Snakes and Lions (Matteo Riddle & original mc)

A Defensive Plan

"Foul, evil gargoyle!" Hermione snapped mid-rage. The girl paced in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. It was late at night, but none of us could sleep. I stood next to where Harry sat on a chair, Ron sitting on the couch in front of the fire. "We're not learning how to defend ourselves, we're not learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school." She referenced Umbridge. We knew that Hermione was correct about this because we all thought of the same person when it came to taking over Hogwarts.

The atmosphere was sombre. Everyone in the room seemed tired or worn out by some sort of means, apart from Hermione, who was enraged and expressed that in hopes of some kind of solution coming forward. I, like Harry and Ron, didn't have much to say at all. All I could think of was the conversation I had with Draco the other day.

Just then, something important sounded on the radio, and I turned the volume up so that we could all hear the voice talking.

"Furthermore," It was fudge talking on the public radio. What lies was he spewing now? "We have convincing evidence that these disappearances are the work of notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black."

"Bull." I said, everyone looking at me and not disagreeing.

Just then, a voice emerged from the embers in the fire, all of us looking at the flames suddenly.

"Harry!" It spoke, and we all approached the fireplace to see Sirius enchanted it to speak to us. He was the fire, and used it as a telephone call. I smiled at the clever bewitchment.

"Sirius," Harry said, was shocked to see him nonetheless. "What are you doing here?"

"Answering your letter." He replied simply. "Hello company," he smiled briefly before continuing. I waved down at the fire a little, bewildered. "You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?"

"Sirius, she's not letting us use magic at all." Harry stated.

"And I'm not surprised." His godfather said. "The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"What does he think, that we're forming some kind of wizard army?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"That's exactly what he thinks." Sirius replied. "That Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the ministry. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. The others wouldn't want me telling you this, Harry, but things aren't going at all well with the order. Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn and these disappearances  are just how it started before. Voldemort is on the move." His last few words were but a whisper, but taken with all of the Pacific ocean's salt. I shivered down my spine. Matteo's father had indeed returned, and the ministry was not helping with this major issue whatsoever.

"Well, what can we do?" Harry asked his godfather, seeming to take every second of his time with great purpose.

A noise from Sirius' end of the fire suddenly became, and his whisper lowered. "Someone's coming. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But for now, at least, it looks like you're on your own."

And with that, the man's face disappeared along with the flames, a finale sizzle as we were truly left alone.

Hermione was the first to speak, after a long pause of contemplation from the four of us. "He really is out there, isn't he?" She looked out the window and into the rain storm that brewed quickly outside. "We've got to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us how, then we'll need someone who will."

We all looked at Harry one by one. I felt sorry that my brother must have felt under pressure by all this, but he was an incredibly powerful young wizard who had the capability to teach his peers some tricks in defending ourselves against the dark arts. I would be there for him, though, always.