"Didn't know you was into gingers, Malfoy?"
"Shut up Weasley"
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Gemma Weasley shared many similarities with her siblings, the ginger hair, pale skin, freckles and a super sense of humour, yet she was the one that stood out from them all. Even her tw...
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Hermione paced back and forth, her expression fierce. "That foul, evil gargoyle! We're not learning how to defend ourselves; we're not even learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school."
I shot her a grim look, sitting beside Ron my legs on his lap. "If she thinks she's going to keep us quiet, she's got another thing coming."
The radio crackled, and Fudge's voice cut in, making Harry lean forward to turn it up. "The security has and will continue to be the Ministry's top priority..." he droned. "...and furthermore, we have convincing evidence that these disappearances are no other than the work of the notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black. Make no mistake—"
Just then, Fudge's voice cut off, and a familiar face began forming in the flames. Sirius. I gasped, feeling my pulse quicken. Harry nearly fell forward in his seat.
"Sirius!" he whispered, leaning in.
"Harry!" Sirius greeted him, his voice warm, though his expression was laced with worry. "I'm answering your letter. You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?"
"She's not letting us use magic at all," Harry said, sounding both frustrated and defeated.
Sirius's face twisted with anger. "Well, I'm not surprised. The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."
"Combat?" Ronald scoffed. "What does he think? That we're forming some sort of army?"
Sirius looked deadly serious. "That's exactly what he thinks. Fudge believes Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the Ministry. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. I know the others don't want you knowing this, Harry, but things aren't going well with the Order. Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn, and these disappearances are just like how it started before." He lowered his voice even further. "Voldemort is on the move."
I shuddered involuntarily, feeling my heart pound faster. My thoughts went straight to Draco. We'd been keeping our relationship a secret, but with things this dangerous, how much longer could that last? Every time I saw him in the hallways, there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a silent understanding of everything brewing between our families, the school, and the looming darkness beyond Hogwarts. I knew he was as terrified as I was, even if he'd never say it aloud.
Harry's voice brought me back to the present. "Well, what can we do?"
Suddenly, a distant clattering echoed through the halls, and Sirius's face flickered in the flames. He looked over his shoulder, tense.
"Someone's coming. I'm sorry I can't be of more help," he said hurriedly, before his face began to disappear in the fire.
We all stared at the spot where he'd been, the storm outside beating against the windows, adding to the eerie silence.
