The Eagle and The Snake: A Tragic Love Story

26. Fighting Back

In the weeks that followed, whenever Harry got himself a detention with Umbridge, Luna and Carly made sure to get one as well.
Harry didn't know they were getting into trouble on purpose, and he liked that they were there to support him through his pain and anger.
The girls hated the constant punishments that had to endure with Umbridge, but they knew all their suffering was for a good cause.

Because of Harry and Carly's closeness, she was one of the first people he told, when he decided to form his own defence against the dark arts group.
Luna and Carly had to join Harry's group, as that was what he expected them to do, and they didn't want him to become suspicious of them.
But they also wanted to join, as it was their way of getting their own back at Umbridge. And they wanted nothing more than to fight back against her oppression, and make her pay for hurting them.

So, on the first Hogsmeade weekend, Carly and Luna headed to the Hog's Head, where they would meet up with Harry and his friends.
As they stepped into the pub, 20 or so people turned to look at them, with disgusted looks on their faces.
All of them were older than the girls, except for Colin and Ginny, who were in their year.
And the amount of people in the room, made the girls feel rather nervous.
"Who invited the freaks?" Asked a Hufflepuff boy, who Carly didn't know the name of.
"Yeah, and who let a Slytherin come?" Questioned his friend, another Hufflepuff boy.
"I don't know. But she must know that she isn't welcome here. No one wants to be around a Slytherin when they don't have to be" replied the first boy.

"Enough! Justin, Zacharius, I don't want to hear another bad word said about my sister, or her best friend. They are here at my invitation, so leave them be" instructed Harry.
"Don't worry Harry, I can stick up for myself. And I don't get easily intimidated, especially not by lame ass Hufflepuff's" informed Carly coldly.
"Let's not cause a scene" hissed Luna, as she lead Carly towards two empty seats.
"Very well" mumbled Carly.

Once Hermione was sure that everyone had arrived, she stood up and began to explain her plan to the group.
"Right, well as you all know, we are here because Harry has agreed to teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts, since Umbridge's lessons are rubbish. We need Harry's help if we are going to pass our exams at the end of the year. But also because Voldemort really is back, and we need to know how to defend ourselves" announced Hermione.

As usual, several people flinched at the mention of Voldemort.
"Where's the proof that he's back?" Questioned the Hufflepuff boy, who Harry had identified to Carly, as Zacharius Smith.
"Dumbledore believes he's back" reminded Hermione.
"Dumbledore only believes he's back, because Potter believes it. Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed" replied Zacharius.
"Please let me hex him" Carly whispered to Luna.
"No" replied Luna.
"Please" begged Carly.
"Alright. But not right now. We need to wait until this meeting is over, and there are no witnesses around"
"O.K".

"If you want to know what it's like when Voldemort murders someone, then I can't help you. I did not come here to talk about Cedric. So, if that's why you came, then you should clear off" snapped Harry.
No one moved, and Zacharius stared awkwardly at the floor.
"Right, well I think we should have regular meetings once a week. And once we have found a place to practice, we will let you all know, and then we can start training. But until then, please sign this piece of parchment, promising that you won't tell anyone about this group" instructed Hermione.

One by one, everyone stood up and signed Hermione's parchment, before exiting the pub in small groups, so that they didn't look suspicious, all moving as one large group.
Luna and Carly left first, so that they could run ahead and lay a trap for Zacharius.
Carly didn't want the Hufflepuff to get away with the things he had said in the Hog's Head.
So, both girls hid down an alleyway, and hexed Zacharius as he passed, causing itchy spots to erupt all over his body. And as he cried out in frustration and tried to itch himself in as many places as he could, Luna and Carly laughed.
They then ran in the opposite direction and headed back to Hogwarts, happy with the revenge they had inacted.