chapter five | things are a changin'

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        Stella Mason escorted Harry Potter back into the Great Hall after their forest adventure. They both agreed the first step for Harry to reconcile with their friends was for him to open up more and finally let them in. And that started with having a civil lunch with them.

        She walked with the Potter into the Great Hall and immediately spotted their friends. Giving him a reassuring look, they sauntered over to them.

        "Harry," Hermione greeted in apprehension and surprise.

        The girl and Ron glanced at Stella who gave them a slight nod and smile, silently telling them she got through to him.

        "Can I," Harry paused and glanced and Stella, "can we join you?"

        Before anyone could respond, an argument outside the hall caught the attention to most students. They all went to see what was going on and saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Umbridge talking on the staircase.

        "—Professor but what exactly are you insinuating?"

        "I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall exclaimed.

        Someone must have reported Umbridge's detention methods to Professor McGonagall.

        "So silly of me but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom," Umbridge stepped up on the staircase, "Minerva."

        McGonagall wasn't far behind, "not at all, Dolores. Merely your medieval methods."

        Umbridge scoffed in disbelief, "I am sorry, dear. But to question my practices is to question the Ministry, and by extension the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty," she sternly spoke before turning to the students who were gathered around to watch, "things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

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And take action she did. Over the next few weeks at Hogwarts, it seemed that Umbridge had taken over the entire establishment. Her favorite hobby was putting up Educational Decrees that limited everything the students did at Hogwarts. The woman put all of the teachers through examinations of their teaching skills and sucked all the fun out of life on campus. Some of her decrees were getting out of hand.

ALL WEASLEY PRODUCTS WILL BE BANNED IMMEDIATELY

NO MUSIC IS TO BE PLAYED DURING STUDYING

PROPER DRESS AND DECORUM IS TO BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES

        The only person that seemed to enjoy the woman's take over was Mr. Filch, but that was expected, seeing that he hated the lot since he started working as caretaker. He was in charge of putting up the decrees. Everyday, multiple times a day, he would hammer them into the walls of Hogwarts. Ultimately needing a ladder to put them up.

On a cold day in October, students gathered around the courtyard to see Professor Trelawney standing in the center of everyone around watching the scene unfold. Umbridge had made the decision to sack the Divination teacher. Stella took pity for the woman as the girl watched her trip over her luggage as Umbridge approached her. She had taken her class in third year and never really believed in it but enjoyed her class nonetheless. The Mason glanced next to her to see Harry looking at the scene with a clenched jaw, they made eye contact for a second before looking back at the scene in front of them.

        "Sixteen years I've lived and taught here," Professor Trelawney stuttered as tears ran down her cheeks, "Hogwarts is my home. You can't do this."

        Umbridge smiled pitifully, holding up a piece of parchment, "actually, I can."

        Soon enough, Professor McGonagall came barreling through the students to comfort her colleague. It was no secret McGonagall didn't like the new addition to the administration. She took the crying woman in her arms and patted her back gently, all while glaring at the woman dressed in pink in front of her.

        "Something you'd like to say, dear?"

        "Oh, there are several things I would like to say," McGonagall nodded, before she shushed her weeping friend again.

Suddenly, the doors to the courtyard swung open, letting the Headmaster of Hogwarts dash out to the center of the courtyard. Every head turned to see Dumbledore in all his glory make an appearance, "Professor McGonagall, might I ask you to escort Sybil back inside?"

        After the two women leave, Umbridge began to rebuttal, "Dumbledore, may I remind you that under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty Three, as enacted by the Ministry—"

        "You have the right to dismiss my teachers," Dumbeldore interrupted firmly, "You do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster."

        The woman clad with pink hummed, "for now."

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        "Check mate!"

        Ron groaned, not believing he had lost once again when facing Stella in chess. The two had found a chess set back at Headquarters and played whenever they had the chance. He reached over to his pieces to start another game, "how do you always win?"

        "A winner never reveals her secrets."

        "That foul, evil gargoyle," Hermione exclaimed out of the blue. It seemed watching the chess match only amused Harry out of the bunch. The other girl and boys watched their friend pace in front of the fireplace, "we're not learning how to defend ourselves. We're not learning how to pass our owls. She's taken over the entire school."

        From behind them, the radio sounded, Fudge's voice coming through it, "security has been and will remain the Ministry's top priority. Furthermore, we have convincing evidence that these disappearances are the work of notorious mass murderer Sirius Black."

        Stella stood from her seat on the floor to turn the radio off and scoffed, "what rubbish."

        "Harry!"

        A voice coming through from the fireplace caught their attention. After making sure the coast was clear, they huddled around the fire where Sirius Black made his appearance. Stella wasn't sure how Sirius got himself in that kind of line of communication, but didn't question it. That was definitely a Sirius thing to do.

        "Sirius," the green eyed boy grinned seeing his godfather, "what are you doing here?"

"Answering your letter," the man answered, his face made of rubble, "You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?"

        "Sirius, she's not letting us use magic at all."

        "Well, I'm not surprised. The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

        "Combat," Ron asked, narrowing his eyes, "what does he think, we're forming some sort of wizard army?"

        "That's exactly what he thinks," Sirius nodded from the fire, "That Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the Ministry. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. The others wouldn't want me telling you this, Harry... but things aren't going at all well with the Order."

        Stella furrowed her brows, "what's happening?"

        "Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn. And these disappearances are just how it started before. Voldemort is on the move."

        "Well, what can we do," Harry asked.

        Before his question could be answered, a noise could be heard from Sirius' end, "someone's coming. I'm afraid I can't be of more help. But for now, at least, it looks like you're on your own."

        The fire vanished all too quickly as thunder sounded from outside. Stella watched Hermione walk toward the stand glass windows in thought, "he really is out there, isn't he? We've got to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us, we need someone who will."

        As thunder continued to crash, Stella couldn't help but feel excited to be taught how to defend herself with magic. Her father had always told her of his adventures when she was younger. How he and his friends in Hogwarts dueled in secret during their free periods. His time in the Order fighting Death Eaters just to come back to her mother afterwards, almost as if nothing had happened hours before.

The Mason read every book on magic and spells as she could growing up. In America, she didn't have a lot of access to such things, but when she got back to London, she asked her father for as many books as possible. Hearing all the stories of Hogwarts and the magical adventures that can along with it, she wanted to be as prepared as she could be before she got her letter when she turned eleven.

Seeing as she started her Hogwarts career known as the quiet one, Stella couldn't help but feel discouraged. Will she be able to utter advanced spells when she needs to protect herself? Or will she chicken out and get herself killed? The world was changing. And she needed to be prepared for anything. Some would say she was being dramatic, but she knew first hand what the first Wizarding War brought—loss and destruction.

"Who?"

Stella looked at Harry incredulously, "you, Harry, she's talking about you."

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yes i added a stella and ron bit cuz i've had that stuck in my head for a while :) —
don't be a silent reader!
edited: 6 april 2021