In which Ramona joins an army

-October 1995-

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded.
An organisation, 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 organisation, 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 organisation, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
The above is I'm accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.
Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor

"She can't actually do this...can she?" Ramona stood at the front of the small crowd gathered around the notice board in the common room, the most recent 'Educational Decree' pinned up for all to read. "First she's discriminating against dyslexic students with that whole 'no spell-check quills' bullshit and now she's controlling our free time?"

"Does that include Quidditch?" Daphne asked worriedly.

"What about Frog Choir?" some third-year bellowed, raking his hands through his hair.

Ramona wondered who the rat was. There was no way this was a coincidence, that the very week after they'd all met up in Hogsmeade, Umbridge banned all student organisations, groups, teams and societies. Zacharias Smith, perhaps? But what would he gain from selling them out? Or one of those shifty looking Ravenclaws? Regardless, many would definitely point the finger at her, it would be the most logical answer in their brains.

Daphne was still wailing about Quidditch as they made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, where there was a general gloomy mood about the students. So they'd all read it then. The hag herself sat at the teachers table, looking far too pleased with herself, her shiny High Inquisitor badge shining bright on her cardigan as she sipped a cup of tea. Potter was surrounded by a few of the Gryffindor members of their short-lived group, conferring in low but clearly panicked voices.

"This is ridiculous," Blaise was angrily stabbing into the butter with a knife, "what am I supposed to do about Book Club?"

"Quidditch, Blaise!" Daphne shrieked, tossing her hands into the air. "What about Quidditch?"

"Who cares about Quidditch, she'll have to reinstate that."

Cho was over at the Ravenclaw table with Marietta, both of them listening eagerly to Ginny before she darted down a few seats to Luna Lovegood. Cho swivelled around and beckoned Ramona over frantically with several not-very-subtle jerks of her head. Blaise and Daphne were still deep in their rant and she slipped away without either of them noticing.

"What is it?" she slipped in between the two girls, noting Marietta's visible irritation.

"Things are going ahead as schedule."

"Potter said this himself?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah, isn't he just so brave?"

"Only the bravest," she said, "or the stupidest. And that's something I can get on board with."
~~

Daphne perked up later that day after Umbridge granted the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to re-form, Draco waving about the little slip of parchment before Potions, the Gryffindors looking particularly sour about this as his rant dissolved into snide remarks about how they wouldn't be allowed to keep playing.

"I mean, if it's a question of influence in the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance. From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years.," he glanced over at the Gryffindors a few times to check that they were listening, "and as for Potter, my father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St Mungo's, apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic."

Ramona opened her mouth, a retort halfway up her throat, when Neville Longbottom tried to charge past her, heading straight for Draco with a war-cry. Potter caught him by the back of his robes as he struggled, red-faced, nose scrunched up, fists flailing as if he hoped one might catch Draco if he swung wildly and fast enough. She'd never seen him so angry before, in all the years of torment, not once had he ever retaliated, not like this. Maybe this had been the thing to tip him over the edge.

Crabbe and Goyle flexed their fists and got low, ready for a fight but Weasley seized Longbottom by the arms and the two boys managed to haul him back towards the side of the dungeons the Gryffindor were crowded against, most looking as shocked as Ramona felt.

"Not...funny...don't...Mungo's...show...him..." he spat through gritted teeth.

Before the situation could get worse, the door opened and Snape swept down the steps, taking in the scene with mild pleasure glimmering in his eyes. "Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom? Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

She debated defending them but very quickly decided against it, it would only result in a shunning from her friends and the docking of House points, Snape didn't care. Instead, she followed Delilah into the classroom and almost had a heart attack when the metal of the High Inquisitor badge caught the dim light in a far corner. She was literally the stuff of nightmares.

Ramona found herself distracted from the Strengthening Solution she was supposed to be finishing, mind far off, wondering why Longbottom had done what he'd done, borderline obsessing over it. Delilah caught her hand before she accidentally added a bat wing into her potion, which was definitely not needed, the fourth mistake she'd almost made, not even twenty minutes into class. What was wrong with her?

Umbridge quietly took notes for the first half hour before getting bored and digging up Snape's repeated failures at getting the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and making some vague comments about 'backgrounds'. She might have been entertained had she not hated Umbridge infinitely more than Snape.

