A/N: The new chapter is here! I wanted to try something new, I hope you'll like that format! More Draco's POV, oh joy! I really love writing his POV :D can't wait for the 6th book, I think he'll appear more often! / The Google sheet doc with OUR recommandations: I think I put everything on it, you should be able to modify it from now on! Please remember that I put a lot of work in it, so try not to destroy everything! spreadsheets/d/1SDrF8e8U32LsfQtrwPXFTGNOhtHDL3tP1TswTD6Uh-k/edit?usp=sharing
The Daily Prophet, Morning Edition, March the 2nd
FORMER DURMSTRANG HEADMASTER
FOUND DEAD IN A SHACK
Igor Karkaroff, the former Headmaster of Durmstrang, was found dead yesterday in a Muggle
mountain refuge. The local authorities were alerted by a walker who had intended to spend the night there before he made the gruesome discovery. Mr. Karkaroff, who had resigned from his position last summer, apparently died from suffocation due to a malfunction of the chimney in the main room.
Pansy Parkinson was blocking the way to the library, a nasty smile on her face. She glared at Hermione's wrist, and her face screwed into a grimace.
"Still got that horrible bracelet, Mudblood? How long 'till your beau realizes he made a mistake and takes it back? Two, three weeks at most?"
The comment should have hurt her, but it didn't. Firstly, because it was Parkinson, and the only time she opened her mouth in her presence was to insult her. Secondly, because since her date with Regulus at the Three Broomstick, most of the Slytherin girls had begun to do the same.
"That's still longer than any courtship you'll ever have, Parkinson," Hermione retorted. "How are things with Malfoy, by the way?" she asked innocently, and Parkinson's face twisted with rage.
"How dare you, you filthy Mudbl..."
"Hem – hem."
Someone coughed, and Hermione cursed internally. Just my luck, she thought bitterly, as if Parkinson wasn't already enough. She turned around and cursed a second time. Umbridge was smiling at her widely, too widely for someone who couldn't use Black Quills anymore.
"Trying to hex an innocent classmate, Miss Granger?" she asked sweetly, pointedly ignoring the fact that Hermione had no wand in her hand. "What a shame, really, for a Perfect to act like this. I'm afraid I'll have to adjust the punishment to your title, surely you understand?"
Hermione bit her lip, containing her anger. There was no point trying to argue, the woman would not listen. Worst, she would think Hermione was trying to avoid punishment and use this as a pretext to aggravate the sanction.
"Let's see… fifty points from Gryffindor, a month of suspension from your Prefect duties and, of course, detention with professor Snape. I think I remember him complaining he had no one to scrub cauldrons this week. Given your heritage, I'm sure you'll know how to proceed."
Parkinson did not even try to hide her laugh and Hermione inhaled deeply, focusing on her breathing. Umbridge, oblivious to the scene, had summoned a pink parchment and was scribbling something on it.
"Here," she finally said, "Professor Snape was still in the staff room when I left, I'm sure he'll be delighted by my note."
Hermione grabbed the paper and left in a hurry, thanking the Gods for Umbridge's stupidity. She wasn't exactly happy about the loss of points and the suspension, but detention with Snape was better than detention with the blasted woman. And honestly, he almost liked her anyway.
Anonymous flyer, delivered to the Daily Prophet's subscribers, on March the 5th
FORMER DEATH EATER
IGOR KARKAROFF MURDERED BECAUSE OF HIS BETRAYAL?
Six months after the suspect death of Barty Crouch Senior, the sudden passing of Igor Karkaroff is another coincidence that can't be ignored by the general public. Mr. Karkaroff, a former Death Eater, had been pardoned for his crimes after offering crucial information about You-Know-Who's supporters and considered a traitor by many of them. After being released from Azkaban, Mr. Karkaroff had decided to leave Britain because he feared for his life.
The Green Witch
Draco entered the room and surveyed it quickly, satisfied to see that everyone had already arrived. Good. At least this time, he would not lose ten minutes waiting for some idiot to remember how to get to Umbridge's quarters. The woman opened her mouth to greet him, and he grumbled something in response. This was the third gathering of the week, and it was getting harder and harder to pretend to be interested in what she had to say. Honestly, even uncle Severus had ignored the invitation this time, didn't that mean something?
