Chapter Twelve: The Hand in the Fire
Harish found his schedule very full and it was only the fifth week of school. Every day he had homework in almost every subject. On top of that, he had to plan and manage Quidditch practices each Wednesday. Now, he had planning for the DA to do.
Although his schedule was so full, Harish still managed to find free time on weekends to lounge around or enjoy the sunshine; he knew it wouldn't last. Soon enough, the summer sun would be gone and he would not be able to sit in it until after their NEWT's.
Even when he did homework, he would take it outside and sit in the shade of a secluded tree. With the twins of course. It was hard to find him without them. They were as much his act-body guards then as they were seven years ago.
It was so hard to comprehend that only seven years previous he had been a scrawny little eleven-year-old that cared of nothing more than pulling pranks. He had changed so much since then. Not only did he and the twins not have enough time to really pull pranks any more, but they were more mature and looked much different.
Then, of course, there was also the fact that after Harish had started the DA, he felt different. That he was actually a part of something big. And he played a major role in the DA as well. Just the knowledge that he was doing something against Umbridge and the Ministry, but helping his father at the same time gave Harish an immense satisfaction.
Harish and the twins walked up from their dormitory on Thursday morning, discussing the new tactics Harish was planning on teaching the Slytherins, and not until they were halfway across the dimly lit common room did they notice the addition to the room that had already attracted the attention of a small group of people.
A large sign had been affixed to the Slytherin notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there—the lists of second hands spell-books for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog cards for others, the Weasleys' new advertisement for testers, the dates of the next Hogsmeade weekend (which just happened to be that weekend, and the lost-and-found notices. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.
—by order of—
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).
No Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
Any Student found to have formed, or to belong to an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.
Signed:
Dolores Jane Umbridge
High Inquisitor
Harish and the twins read the notice over a short group of anxious looking first years.
"Does this mean the four of us won't be able to study in the library each day?" one asked.
"You know," Harish said pleasantly, causing the four eleven-year-olds to jump. "I think you should go and ask. And tell all your friends that if they have study groups or groups of friends that consist of three or more friends, I would go ahead and ask the High Inquisitor. You never know how serious she's taking this."
The first years nodded gratefully and scampered nervously away. Then, as they backed away slightly to let a group of fourth years read it, the twins both turned to Harish.
"Do you think she knows?" Fred asked.
"It can't be a coincidence," George muttered darkly.
"She could have very well seen twenty students heading for the Room of Requirement," Harish replied. "I wouldn't rule out anything."
Suddenly Draco appeared at Harish's elbow.
"She knows," he said, gesturing to the poster. "Do you think any of the ones we invited could have told?"
"I doubt it," Harish said. "I looked specifically for ones that were trustworthy."
"Do you think the girls have seen it yet?" Fred wondered.
"We could go see," George suggestion.
The four of them walked over to the staircase that led down to the girls' dormitories and Fred began walking down it. After only two or three steps, the stairs started moving upward and Fred was propelled backwards into the other three.
A pair of girls came zooming up the escalator with gleeful expressions on their faces.
"Who tried to get downstairs?" one asked with a successful smile. She had light brown hair that was braided down her back.
The other one was not smiling, had her arms crossed, and looked ready to rip someone's head off. She had dark hair and looked very scary to anyone who had seen her at that moment.
Fred was about to fess up, but when he caught sight of the angry girl, he faltered, "Oh—I don't know—just got here."
"Was it you?" the dark-haired girl asked fiercely, starting forward angrily.
"It's fine, Charis," Hermione said. She, Daphne, and Ginny had just gotten to the foot of the stairs. "They mean no harm."
The girl, Charis, did not look convinced. She stalked off, still scowling at Fred.
"You're allowed in our dormitory," Fred said. "How come we're not allowed—"
"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," Hermione said as she finally made it to the top of the stairs, "but it says in Hogwarts: A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Why were you trying to get in there anyway?"
"To see you—look at this!" Fred said, steering her over to the notice board.
Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice. The other two girls read it from behind her and Fred. All of their expressions became stony.
"You see? Someone must have snitched to her," Draco said, putting an arm around Ginny.
"They can't have done," Hermione said in a low voice.
"You're so naïve," Draco said, "you think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy—"
"No, they can't have done because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," she replied grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."
"What'll happen to them?" Fred asked eagerly.
"Let me put it this way," Hermione said, "it'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think…I wonder whether this has been put up in all of the Houses?"
It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in the Slytherin common room. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. As they walked down the aisle in between their table and Hufflepuff's, they could hear:
"Did you see it?"
"Do you think she'd let Gobstones continue?"
"Can we still meet in the courtyard to do homework?"
The last question was between a group of fifth year girls. Harish paused and said with a hidden smirk, "I wouldn't bet on it. Not unless you ask, anyway."
When they all sat down in the center of the Slytherin table, the others asked quietly.
"What are we going to do?"
They were all looking at Harish. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them.
"We're going to do it anyway, of course," he said quietly. "It's not like we're breaking any rules—still."
"Knew you'd say that," Fred said, beaming.
"And the prefects as well?" George asked, looking quizzically at Hermione and Draco.
"Of course," Hermione replied coolly.
"Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbot," Draco said, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and the four Gryffindors…and no one looks very spotty."
Hermione looked alarmed and Harish shook his head in annoyance.
"Never mind the spots," he said. "The idiots can't come over here now, it would look really suspicious—sit down!" he mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. "We will talk to you later!"
Luckily, the tables were so close together, the two were able to make it look like they had simply left their table and were headed out of the Great Hall.