Muggle Studies was thankfully Umbridge-free and she'd gotten an Outstanding on her essay about the social habits of British muggles, but right after was Defence Against the Dark Arts, where there was no chance of escaping her. Ramona managed to keep her mouth shut by skilfully dozing off while they were meant to be reading Chapter Three of Defensive Magical Theory, the most effective solution to her temper so far as she got through the class without so much as rolling her eyes.

Unfortunately, her week only got worse, the next day she couldn't find her little bag filled with Sugar Quills and all the girls in her dorm swore up and down they hadn't seen them, in fact, they all thought she was overreacting tremendously. She double and triple-checked every classroom she might have dropped them in and scoured the floor of the Great Hall before dinner to no avail. She was starting to wonder if Millicent had actually nabbed them from her bag as she was having no success in finding them in the library when an airy voice spoke from behind her.

"Are you looking for your Sugar Quills?" Luna Lovegood peered at her with those impossibly wide eyes from over the top of her father's magazine, curled up in one of the armchairs. "You know, they put addictive enchantments on them before they mass produce them so people buy more of their products? Daddy did a whole article about it a few months ago, it was very informative."

"I wouldn't be surprised, it's a common tactic used by Muggle producers but they use chemicals, it's really clever actually, if unethical," Ramona said. "How'd you know I lost them?"

Luna bookmarked her page and carefully tucked the magazine between her hip and the side of the armchair. "I thought I saw some Nargles flitting about you...and I also saw them fall out of your bag yesterday."

Not bothering to ask what a Nargle was, Ramona decided to focus on the missing Sugar Quills problem. "Why didn't you tell me if you saw it happen?"

"Well, you were shouting really loudly at your friend and you didn't hear me when I called after you."

She briefly recalled ranting very loudly at Delilah about how the Ministry had tried to cover up the Clodbury Riots. "Do you know where they are then?"

"Yes," she said proudly, puffing out her chest a bit.

Ramona waited a few seconds for her to elaborate but Luna just continued to stare at her with her pale eyes. "Can you-where are they exactly?"

"Well, I put them in my bag to give to you later but then I put them in my nightstand and then I put them in the left-no-right pocket of my robes and then-"

"Where are they now?"

Luna paused and thought for a second, eyes glazing over. "I'm not too sure, actually, probably the Nargles up to it again, they took my left shoe last week, found it floating in the lake the next day."

Ramona felt the familiar rise of anger in her throat, frustrated and worried that she was actually going into Sugar Quill withdrawal because she was way too emotionally invested in finding them but shouting didn't seem like a very productive or effective method of solving her problems so she swallowed it and breathed deeply for a few seconds.

"Okay...okay...I suppose we should go looking for them then, retrace your steps," Ramona said, cracking her joints. "Come on, Luna."

A dreamy smile eased onto her face as she tucked her magazine into her bag and hopped to her feet. "I definitely had them when I was up on the roof."

"Why-what-you know, I'm not even gonna bother asking."

The pair of girls scoured the castle, starting at the roof (which Luna actually did know how to get up on, surprisingly) and working their way down, on a serious time crunch as curfew drew nearer. There was no sign of them on the stairs or in Luna's dorm or behind that statue of Gregory the Smarmy where Luna often apparently hid things. Ramona wondered if someone had stolen them from Luna, her things often went missing and it seemed far more likely that it was malicious teenage girls rather than Nargles or any other mystical creature or spirit that no one other than the Lovegoods had ever heard of.

After an hour and having reached the ground floor of the castle without having found her Sugar Quills, Ramona sank down to the ground against the wall, the hope draining from her body with every inch she fell. How was she supposed to get her fix now? There wasn't another Hogsmeade trip for ages and even if Regina were to send on some in the post, she'd have to wait a few days for them and Bacon was hardly a reliable courier. The world was a cruel, terrible place and sometimes she wondered why she even bothered.

"Oh..." Luna's eyebrows shot up on her forehead as she slowly pulled a hand out of the inner pocket of her robes. "Seems like the Nargles put them back in my pocket...odd, they never do that. They must really like you!"
~~

Later that week, Cho came sprinting up to Ramona after lunch one day, grinning from ear to ear. This seemed to becoming a bit of a pattern but Ramona much preferred this to Cho's breakdowns which had lessened in their frequency as of late. Whether Potter had anything to do with it, Ramona wasn't sure, but if he did she couldn't be more grateful.