Draco tried to concentrate on whatever idiocy the woman was babbling about and failed. She was recounting Trelawney's sacking in great detail and lamenting that Dumbledore had been able to fool her by bringing another half-breed into the school. Well, too bad she hadn't listened to him and sacked Hagrid first, right? Because then, Dumbledore would have asked for Grubbly-Plank to come back, and Draco would finally have had decent classes of Care of Magical Creatures. After what felt like the longest ten minutes of his life, Umbridge stopped her monologue and Draco came back to reality. Wait, was she dismissing them already?!
"Mister Malfoy," the woman said, and he scowled. "I must admit that I'm disappointed by your lack of progress. Professor Snape assured me you would be able to take care of the pranking problem, yet somehow it has worsened in the last few weeks."
Draco saw red at the criticism, and only his good upbringing stopped him from insulting the woman.
"Trust me professor," he replied smoothly, "we're trying our best. But what can eight people do against an entire school? Even Dumbledore seems to find the situation amusing, do you honestly think we can be taken seriously when he himself declares there should be a pranking contest?"
"Of course," Umbridge answered after a few blessed minutes of silence. "Dumbledore is at the root of all of our problems; he's the one I need to eliminate if I want this school to be run properly. I have to find something to get him sacked, but what?"
The Daily Prophet, Morning Edition, March the 12th
MINISTER FUDGE SUPPORTED BY MORE THAN 85 %
OF THE POPULATION
A survey conducted last week by the Ministry found out that more than 85 % of the population approved of Minister Fudge's latest decision concerning domestic policy.
"This result does not come as a surprise," Lord Malfoy, a Senior Member of the Wizengamot, declared, "since his election, Minister Fudge has always had the best interest of the country in mind, and designed his political agenda accordingly. Thanks to this, Britain has risen amongst the top 5 most prosperous countries in Europe within only a few years."
Draco wondered when his life had become so dull. Was it before, or after Umbridge had decided to double their evening patrols? Now that he thought carefully about it, it must have been after. He sighed loudly, wondering what he could do to kill time until he was finally allowed to go back to his dormitory. Play exploding snap? No wait, he was alone. Try to catch the snitch he kept in his pocket? Nah, no one was there to watch him. Was he desperate enough to review his lessons? Almost, but not yet. Maybe he could try to finally master the Disillusionment Charm? It was seventh-year material, but he was good at Charms and had already learned a few sixth-year spells that he had deemed worthy of his interest. Last time he had practiced, he had been able to make the upper half of his body disappear and had had a great time terrorizing people by hiding behind a sofa. Yeah, why not. After all, he had enough time. One hour, eight minutes and fifteen seconds left to be precise.
One hour later, Draco stared at his feet. Or, more precisely, stared at the place where his feet should have been. Ha, watch out Potter, time for revenge! He thought enthusiastically. I wonder what he will do when I throw mud on his face.
Still gloating at the idea, Draco did not hear the student who was approaching in the corridor nearby, and he nearly jumped with fright when someone began to sing a lullaby. His heart furiously beating in his chest, he released a breath of relief when he realized that it was only the Lovegood girl, singing some strange song about a cat with a dog for a brother. She seemed to be in a hurry, and he only caught a glance of her silhouette when she passed the archway of the hall where he was hiding. The sight piqued his interest, and he decided to follow her. Maybe the rumors were true and she was a lunatic, but Ravenclaw Tower was in the opposite direction, and there were only ten minutes left before curfew. Quickly casting a Notice-Me-Not Charm on himself as well, Draco picked up her pace, hoping she might lead him to something interesting. For instance, a secret gathering of students who thought pranks against Slytherins were the height of fun.
It didn't take long for them to reach the seventh floor, and the Lovegood girl had just stopped in front of an atrocious tapestry and was looking at it when a cat meowed and she turned around, smiling.
"Oh, hello. I thought you would already be in with the others?"
"Meow."
"Of course, the date was changed! I completely forgot, thank you for reminding me. Do you mind escorting me back to the Tower? I've got a few questions about your vision as a cat."
"Meow."
