Chapter Seventeen
Daphne looked up from her homework when she heard the door to the common room open.
"Harry!" she called, waving him over, "You're back early."
Harry wandered over and sat down with them.
"How did it go?" Draco asked.
Harry shrugged, "Well it sort of… didn't, I guess?" he leaned closer to them, thankfully Corvus was the only Lestrange around, "I saw Gemini coming out of there and Umbridge looked really shocked. She just told me to write lines for tomorrow, didn't even want me to stay."
"That's odd." Pansy agreed, putting her quill down and shuffling closer.
Harry nodded, "Did she come back here? Gemini I mean."
Draco, Daphne and Pansy all shook their heads.
"We've been sitting here the whole time, and no, we've not seen her." Draco said.
Harry shook his head slightly, there wasn't much more to say. He pulled out a piece of parchment and started to write his lines, four hundred was a lot of lines and by the time he'd finished those and managed a chunk of his homework his hand was aching painfully.
Gemini did arrive back at the common room, a little after nine o'clock, and went straight to her dorm. Harry decided that she must have just been a little madam, talked back to Umbridge or something. Possibly even threatening to tell her parents that Umbridge had forced her into detention; either way it couldn't be anything to worry about.
The next morning Harry was surprised to see Hermione flop down on the bench next to him.
"Good morning." Harry smiled, "Toast?"
Hermione shook her head, "No, I've already eaten. I wanted to show you this."
She pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet and smoothed it out on the table.
"Why are you still reading that?" Harry asked, wrinkling his nose.
"I want to know what it says, work out what angle they're playing." Hermione shrugged, "And I'm glad that I did, there's something in it today."
She pointed to a small, inch high article, tucked at the bottom of the page. Harry lent over so he could read it.
"TRESPASS AT MINISTRY"
"Stugis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watchwizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore who refused to speak in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban."
"I know that name." Harry whispered, "Stugis Podmore, I met him over the holidays; he's a member of the Order."
"Are you sure?" Daphne asked.
Harry nodded, "Yeah- yes I'm sure."
"So what was he doing at the Ministry?" Hermione said.
"Hem hem."
Harry turned around to see Professor Umbridge standing behind them.
"Can we help you, Professor Umbridge?" Daphne asked.
"I might have been mistaken but I believe that Miss Granger is in Gryffindor house? Not Slytherin." Professor Umbridge said, in her fake girly voice.
Hermione nodded, "Yes, I am Professor, Gryffindor Prefect in fact."
"Then why are you sitting at the wrong table?" Professor Umbridge whispered condescendingly.
"I was just showing Harry-" Hermione said.
"Just showing him that Madam Malkin's robes are having a sale; Harry was just saying the other day he could do with some new robes after Christmas, might as well send his mother to get them now and save a few galleons." Pansy smiled sweetly.
Professor Umbridge looked between them, clearly unimpressed with their story, "Well, I think Harry's new robes can wait. It's hardly appropriate for students to be sitting at the incorrect tables, don't you think?"
Hermione picked up and paper and nodded, "I was just about to go back to Gryffindor table anyway."
"Very good." Umbridge beamed, "Enjoy your breakfast."
Harry glared at her back, "Evil cow." he hissed.
"We're going to have to be even more careful from now on, make sure Hermione and Neville aren't seen with us too often." Draco sighed, "The last thing we want is to get them into trouble."
Harry nodded, "It's me; the Ministry wants me to be alone, afraid I'm going to betray them or something stupid."
"You know, six months in Azkaban is a long time for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Daphne mused.
"Well, they said he was trying to get through a door, didn't they?" Harry said, "So it's whatever is behind the door, that's what's worth six months in Azkaban."
"But Podmore is meant to be on our side," Daphne said, "If he's a member of the Order."
"In the last war," Draco whispered, leaning closer, "a lot of people claimed to be under the influence of the Imperious curse. A lot of them were just making it up of course but there were those that were really forced to do as they were told."
"Rodolphus." Harry said, a little louder than he'd meant too, "He was at the Ministry the day of my trial, I bet he took the chance to curse Podmore then."
Daphne shook her head, "We don't know that. Don't do anything rash, Harry, we're all being watched right now."
Harry sighed and nodded, he knew she was right. Umbridge was back at the staff table, watching him with her beady little eyes. He felt a wave of hate come over him, stronger than anything he'd ever felt before.
"Harry?" Daphne asked, reaching over for his hand, "Are you all right?"
Harry snapped back to focus, "Yeah, yeah sorry."
Pansy smiled, "Eat up Harry. You'll be starving by lunch otherwise."
"We need to find a way to get a message to Hermione and Neville when we need to talk to them." Draco mused, "I think Gryffindor are practising Quidditch today, we could go watch, I think Neville was hoping to be there, Thomas made the team."
Harry shook his head, "No, it gives Umbridge a chance to have another dig at us. She'd just accuse us of trying to heckle them or something." he was itching to be able to fly again;Slytherin hadn't yet had a practice, their team was mostly intact from last year. He still hadn't had the chance to ride his Firebolt, it was sitting in the Slytherin changing rooms, still all neat and shiny. It was going to be so fast, faster than any other brooms in the school.