"I'll get the Ravenclaws," Draco said, hopping off his bench. "I'm not hungry anyway."
"And I'll get the Gryffindors," Fred said. "I'm done eating."
The two met the others halfway across the Great Hall and spoke to them. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors went back and sat at their respective tables, and the two Slytherins exited the Hall. Harish shook his head as he watched. He and George ate as quickly as possible.
While Harish was shoveling porridge into his mouth, Augustus landed on the table and stuck his leg out. Harish untied a letter and gave the smoky-colored a piece of bacon. Augustus stayed, meaning the sender was most likely wanting a reply. Then, he looked at the letter. It read "Harish Blake" in an untidy scroll that was certainly not his father's.
"I guess Sirius was called home after the sighting," he muttered.
He opened the letter. As usual, it was very short:
Harry,
Owl if you can meet me in our usual spot tomorrow, Friday the second.
Harish grabbed a quill and jotted his reply down as quickly as he could on the back of the note and sent it off with Augustus. Then he and George hurried toward the double doors of the Great Hall. Before they managed to get into the Entrance Hall, Angelina caught them, looking desperate.
"You do know what this means, don't you?" she asked, referring to the ban on organizations.
"Don't worry," Harish said. "I told you all we are not doing anything wrong—"
"No," Angelina said over him. "She's including Quidditch in this. As team captains, we have to go and ask permission to re-form our teams!"
"What?" Harish asked in annoyance.
"No way," George said, appalled.
So after classes, Harish stopped by Umbridge's office and asked to reform the Slytherin team. She didn't not give him permission, however.
In fact, she simply smiled widely and said, "I will think about it."
Nothing interesting happened the rest of that day, so we will rejoin Harish as he sat waiting on the common room to clear out. While he waited, he worked on his homework, glancing up at the fire and the rest of the common room every now and then.
As they had just perfected their Puking Pastilles, the twins were demonstrating as Harish tried very hard to concentrate on his homework.
First, Fred would take a bite out of the orange end of a chew, at which he would vomit spectacularly into a bucket they had charmed to clean itself and placed in front of them. Then, he would force down the purple end of the chew, at which the vomiting would immediately cease.
As Fred did this, George went around taking advance orders from the crowd.
They had asked Harish if he had wanted to help, but he was completely against making himself throw up, so he had settled on watching the fire.
Finally the twins stopped their demonstration and sat on either side of Harish. Then, Fred began doing his homework while George counted their takings. Since the show was over, everyone else eventually slunk out of the common room and went off to bed.
Once or twice Harish could have sworn he had seen something flash in the fire—something flesh colored—for only a second. The second time he saw it, he got up and peered into the fire.
"Harish?" Fred asked, looking up from his own homework. "What're you doing down there?"
"I just saw his head," Harish replied.
"His head?" George questioned. "Like how he talked to you last year—? Sirius!"
Harish looked back at the flames to see Sirius's head sitting in the dancing flames, his long dark hair falling around his grinning face.
"I was starting to think you would go to bed before everyone disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."
"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harish asked, half laughing.
"Just for a second or two to see if the coast was clear yet."
"What did you want to speak with me about?" Harish asked. "Has my father got another mission for me?"
"No," Sirius said. "Nothing like that, but he does want you to know some things about Umbridge. Word has gotten through the grapevine about your rebellious attitude in her classes."
"How did you—?"
"You forget that Lucius is very close to both your father and the Minister."
Harish's mouthed formed a silent 'o' and he nodded.
"What does he want me to know?"
"That while it is nice to know that you are thinking for yourself, it is best not to trifle with her. Bad things happen to those who get on the wrong side of the Ministry, and you're this close—"
"But they got on my bad side first by posting that article before the third task!" Harish protested.
"No," Sirius said. "Rita Skeeter did. But, now that you have made them angry, there's been talk of using that article from last year to crush your reputation so bad no one will listen to you."
"Well, they are too late," Harish said triumphantly. "I—"
"I know," Sirius interrupted again. "You started the Dark Army. You may have chosen a safe location for your meeting, but you didn't keep her from noticing that absence of twenty students from dinner."
"So she does know?" Fred asked suddenly.
"How else do you think I know?" Sirius retorted.
"But I did clear the DA with the Wizarding Examinations Authority," Harish said.
"Oh I'm not saying that starting the DA was a bad idea," Sirius said, back-tracking. "In fact, it is a very good idea. Your father, for one, is very impressed."
Harish smiled, his heart swelling in pride.
"Is that all?" Harish asked.
"Just about," Sirius said. "I mainly had to fire-call you because your father is afraid of our letters being intercepted. I would come and visit you on your next Hogsmeade but your father forbade me from leaving the house after I was spotted."
"I didn't realize he cared so much for his followers," Harish said with a smirk.
"He doesn't," Sirius muttered. "He just knows you would be upset if I was caught."
Harish looked surprised. But he then knew he should have realized that it was all because his father was taking care of him—everyone knew Harish was one of the few things Voldemort was capable of loving.
"Anyway," Sirius said with a hint of bitterness in his voice, "I'd better go. I'll write—"
But suddenly his eyes widened and he disappeared with a pop. Not a second later, a chubby hand with many fat, ringed fingers appeared, clawing at the air where Sirius's hair had been…
Harish stumbled back and the twins jumped up off the couch. Then the three of them ran for it; at the top of the stairs to the boys' dormitories, Harish looked back. Umbridge's hand was still making snatching movements in the fire.