morning. In fact, she didn't even know if her deal with Dumbledore was still intact under Umbridge's new authority, but he hadn't mentioned otherwise so she continued to send him sweets.
Fred met her in Honeydukes as she snuck out of the cellar and into the store, where together they browsed for some sweets before she followed him to Zonko's. She stayed with them as they browsed, munching on some Fudge Flies when she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione walk past.
"Fred, is it okay if I got with Harry, Ron and Hermione? I just saw them walk past," asked Haidee and Fred nod.
"Sure, I'll meet you there," he said, giving her a kiss. She smiled and walked out of Zonko's to follow them into Hog's Head, where the meeting would be held.
"Harry, Ron, Hermione," Haidee called, gathering their attention. "Hi," she smiled, "I thought I might help you set up," she suggested, looking around the rather stingy looking bar. It was quite dirty, but there were very few people there, which must have been the reason they chose the venue.
The bar's man was a grump-looking man and every customer that was there seemed hunched and hooded, hard to identify. It gave Haidee a creepy chill but continued anyway.
"I just want to let you know I think this is a good idea," she said, "and very helpful."
"Oh," said Hermione, "thank you." Haidee smiled and helped Ron set up a few chairs for the people expected to arrive.
"So, who did you say is supposed to be at this meeting?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Just a couple of people," Hermione reassured.
As Haidee helped set up, the first people started to trickle on. There were some people Haidee hadn't recognised, and some she did. First, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thoma and Lavander Brown arrived and shortly after followed Parvati and Padma Patil. Cho Chang and one of her friend Marietta Edgecombe. Luna Lovegood, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot. Then came Ginny Weasley and Zacharias Smith and lastly, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan. When Haidee saw them she walked up to them to stay with them as the meeting proceeded.
"A couple of people?" she heard Harry say hoarsely to Hermione. "A couple of people?"
"Hi," Fred said to the bartender before he looked around and counted the heads of the students. "Twenty-five Butterbeers, please." The bartender started making the Butterbeers. "Cheers," he said, taking some and handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these." Haidee helped hand them out as Fred collected the money.
Once everyone had a Butterbeer in hand and Hermione, Ron and Harry were set in front of the crowd, Haidee resting in Fred's arms as Hermione began her speech.
"Well . . . you know why you're here," she started nervously. "I had the idea that it might be good for people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts - I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts-"
"Here, here," a Ravenclaw student, Anthony Goldstein said, gaining Hermione more confidence.
"Well, I thought it would be good if we took matters into our own hand. Not only to pass our O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s but because . . . because," she took a great breath and finished, "because Lord Voldemort is back."
Haidee was so used to hearing the name that she was surprised when people gasped, even spilling some of their Butterbeer.
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said a blonde Hufflepuff in a rather aggressive tone. Haidee recognised him from her house as Zacharias Smith.
"Who are you?" Ron asked, equally as rudely.
"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back." Fred felt Fred scoff at the boy.
"If you've come here to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said, suddenly realising why there were so many people who decided to show up.
"Is it true," a small voice said from a girl Haidee had never seen before, "that you can produce a Patronus." The girl had a sweet tone to her voice, but Harry was still acting defensively.
"Yeah," said Harry, slightly defensively.
"A corporeal Patronus?"
"Well . . . yes," he said, looking to Haidee, who he knew also could produce a corporeal Patronus. She was glad when he didn't mention her.
Students close to Harry started to list of things he had done to prove his ability to teach, which made students eager to learn, Haidee being one of them. She remembered how difficult it had been to teach herself the Patronus charm, but how fun it was and how proud she felt when she finally did it right. The thought of sitting at the desk to write down Defense Against the Dark Art notes bored her in comparison to learning new spells.
The only problem was that they needed to find a space that they could practice without Professor Umbridge finding out. It was a mission for the students involved to try and find a suitable area.
At the end of the meeting, Hermione had everyone sign a piece of paper to know how many students had attended but also to agree not to go spreading the news of the gathering. Some people were hesitant. Fred, George and Haidee were the first to sign their names. She smiled at the three of them as she did.
"I think it was quite successful," she smiled, finishing signing her name. Fred and Haidee spent the rest of their day at Hogsmeade together, going through his new purchases and complaining about that Zacharias kid at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Then, she snuck back into Hogwarts.
She spent the rest of the night in the kitchen until an ungodly hour in the morning. She had stayed up to eat some cakes with Dobby and some other house-elves who decided to chat with her, which she was pleasured by.
"May I have another cake, miss?" Dobby asked, causing some of the house-elves to gasp at such disrespect.
Haidee, however, smiled, and slid the whole pile of cakes towards the house-elves. "Please, eat as much as you like. All of you. You don't need to ask." Dobby took another cake happily, the others were not used to enjoying her sweets in front of her but would rather eat them in private when she had left the kitchen, in respect for her. "Please, eat some more," she said with a smile as the hesitantly reach for another.
"Dobby likes your sponge cakes the most, Lolly-Lady, miss," Dobby announced with a smile as he took another. Haidee smiled and thanked him.
"And you?" she asked, looking to another house-elf. "Do you have a favourite?"
"I like all of your sweets, Lolly-Lady, miss," she announced proudly and Haidee smiled.
"You must have a favourite," she said. "It's all right, I won't be offended. I am asking," Haidee reminded and the house-elf nodded.
"I enjoy your lemon tarts the best, miss," she said and Haidee smiled.
"You know, you may be the first person to favourite my lemon tarts," she said. "Most others enjoy my raspberry tart more. So, for that, thank you." The house-elf beamed at her and stared at the lemon tart Haidee held out to her.
"But . . . " said the house-elf, "that was not in our pile." She was right, it was not in the pile Haidee had made for the house-elves. It had come from the pile she would be taking back to the Hufflepuff common room.
"Oh, that's all right. Here," she said, shaking the tart in encouragement to take it. She took the tart hesitantly and ate it, which made Haidee smile. She could see she was enjoying it. Then, from the pile she was taking back to the Hufflepuff common room, she removed some of the lemon tarts and placed them on the house-elf pile. "There, now you can have as many as you like."
Haidee sat as she held a slice of cake, thinking about a place in the castle that would hold twenty or thirty people, and large and spacious enough to practice spells. It was a giant castle why mysterious places around every corner, there had to be somewhere for them to practice.
"You look worried, miss," Dobby said and Haidee looked up, being brought back from her dazed thoughts.
"Oh, no, just thinking," Haidee said, looking at the piece of cake in her hand and taking a small bite.
"Anything Dobby can help with?" he asked and Haidee smiled.
"Not unless you know of a place where thirty people can practice Defence Against the Dark Arts without being discovered by anyone, especially, Professor Umbridge," Haidee smiled, not thinking Dobby would be able to produce an answer. There was a moment of silence as Dobby looked away in thought, his ears slumped as he mindlessly shoved the rest of the cake into his mouth.
"Dobby knows the perfect place, miss!" he said happily, his ears perking up. Haidee furrowed her eyebrows.
"Really?"
"Yes, miss! Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he came to Hogwarts, miss. It is known as the Come and Go Room, or else, the Room of Requirement," Dobby explained and Haidee leaned forward in anticipation.
"Do you know why that is?"
"Because it is a room that a person can only enter when they have real need for it. Sometimes it is there and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is equipped for the seeker's needs," said Dobby and Haidee stood in eureka.
"Dobby, you are brilliant, that sounds perfect! Do many people know of this room?" she asked.
"Very few, miss."
"Can you tell me exactly where the room is and how to get there?" she asked excitedly and Dobby smiled, happy to help.
"Right away, miss!"