"It's alright, you don't have to be precise, I just want the general idea. So, tell me, have you ever seen a gathering of Wrackspurts?"
Completely barmy, Draco thought, looking at the strange pair moving away from his hiding place. As if the cat could really talk back to her. Now, let's see. Why was she so interested in this tapestry, and who was she supposed to meet here?
Anonymous flyer, delivered to the Daily Prophet's subscribers on March the 16th
GROWING CONCERN ABOUT
MUGGLES DISAPPEARANCE IN WILTSHIRE
A national report published last week by the Muggle Police points out a worrying increase of unresolved cases of disappearances and abductions since the beginning of the year, half of which happened in the county of Wiltshire alone.
The Green Witch
The training session was in full swing when Luna suddenly raised her head towards the wall and frowned. After a few seconds of hesitation, she left her place and went to see Regulus, unceremoniously shoving an unidentified third year against a table in the process. Ginny, who had been training next to her with Neville, looked at her boyfriend quizzically. He nodded, and both of them followed Luna, arriving just in time to hear the beginning of the discussion.
"Something is wrong, Regulus," the blond told the young man.
"Wrong?" he asked, looking puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Someone bad is coming," Luna answered. "Very soon. You need to leave and hide, and to take the other with you."
Regulus glanced at the parchment hanging on the wall before calling for Harry.
"I need the Map," he said, "Luna thinks we've been discovered, but our wards haven't been breached yet."
Harry took an old parchment from his pocket and handed it to Regulus, looking worried. Around them, people had stopped training and Ginny saw that Hermione was nervously glancing at her boyfriend. Both of Regulus' eyebrows shot up, and he turned towards Luna.
"Looks like you're right," he told her, "the entire Squad is coming in this direction. If they know how to enter, we've barely got two minutes. Everyone," he continued, speaking louder, "I need you to get into two lines and to go back to your dormitories immediately. And please stay… calm," he added, but at the same time the sound of an alarm was heard and the students broke into a run, trying to reach the doors leading back to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Black," Neville said, "you and Harry can't be seen here. Ginny and I will handle the evacuation."
"Are you sure?" he asked, and Ginny knew that he felt guilty for abandoning them.
"Of course," she said, "You might be giving the lessons, but we're still the leaders. Now, hurry up!" she told him. Regulus nodded and transformed, and Hermione took him in her arms before running towards the exit. Harry and Ron, who had been trying to get everyone to act sensibly, followed them.
Less than a minute later, everyone but Neville and Ginny had left, and they were about to go back to their respective dorms when the doors suddenly disappeared. Glancing behind her back, Ginny saw that the door leading out of the Room had materialized, and she straightened, ready to face Malfoy. But it wasn't him who opened the door. It wasn't even Filch.
It was Umbridge.
"Well, well, well," the ugly woman said, her eyes immediately meeting Ginny's. "What do we have here? Miss Weasley, and Mister Longbottom. I should have known you were up to something. Did you honestly think that creating a secret duelling club was a good idea?"
"A duelling club?" Neville asked innocently. "You're wrong, it's just the two of us training here."
"Really? But, isn't this room a bit too much for only two students?" Umbridge countered, smiling broadly. "Surely, you don't need four dummies to train, right? And… Yes, what is it, Miss. Parkinson? You found a list?!"
Ginny's throat went dry, and she felt Neville stiffen next to her. They had totally forgotten about the list.
"And look at the name, professor," Parkinson said excitedly. "It's called Dumbledore's Army!"
"Really?" the woman asked, practically bouncing with joy, "yes, yes you are right my dear girl, Dumbledore's Army! This is wonderful, really wonderful!" she continued. "We need to strike now, let's go to the Headmaster's office immediately! Mr. Malfoy, make sure Weasley and Longbottom don't try to escape."
"Of course, professor," Malfoy answered, and he immediately conjured some ropes around their wrists, before taking their wands away and pushing them towards the door.
Half an hour later, they were in front of Dumbledore's Office, waiting to be allowed in. Voices could be heard from the inside, and Ginny's heart sank a bit further when she realized that the Minister was already here. There was a small commotion behind the door and it opened, revealing a bright room filled with strange objects. Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, smiling at the newcomers.
