chosen - harry potter

Chapter 7 - Dumbledore's Army

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

"It was a normal quill?" 

Cassia had just explained the detention with Umbridge to her friends, and Harry stared at her with his eyebrows knitted together.

"Completely normal. And I think she's trying to...to turn me against Harry and be on Umbridge's side. The Ministry's side, I guess."

"How did she think that would work?" Harry said annoyedly. "You saw the cuts on my hand."

"I don't know. It's ridiculous. But I do have good news," Cassia smiled. "Pansy, Blaise, and Theo are wanting to be a part of those Defense lessons that we're doing."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her with an odd expression. 

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Cass?" Ron asked warily. "Considering their parents are all...well...y'know."

"I know, but they aren't like that," Cassia insisted. "I trust them, okay? They told me they want to be on our side with all of this."

"But, when the time comes, will they really be able to turn against their parents?" Hermione asked quietly.

Cassia sighed. "They aren't Malfoy. And I trust them. You can't just...you can't turn away Slytherins because of who their parents are. It isn't fair. Especially when you all know who my real parents are. Do you think, when the time comes, I won't be able to turn against them?"

"Of course not, Cass, we don't think that at all!" Ron said. "But...they're different."

"Well, what do you think, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I don't trust them," he said flatly. "But I trust you and your judgment, Cassia."

Cassia smiled at his words. Ron and Hermione nodded nervously, looking at each other.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

At half-past seven, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cassia left the Gryffindor common room. Harry had told them that Dobby tipped him off to a perfect spot to meet, so they carefully made their way to the seventh floor, each of them watching the Marauder's Map as they went.

"Okay," Harry said quietly as they reached the corridor. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."

They did so, walking the stretch of corridor and concentrating. Cassia looked as the floor, her eyebrows knitting together as she thought.

We need somewhere to practice...To learn to protect ourselves...Somewhere we can't be found...

"Look," Hermione said sharply, pointing at the wall.

A large, polished door had appeared. Cassia walked up to it, grabbed the great brass handle, and pulled it open.

The spacious room was lit with flickering torches, illuminating the wooden bookcases and several silk cushions on the floor. Cassia approached the bookcase, skimming her fingers over the spines of the books. A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions. The Dark Arts Outsmarted. Self-Defensive Spellwork. She turned back to her friends.

"Harry, this is perfect."

Students began to file in; a large group of Gryffindors, a mixture of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and, looking starkly out of place, the three Slytherins that Cassia had invited.

After seemingly everyone had arrived, Hermione cleared her throat, catching the attention of the room.

"I think that we ought to have a name," she said brightly. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you all think?"