"Ginny says Harry wants to meet tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy and those trolls, told me to tell you."

Ramona's brow furrowed. "But there's nothing opposite that tapestry, we can hardly do it in the middle of the corridor, we're literally asking to get expelled."

Cho shrugged. "He just said you'll be able to find it...trust him, Mona."

She sighed and debated whether it was worth the effort and risk of getting in serious trouble. "Fine, I've come this far, might as well plow on to the end of this stupid plan."

"That's the spirit!"
~~

Ramona slipped out of her dorm at half seven that night, claiming she was off to hang out with Cho, which was not really a lie, just an understatement, trying to look as inconspicuous as she could, not like she was on her way to a secret illegal Defence club. She narrowly dodged Filch patrolling the second floor (although it was perfectly fine for her to be out, fifth years didn't have to be back until nine), ignored the portrait of the warlocks who asked where she was going in such a hurry and safely made it to the seventh floor without incident.

The tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy getting clubbed to death by trolls was one of the oldest in the castle, half-faded and moth-eaten and stretched about seventeen meters across the wall. Usually, the wall opposite this tapestry was empty and completely blank, or so she'd thought. Somehow, in all the years she'd passed that wall, she'd never noticed the massive polished door with ornate brass handles that glistened in the torchlight.

Ramona knocked twice, just in case this wasn't the right place and was actually a private bathroom or an office or something and in only a few seconds the door swung open and she found herself staring at Harry Potter, looking the least gloomy she'd seen him all year.

"Nice place, Potter," she said as he let her into the room. "Where'd you find it, I never knew this place existed?"

The room was wide and circular, lit with flickering torches, walls lined with fully-stocked bookshelves, some holding Sneakoscopes and Secrecy Sensors and there were little piles of silk cushions on the floor, many of which was occupied by the other members, chatting excitedly amongst themselves in little groups, or reading in Granger's case. She hadn't a clue how they'd put all of this together in such a short space of time, it was so perfect.

"Dobby told me."

"Who's Dobby?" The door shut behind her with a click.

"This House Elf I know."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

She took the empty cushion by Cho and Marietta and watched the rest arrive, struck with awe as they looked around. When finally everyone was there and seated on the little cushions, Potter locked the door and moved to stand in front of them, the whole group having fallen silent.

"Well," his voice quivered a bit, "this is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've-er-obviously found it okay."

"It's fantastic!" said Cho, many nodding alone with her or making general sounds of agreement.

"It's bizarre," said one of the twins, though neither were slouching now and she didn't know how to tell them apart. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then."

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" Dean Thomas pointed at all the trinkets at the back of the room.

"Dark Detectors," he stepped around them and made his way to a giant mirror swirling with fog. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."

There was a weird tension in the air after he said that with a far-off look in his eyes as he stared into the misty mirror. A Foe-Glass, she knew, her parents had one at home though they'd only gotten it for decorative purpose before Regina stole it when she left home to pawn it off for money. They hadn't even noticed its absence.

"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first," said Potter to break the brief silence he'd created, "and-er-what Hermione?"

Granger lowered her hand. "I think we ought to elect a leader."

"Harry's leader," said Cho, almost looking offended that anyone would dare suggest otherwise. Marietta and Ramona shared a look of raised brows and pursed lips.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," she paid little mind to the outburst. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So-everyone who thinks Harry ought to be leader?"

Every hand flew up, even that of Zacharias Smith, though he looked less than pleased about it.

Potter's face was burning. "Er-right, thanks. And-what Hermione?"

"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

Ramona had never envisioned herself as part of a group with either a strong team spirit or unity and it felt extremely weird to think that this wasn't just a bad trip.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?"

"Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?"

"I was thinking," Granger had rolled her eyes at both suggestions, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we're up to, so we can refer to it safely outside of meetings."

"The Defence Association?" said Cho. "The DA for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the DA's good," said Ginny Weasley. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

Ramona laughed. "Amen to that."

"All in favour of the DA?" Most hands flew up, the owners bearing excited grins. "That's a majority-motion passed!"