Harry wandered down to the spot near the lake, books in hand with his friends. Hermione was fuming over Professor Umbridge kicking her off the Slytherin table at breakfast.
"I have an idea." she said, after a while looking through several complicated books, "If I could make some sort of duplicating spell or… something that would give us a sign, we could meet here to talk."
"Well, I vote no for snake and skull tattoos." Pansy laughed, "What are you reading?"
Hermione shrugged, "Every book I could find in the library that covers mass communication."
"Surely it shouldn't be too difficult?" Draco said, also turning away from his homework, "I mean, all you need is the same duplication spell that's on your homework diary and homework planner."
Hermione shook her head, "The issue isn't with the spell, as you say that's fairly simple, it's trying to get around the distance as well as the Hogwarts wards. Ideally we would like it to work even if one of us is at school and the other is at Hogsmead."
"You'll get there." Harry grinned, "And in the mean time we can send each other owls, not ideal but could be worse."
"Well don't send Hedwig." Neville pointed out, "Or any of ours, actually, they could be recognised. We'd better use school owls for now."
"Again not ideal." Hermione agreed.
Harry was quite happy sprawled on the grass, it was still warm and sunny outside, it wouldn't be so enjoyable having to be stuck outside to talk to one another when the snow hit and winter brought with it bitingly cold winds.
The giant squid was lounging happily in the water, occasionally splashing water and a group of giggling first years who were playing in the water further up the bank.
Everything would have been in line for a perfect Saturday if not for the fact Hagrid's hut was still shut up and empty. Not once had the curtains been opened or smoke from the chimney. Harry was worried about him, it seemed odd he'd been away for so long without a word.
"Harry, weren't you meant to hand this into Professor Umbridge?" Daphne asked, picking up his lines.
Harry grimaced, "Bugger, I'd forgotten about that. I'll go give them in now."
He picked up the sheets of parchment and slowly walked into the school. It felt rather ironic as the cold shadow of the castle covered him, stealing him from the sunshine outside.
It wasn't a long walk to Professor Umbridge's office where he knocked and waited patiently. The door swung open.
"Come in." Professor Umbridge called out, her voice grating on Harry's nerves.
Harry took a few steps forward, into the pink covered office and closed the door, "Good morning, Professor Umbridge. I brought the lines you asked me for."
Umbridge smiled at him, her ugly pink cardigan draped over her shoulders and sipping a cup of tea out of an obscenely flowery cup and saucer.
"Thank you Mr Potter." Umbridge said, patting a space on her organised desk for him to put them down. She waved her wand over them, it glowed green for a second, "Just making sure there was no cheating involved. I assume that the lesson sunk in?"
Harry clenched his fists, "Yes, Professor."
"Good." Professor Umbridge smiled, "Now, if I find you disrupting my class in future, I will have to give you a more sever punishment."
Harry nodded and forced a smile onto his face, "Of course, Professor."
"Now, you may leave." Professor Umbridge said, waving her wand and the door flew open, "Well done for completing your punishment."
Harry didn't say anything but left the room quickly, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He hadn't been lying and she knew it, and he knew she knew it. Severus was right though, they had to keep their heads down, make sure that they weren't going to get themselves any more attention.
Harry shook his head, determined to enjoy the weekend. He and his friends had survived their first week, they'd even managed to keep up with the huge level of homework that they had been given, even if some of it was not done to the best of their abilities.
He wondered back out to his friends.
"She took them, said 'well done'." Harry hissed, flopping down on the grass, "Gods she is so sickly sweet it makes my teeth hurt."
Pansy snorted a laugh, "Yeah she does lay it on a little thick."
"The book she's using is useless." Hermione huffed, "I mean, in our O.W.L year as well? I'm so frustrated with it already."
Harry shrugged, "Well thankfully we've already learnt a lot of the practical stuff from other teachers. It should be enough to get us through our exams."
"We shouldn't have to worry about it though." Daphne huffed.
"Not saying that we should." Harry said, holding his hands up in a surrender, "I still think it's my fault she's here. The Ministry is pissed at me and Dumbledore, that's why they've sent in a little spy."
"What I don't understand," Draco said carefully, "is why did we end up with Professor Umbridge when Professor Snape has always wanted the job? I mean Quirrell was boring but "meh", apart from the whole You-know-who in the back of his head, Lockhart was a joke, Remus was brilliant but Dumbledore barely put up a fight to get him to stay, Moody was… well evil in the end and no one noticed he wasn't himself for a year and now we've got Professor Learn-Everything-From-A-Book. It just doesn't make any sense."
Harry nodded, it was something he'd thought about himself. Something that, as Draco said, made no sense. Harry knew that Severus still wanted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts and he was getting more and more frustrated with the attitude everyone seemed to have, that Dumbledore had some wonderful master plan that he just forgot to tell everyone else about.
Harry sat up and shook himself slightly; he suddenly felt very cold, even in the bright sunshine.