Brontide

Chapter Four

Lunch came and went, and before we knew it, it came time to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts. When thinking about the subject, the first thing that would normally come to mind would be practicing useful defense spells, learning how to protect yourself, identifying potentially dangerous things you could encounter, things of that nature. 

But what did we learn in Professor Umbridge's classroom? Certainly nothing like that, no, in her class all we did was read out of a bloody textbook and get tested on the chapters. It wasn't even as though the book was advising us to use defensive spells when needed, either. Some Ravenclaw girl on the second day of classes had asked whether or not we'd actually be using these spells, and when Umbridge informed her that there was no need for us to use them because we weren't in any danger, I resisted the urge to jump over Toad Face's desk and beat her with my copy of Defensive Magical Theory.

It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. We're not in any danger? I beg to fucking differ, you ludicrous imbecile. Oh no, don't mind the fact that every day, there are forces such as Death Eaters, Dementors and worse trying to get inside the castle so they could get their hands on people like Harry Potter. Don't mind the fact that as you sit there, sipping your tea with that hideous smile on your face, there are people dying and disappearing. There are families being torn apart, the Order of the Phoenix working their arses off to protect as many people as possible, and all the while, Dolores Jane Umbridge, you didn't do shit.

That was all I could think about during DADA that day. Rae sat next to me, staring blankly at the open book in front of her and not even trying to read it. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't yell and scream in protest at how stupid all of this was and how Umbridge should be thrown off the Astronomy tower, and how that still wouldn't be enough for me. The twins would glance over every once in awhile to find me sitting stony-faced, glaring at my book as though it'd wronged me. When the bell finally rang, everyone happily scrambled out of the room without hesitation.

Rae went off to go serve another detention in Flitwick's office writing lines and Lee needed to work on a paper, so the twins and I headed out to the Black Lake. The afternoon sun was low in the sky, pinks and oranges mixing with the clouds in streaks. There was a bit of a breeze, and as I looked out at the mountains across the lake, I saw the tentacles of the Giant Squid resting just above the surface so it could bask in the sun.

"She's a horrible woman," I said quietly, sitting on the ground with my back against a large rock, which the twins sat down on.

"Did you see what she did to Harry's hand?" Fred asked, his foot dangerously close to my head. I looked up at them.

"No, what did she do?"

"He had detention with her all last week, and she made him write lines using his own blood," George replied, shaking his head in disgust.

So the rumors were true, then. "What did he even do in the first place?" I asked.

"He told her that You-Know-Who is back, which she obviously didn't like too much," Fred said, playing with my hair. I turned my gaze to the water in front of me, glaring at it.

"Voldemort," I said quietly. I felt them both wince a bit at the use of his name. I turned my glare to them. "Voldemort is his name and I'm not going to be a coward about it," I said sternly. "Do you think that if I say it he'll appear and try to murder me? I'd love to see him try; this place has more protective charms than ever before." I took a deep breath. "DO YOU HEAR THAT, ARSEHAT?!" I yelled out to the water, "WHY DON'T YOU TRY BREAKING IN HERE SO I COULD HAVE A LAUGH?!"

Fred and George exchanged looks before sighing. They knew I was stubborn.

We sat in silence for quite a bit, watching the sun set behind the mountains. We got up once our tummies started to rumble and turned to head back inside, linking arms with me in the middle. I didn't say anything at the time, but I was certain then that as soon as school was done and over with I was joining up with the Order of the Phoenix. Sitting around and doing nothing when people out there needed help was not something I was good at. No amount of protesting from the twins, Rae, Mrs. Weasley or my parents would ever change my mind.