Granger took the sheet with their signatures and pinned it against the wall to write down their new name in capital letters across the top. Things were starting to feel really official, no longer just a little act of rebellion against a dictating teacher but an actual movement against injustice.

"Right," Potter said, smiling faintly, "shall we get practising then? I was thinking the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful-"

"Oh please," came Smith's nasally tone. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," Potter's voice went quiet but dark and he looked at Smith with such venom Ramona felt a chill run down her spine. "It saved my life in June. But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave."

Smith didn't move and the room collectively held a breath.

"Okay, I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

Everyone clambered to their feet and began to head off in their pairs. Ramona looked to her left to already see Marietta dragging Cho off by the sleeve and once she realised neither would be an option, she began to look for Luna but spotted her already off with Ginny Weasley. She approached a few others but they expertly skirted around her to find their friends. Soon it was only her and Neville Longbottom without partners.

They stared at each other for a few moments, the two meters between them feeling more like kilometres, in dreaded silence. There was no way that this would end well.

"Sorry," she said eventually, looking anywhere but at him, "I know I'm your last choice for a partner but..."

"No, it's...it's fine."

It was not fine. They walked to an empty space, fiddling with their wands, refusing to look at each other. Ramona had never been outright cruel towards Neville Longbottom but for many years she'd stood by and watched her friends torment him and call him names without doing much about it. Sometimes she even laughed if it didn't seem too harmful. It was almost embarrassing how she'd never thought of things in that way before, how she'd been so stupid and self-involved and completely void of empathy.

She wondered if she should apologise, right all her wrongs now to avoid unfortunate 'accidents'. She could think of so many different ways something could go wrong, a bunch of students in one room, all firing defensive (and not-so-defensive) spells at one another with no licensed professional to watch over them to make sure they didn't kill each other. But how was she just supposed to bring that up without it being extremely awkward and forced? Fuck it, if she didn't do it now, she never would.

"I just-"

"Expelliarmus!"

Ramona's wand flew out of her hand and went scattering across the floor like a pebble over the surface of a lake, realising far too late that in her internal monologuing she hadn't heard Potter's countdown before they were to begin.

"I did it!" Neville looked as surprised as she was. "I've never done it before-I DID IT!"

She couldn't help but laugh with him. "Nice one, I don't think anyone's ever gotten me that good before, you're ruining my reputation, Longbottom."

Okay, so maybe she'd worked herself up a bit too much about all of this, he didn't seem like he wanted to murder her and that, in her books, was a definite plus.

The kids spent their time firing Disarming Charms against each other, getting more and more invested in it, Potter walking around like an actual teacher, giving pointers and tips to help out. While Ramona still wasn't his biggest fan, she had to admit that he was really in his element. Before they knew it, it's was ten past nine and there was a sudden scramble and panic upon realising that they were past curfew.

They scrambled out the door after agreeing to meet again next week at the same time and the same place, in their twos and threes, Potter checking a large map every so often before letting them off. Ramona was left at the end with Potter, Granger and Weasley as he "made sure there's no teachers on the way to the dungeons" as if any map could tell him that.

"Thanks, you lot," she said sincerely. "Not just for giving me a chance to rebel against the Ministry but...I actually had fun, haven't been having a lot of that recently."

Ron Weasley squinted at her a bit and for a split second she was worried that he was going to say something nasty to her. "You're alright, Burke."

She placed a hand over her heart. "Such kindness, bless your soul, Weasley."

Ramona made her way back down to the Slytherin common room with no run-ins with Filch or teachers, taking the long way back like Potter had advised her, still riding a bit of a high from the excitement of it all. However, she was surprised that when she got back up to the dorm, Delilah was staring straight at her, back straight as a pin.

"Where'd you go, Mona?" Her voice was dangerously soft, the way it often got before she started yelling, like she was warming up.

"I told you before I left, I was hanging out with Cho, we just lost track of time," she began to take off her robes to seem as casual and nonchalant as she could, an actress, Ramona was not. "Honestly, it's a long way from Ravenclaw Tower to the dungeons."

"Really, Mona?"

"Really, Del."

Delilah's stony face crumpled. "I'm sorry, I just don't want you getting in trouble again. I know how badly you want to but don't, for your health and my sanity, that woman is mad, don't push her. Yeah?"

"Yeah."