"Good evening Dolores," he said politely. "And I see you're not alone, what a wonderful surprise! I've always loved friendly gatherings. But, if you don't mind me asking, why are Mr. Longbottom and Miss. Granger restrained? They haven't committed any serious crime, have they?" he asked, gesturing in their direction, and the ropes disappeared from their wrists.
"Don't try to fool us with your antics, Dumbledore," Fudge, who was facing him, replied coolly. "You know perfectly why they're here; I was just telling you Dolores found proof that you were raising an army."
"Raising an army?" the Headmaster replied politely. "I'm sorry, but I don't recall doing such a thing."
"What's this, then?" Umbridge asked, putting the parchment just in front of his nose so that he could read it.
"Aaaaah, I see, yes," he said, smiling. "I didn't know they had found a name already; I must say that I'm flattered by their choice. However, I did not intend to create an army, no, but a Muggle Karate Club."
"A Muggle Karate Club?" Fudge repeated, dumbfounded. "What's that?"
"A martial art, created by the Ryukyu people a few centuries ago. I wanted the children to be able to defend themselves in everyday life. You see, we always seem to forget that they are not allowed to use Magic during the holidays, but what if something happens then? What if, for instance, they are attacked by Voldemort, like poor Harry was last summer?"
In Ginny's opinion, Cornelius Fudge had never been a bright man. Yet, even he seemed to have realized that Dumbledore was making a fool of him.
"ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE," the man shouted, a vein throbbing on his neck. "You may have duped me in the past, Dumbledore, but this time it won't happen. I have the proof I need to arrest you and that's what I'll be doing RIGHT NOW."
"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, and Ginny was shocked to see that there was a hint of a smirk on his face. "Well, Cornelius, congratulations, it seems that the day you finally outsmarted me has arrived. My congratulations to Madam Umbridge as well, you discovered my plot to overthrow the Ministry before I had even time to begin training the students."
"AH!" the Minister exclaimed, and he turned around to look at his allies, grinning proudly. "Did you hear that? Did everyone hear that?!"
"We did, Minister!" Umbridge, who was smiling as well, confirmed, "we did!"
"But, sir," Ginny interrupted, "we…"
"There's no need to try to help me, Miss Weasley," the Headmaster said loudly, "you didn't know my real intentions when I created our club, and for that I am sorry. Such a shame we were not even able to hold our first training session, hm?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
"A real shame, sir," Neville immediately agreed. "We'll tell the others you decided to cancel the meeting for tonight."
"Very good," Dumbledore replied, "and now, if you don't mind, I think it's time for me to leave."
"Leave?" Fudge asked, suddenly looking very worried. "Surely, you don't think I'm going to let you escape? Everyone in this room heard your confession, Dumbledore, the only place where you're going is in Azkaban where you will be waiting to be judged!"
"Sadly, Cornelius, I don't have any intention of following you or your friends," Dumbledore replied, nodding in the direction of the two Aurors who had been observing the scene from a corner of the room. "I have a lot to do in order to prepare for the war that is coming – yes, Cornelius, there is a war coming – and a stay in Azkaban, as well as a trial, is a real waste of my time. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, as the two Aurors moved their hands to their wand pockets, "there is somewhere I need to be."
With a last smile in Ginny and Neville's direction, he went back to his desk and took a small satchel, before clapping his hands together high in the air. There was a sudden flash of light, and everything went black.
The Daily Prophet, Morning Edition, April 2nd
MADAM UMBRIDGE, FORMER SENIOR UNDERSECRETARY,
TO REPLACE DUMBLEDORE AS HEADMISTRESS OF HOGWARTS
It could have been a very bad joke, but it isn't. Yesterday evening, Albus Dumbledore was declared an enemy of the country after it was discovered that he had created an army of students with the intention of overthrowing Minister Fudge. Madam Umbridge, former Senior Undersecretary and current DADA teacher, accepted to replace Dumbledore as Headmistress.
"It is my duty to make sure that the students, who have been under Dumbledore's thumb for years, aren't misled anymore and put back on the right track."
Madam Umbridge, a trusted citizen and close friend of Minister Fudge himself, is better known for her pioneering work during her stay at the Ministry, like the campaign she launched in 1993 for a better census of werewolves and other dangerous half-breed creatures.
