Chapter XVIII - Of Potions and Phoenixes
As it turned out the Ministry was indeed monitoring the fires throughout the castle, even those in the professors' offices. The term went as usual, with Umbridge making decrees and trying her hardest to get Dumbledore, or at least Harry Potter, on something incriminating. Dumbledore's Army still met in the Room of Requirements, just outside of Umbridge's knowledge.
It was not to stay that way for long, however. Within the span of a few weeks Umbridge weaseled a confession out of Marietta Edgecombe and Harry was taken to the Headmaster's office. Fudge, along with Percy, Dawlish, and Shacklebolt, arrived in time to find out (rather incorrectly) that Dumbledore in fact started Dumbledore's Army.
"Did you hear," a student whispered to another in the middle of class the next day. "Dumbledore's gone. Vanished with his phoenix."
"Gone?" The other student's suprise was clear.
"Oh yes. Took on two Aurors, Umbridge, and the Minister of Magic by himself, and just vanished."
"They were trying to arrest him," another student piped up, turning in his seat to whisper with the other two. "And Fudge's assistant was with them- a Weasley, was it? I hear Dumbledore used an Unforgivable on one of them."
The first student gasped. "An Unforgivable? Dumbledore?"
The third nodded. "They were trying to take him to Azkaban for it too, but he-"
"Settle down, please," came a voice from behind the desk at the front of the room. The professor was reading intently from a book and hardly took the time to look up at them. "You can talk after your translations are finished."
The third student again lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "But he left before the Aurors could take him in."
The door at the end of the room creaked open, and the students immediately straightened in their seats. In the doorway stood a sallow-looking man- Professor Snape. His piercing stare bore through the book at the professor, who looked up. "Professor DiNozzo, a word?"
She watched him a moment before closing the book and slipping it into her desk, a hardness coming into her voice as she rose and walked toward the door. "Yes, of course."
"I will keep this brief," Snape said when the door was safely closed, and a chatter roiled up from inside the classroom. "You will administer it tonight."
A moment passed in which she tried to understand what he was talking about- before he handed her a small vial. Understanding then, she slipped it into her cloak. "But-"
A stern edge entered his voice. "You will administer it. I have other matters to attend to. Do try to stay out of her notice, as hard as that may be."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine."
Without another word he turned and disappeared down the corridor, and she entered her classroom again. "Alright, those translations; let's see them."
That night Rosemary returned to her book- one she had borrowed from the Restricted Section- for only a brief while before the castle settled sufficiently and she left her quarters. It was more difficult to leave now because of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, whom she hoped didn't yet have the authority to question professors, but luckily she was not stopped or even seen, from what she could tell, and made it safely outside.
The moon hung high in the sky then, and she transformed to take that last length to the Forbidden Forest. On the breeze she caught the scent of her friend and followed it to find her lounging in wait for Snape.
Tyra? She asked, hesitating.
No answer.
Lauren?
Still no answer from the she-wolf who turned her gaze to her, almost emotionlessly. It was strange; for a creature with seemingly little expression in the first place, she now had a zombie-like appearance that was deeply unsettling.
A moment passed and Breen transformed, pulling the vial and bowl from her cloak. She set the bowl down and seemed to get a response from Tyra, whose ears perked slightly. The maned wolf got to her feet and walked over as she poured the vial's contents into the bowl, and just as before she lapped it eagerly down.
After a minute or two Tyra turned to walk into the forest again, a little more naturally than she had approached, and suddenly Rosemary had an idea. She transformed once again, the bowl and vial still before her, and walked a little ways after the maned wolf.
Tyra?
This time Tyra turned on three legs, the fourth poised in mid-step. Something twinkled in her eyes- life?- but still she said nothing.
Can you hear me?
Tyra stood watching her a long moment before turning away again and walking into the forest. With a sigh the other transformed, retreived the bowl and vial, and returned to the castle once more.