The Daughter of Sirius Black

Chapter 77

"Make it a powerful memory. The happiest you can think of," Leona advised as she walked around the room of requirement, supervising people as they tried to cast a Patronus Charm.

Leona and Harry had both been taught by Remus when he taught at Hogwarts, after their dementor incident, Leona's lessons in private in the dark of night and against a real dementor. And her uncle had never been prouder than when she cast it on her first try.

Her memory then had been of Fred when they kissed for the first time. The first time she felt love in the romantic sense.

And it had been more than enough to conjure the white shield of light.

She'd even taught the twins how to conjure them in their secret practice sessions down in the passageways, but they'd never had a need to use it since then.

"The happiest you can remember. Allow it to fill you up! Keep trying Seamus," Harry urged as he too walked around the room, their newest recruit struggling a bit.

"Georgie, your turn. See if you remember how to do this," Leona said as she approached her best friend.

"Expecto Patronum!" he called out as he waved his wand and a white light burst out of it in the shape of a bird, a magpie.

"Nice!" she praised as his twin watched on.

"It's better than bloody nice! You owe me an apology for doubting me!"

She kissed his cheek.

"Sorry Georgie," she rolled her eyes as he faux-pouted.

"That's better."

"Freddy, you're up," Leona then said as she turned to her boyfriend.

Fred's memory was easy.

At first it had been when he told Leona how he felt and she reciprocated his feelings, now it was when she told him that she loved him.

That was a memory he'd happily relive forever.

"Expecto Patronum!" he cast as the same magpie burst forth from his wand, flapping and swooping its way around Fred as it danced with George's and Leona smiled at them.

"Let's see what you've got," they challenged the girl who only smirked at them.

"As you wish."

And she thought of her first kiss with Fred as well as the memory of being reunited with her father, and happiness filled her as she rubbed her hands together and said, "Expecto Patroum!"

And a lioness made of white energy pounced from her hands as it roared at the twins.

"You asked," she grinned as her lion stood in front of her protectively before she let it dissipate and she walked away from them with a wink.

"I'm trying," Neville said to her as the white energy sparked from his wand but no animal was formed.

"I know. And it's ok. Take your time. Be as calm as possible and just think happy thoughts," she advised with a kind smile as he nodded, and she turned to watch Harry congratulate Ginny as she'd produced a full-bodied horse.

Even though Harry had a thing for Cho, she always suspected that there was a spark between those two.

Animals were running around the room like mad.

Hermione's otter, Luna's rabbit, Ron's Jack Terrier caused a bit of chaos as it ran about and knocked down Neville.

But the real trouble only can when the room started to shake, the lights flickered, and the chandeliers rattled.

Leona whipped out her wand, not wanting the wrong people to see her powers as the mirrors on one wall shattered as they fell from the wall, the stone cracking.

"Hey Lena?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever get around to finding a counter-curse to Umbridge's quills?" the girl asked.

"Sort of. Why?"

Hermione swallowed. "Because I have a bad feeling that we're going to need it."

And breaths were in their throats, hearts hammering and palms sweating as Umbridge's voice could be heard from the other side of the wall.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

And the stone imploded.

And through the newly formed hole in the wall, they saw Umbridge with Filch and a bunch of Slytherin's, snitches in the Inquisitorial Squad that basically worked for Umbridge.

And then Draco's boasting face entered the frame as he dragged Cho by her robes, the girl with an ashamed look on her face.

"Get them!" Umbridge spat.

This was not good.

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Things had definitely taken a turn for the worst.

And Leona wanted nothing more than to punch Percy in the face as he dragged her little brother and Cho into Dumbledore's office, followed by Umbridge and the Minister.

But now, Dumbledore was gone.

And they knew that as Leona stood with the twins outside the great hall, her hand clasped with Fred's as they looked up at the latest decree Umbridge had just made.

The wooden frames displaying all 119 decrees went up past the hall doors.

And now, the worst one of them all had been placed at the very top.

Dolores Jane Umbridge had replaced Albus Dumbledore as headmaster of Hogwarts.

This was so bad.