Read My Mind

I Said "NO!"

It was when Hermione proposed the idea of having someone teach their Defense Against the Dark art themselves that Ria finally showed up again.

She didn't go meet with them in Hogsmeade, crowds and noises don't usually go well with her. Hermione told her about that idea excitedly in the library again, and to all of their surprise.

"No." Ria said, immediately.

"What do you mean--what?"

"No means I don't think it's a good idea, and I want no part of it." Ria has made herself very clear.

"Well in that case--" Harry was ready to let her go. If she is drawing the line with them, they should let her.

"No hang on, Ria, are you worried about keeping it a secret? Because if it's that, I think I know what to do." Hermione was still trying to convince her. Ria didn't show them a whole lot of the Asian magics that she had learned. She said, a key spirit of Asian practice is to be humble and never reveal your true potential. But they all think it's probably because they are too powerful or too dark.

"No...wait what?" Ria read Hermione's thoughts and gasped.

"Hermione Granger, that is...outrageous!" Ria couldn't find the right word, how could she curse the parchment without other people's consent? That's...outrageously wrong.

"No, if you guys are certain about what you are going to do, be my guest. But don't make me a part of this. And if you have any consciousness, you'd better start figuring out ways to get rid of that curse!" Ria stormed out.

"What was she talking about?" Ron asked.

Now even Hermione was upset about Ria.

"Nothing would happen if no one tells the secret." She

said, defending herself.

So their secret missions began, and as Ria had said, she wanted no part of it and never showed up. Even Fred and George said they haven't seen Ria as often. They even stopped sitting together in classes because "She kept telling us to pay attention to Umbridge's words." Fred complained.

"She was trying to protect us," George explained, "But I guess she realized we were never going to listen anyway."

Still, Harry felt a slight amount of betrayal.

Umbridge has been turning their life upside down, and Ria was telling them to keep their heads down and do nothing?

If that's not bad enough, Harry had to stand there watching Cho and Cedric being all kinds of cuddly. He was staring too hard to dodge the curse thrown at him by Neville and got knocked over.

"Good job," Harry said, rubbing his forehead while getting up. Perhaps it's a good thing that Ria was not here, otherwise she would have heard his silent cursing.

Ria, on the other hand, was not feeling any better. Her family mottos is to be cautious, her Asian education has engraved in her bones that life is all about being humble. Even the Slytherin house's spirit is water, meaning being flexible and adaptive to temporary obstacles, find new routes instead of keep bumping one's head against the wall as a way out. Those dumb lions, she couldn't help but blaming the houses. She knew she was not supposed to, but for crying out loud, she was frustrated.

The building tension finally reached climax when she tried to stop Fred and George from playing Exploding Snap in the back of Umbridge's classroom.

"Oh well you sound like our mother." Fred said.

"Perhaps if you stop acting like a child, then I would stop acting like your mother!" Ria was truly angry. Why are they so freaking stupid? What benefit did it bring them for just instigating someone who is clearly in a more powerful position? Just to look cool and rebellious?

"How come you are not bothered by this?" Fred was confused too. She should have been on their side, have their back, and support them. IS SHE SERIOUSLY ON THEIR SIDE? Fred soon regretted that thought, but it was too late.

"I support you, but it doesn't mean I have to support every single one of your stupid decisions." She said, shoved them away and left.

Everyone's anger got more and more as Umbridge had insulted Hagrid, fired Trelawney and deducted at least a few hundred points from Gryffindor. On top of everything, Harry's dreams are getting worse and worse, and he had to meet with Snape for individual tutoring.

When Snape was reading his mind, Harry realized how painful it was. It was nothing like when Ria was reading his thoughts. It was so intense and deep inside his brain, and he felt his soul being revealed in front of Snape.

"Why is professor Dumbledore not teaching me?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore had other priorities."

"Well, can Ria teach me then?" Harry asked.

"Miss Lectus believed it is better to keep distance from you."

Harry felt his blood burning under his veins. Keeping distance? Even Ria is choosing the other side then? Not trusting him and avoiding him like some sort of repellent plague?

"You know, it would help if you pick something to concentrate on." Ria came to talk to Harry while he was healing to the Quidditch pitch.

"What?"

"Professor Snape told me about your practice with him, and thought perhaps I could help. Legilimency, Occulumency, they sometimes go together. The key is about having a strong mind, so it could resist anything, inside or out."

"I didn't know you guys meet up for tea every week." Harry said coldly. He really didn't like how Ria seemed to know everything. Asian magic, Dumbledore's plan, and now, every bit of his thoughts.

Fred and George saw them and started slowly heading over.

"Are you here to give us more lectures?" George elbowed his brother on the ribs but that didn't stop Fred from saying something stupid.

She stared at him. For a second Harry wasn't sure if she was going to slap him because she looked like when Hermione was going to punch Draco Malfoy. Then Ria just sighed, and Harry was now worried if she was going to cry.

She threw something at Fred, which accurately hit him in the forehand. That sounded painful, Harry thought.

"Ouch." Fred rubbed his forehead, looking angry.

"Will you at least stop hurting yourself? Some of us do actually care." She left.

Harry walked over to see what she left with Fred, it was the same ointment she gave them before, just in a bigger bottle. Harry watched Fred studying the bottle and carefully put it into the pocket against his chest inside his robe.