Regulus was seated in front of him, staring grimly at the window.
"I know it's not ideal," Severus told his friend, "but I don't feel comfortable knowing that you were so close to being discovered by Umbridge. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had caught you by surprise? You wouldn't have the time to transform, and what then? Fudge would not have listened to your explanations; you know that."
"But to forbid me to leave your rooms? What if Harry is in danger? What about Hermione?"
"Potter's only enemy at the moment is the Dark Lord, and you know it. When it comes to Umbridge, he's proven that he could keep his mouth shut if needed. You don't have to worry about him." Severus said, trying to sound convincing. "And I could arrange for Miss Granger to come from time to time under the pretence of another detention."
"I'm not sure giving her detention every day for the rest of the year is ideal," his friend answered bitterly.
"Every day?" Severus asked, dismayed. "Are you out of your mind? Just the way you look at each other is sickening, do you really think I want to suffer that sight every day?"
"It's not that bad," Regulus said, suddenly looking embarrassed.
"Even your brother agrees with me, you two are so disgustingly in love that it's too much for us common mortals to bear."
"Tonks says we're cute."
"Tonks' displays of affection towards her husband should be banned from the public eye, you're almost as bad as them without even holding hands."
Regulus rolled his eyes at the comment.
"What if she comes every two days and uses the Cloak and the Map?" he asked. "And we help you with your essays? I promise that's the only thing we'll do."
Severus paused for a moment, thinking. The exams were almost there, which meant he would give more essays than usual.
"You grade everything from year one to three and you prepare the ingredients for my potions. No kisses, no holding hands, no gazing into each other's eyes for an hour, nothing."
Anonymous flyer, delivered to the Daily Prophet's subscribers, April 4th
WEREWOLVES' PACKS SEEN GATHERING IN EUROPE
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE END OF THE WAR
German authorities have alerted the European Wizarding Council that, for the first time in nearly fourteen years, werewolves packs had been seen massively gathering in the Black Forest. The Albanian and Norwegian governments announced that the same thing had been observed in their respective countries, and a Special Commission was created to investigate their motives. In the meantime, the unfamous British werewolf Fenrir Greyback and his pack haven't been seen in their usual hideouts since the beginning of February.
The Green Witch
A/N: The name of the chapters is an allegory of the Squad finding the RoR. And an homage to A Song of Ice and Fire. (Please write the end of the series, George.) / I suppose you understood, but every flyer is an answer to the article before. / What do you think of the survey? Can you think of something that might make you think it's only propaganda? For example, don't you think it might be biased if it was done by the Ministry itself? What about the fact that it's only about ONE decision? How many people were questioned? Who were they? :D
I think Draco is a very intelligent boy, so I thought it would not be too surprising if he had already learned some spells from the upper classes. But only the useful ones, of course. / Draco was able to get into the Room because Regulus wasn't there, but he did not stay very long, just enough time to know it looked very suspicious.
Yes, I know, Luna was able to know that someone was coming but she didn't see Draco trailing her. Yes. But I wanted her to be the reason why they were caught by Umbridge. In my initial draft, she was supposed to know he was there but "something" had told her they needed to be discovered. She should even have stopped Neville & Ginny from getting away so that they were discovered, because "it was supposed to happen"! Maybe the Wrackspurts weren't working when Draco saw her? Or maybe it was because the first time, Draco was just curious and the second time, she felt the evilness coming from the squad? Who knows? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I honestly don't know what possessed me when I wrote the part with the Karate Club. But I can totally see Dumbledore practise it. And yoga. Don't ask me why.
"But it wasn't him who opened the door. It wasn't even Filch. It was Umbridge." I received my Minalima version of HP1 and it's honestly beautiful, I was so happy to read it. This part is a rewriting of the moment Harry discovers Quirrel 😉
Finally, I've taken some time to re read the 20 first chapters. SO MANY MISTAKES! I tried to change that, I hope it's slightly better now.
I'M NOT SURE WHEN THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED. I've been waiting for ages to reach that part, yet I've barely written three sentences in a week. We'll have an exclusive POV in that chapter, can't wait for your opinion about that part :D