Through All the Pain // N. Longbottom

Fifth Year // Chapter 20

Neville and I sat with Hermione and Harry at the Quidditch match on Sunday. To say it was terrible was an overstatement, Gryffindor didn't do well at all. Poor Ron failed so miserably that I couldn't even get within six feet of him without him turning away and burying his head into his sweater. So I just decided to leave him alone and pretended that I wasn't pitying him constantly. 

Now it is March, and the snow was slowly beginning to melt. Neville and I have been spending more and more time together but ... he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend and well ... I'm too nervous to ask him to be mine. It was Monday morning and I walked in with Neville to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione over a huge pile of letters. Apparently, Luna's father had published Harry's interview with Rita, and a whole bunch of readers sent in letters.

"Isn't that Umbridge beside him?" Neville said, and when I looked over I did notice a very angry Umbridge storming off. We rushed over to the table and found out that due to his interview, Harry was no longer allowed to go to Hogsmeade. We spent the rest of breakfast passing around letters after letters, both good and bad. And by that afternoon, The Quibbler had been banned from the school. 

"Pity, she thinks that's actually gonna solve the issue," Neville remarked as we headed past the ever-growing wall of decrees and found our way to our classes for the week. With now extra activities, the weeks seemed to be going by quicker and quicker, I found myself sitting in the Great Hall attempting to study on a Monday night (which was hard). As I finally slammed my Potions book shut, Dean came running in with Seamus on his heels. 

"Weaslette!" Seamus shouted. I smiled as it was the first time in forever he called me that. Oh yeah, he apologized by the way, in a rather sweet way too. He and Dean got Neville to keep me in the Common Room late on the day after Harry's article went about the school, where Seamus gave me a whole bouquet of Jelly Slug boxes. Anyway, I digress.

"What's up, boys?" I asked slipping my book into my bag. That's when I heard the screaming, agonizingly, ear-piercing screaming. "What the hell?"

"Umbridge ..." Seamus started.

"She's sacking Trelawney!!" Dean shouted grabbing my hand and yanking me off the bench and out into the Entrance Hall. There standing in the middle of the hall was Professor Trelawney sitting on a trunk while Filch lugged another one down the marble stairs. We joined a few other Gryffindor students on one side of her, as the trunk banged on the ground. Filch then hobbled closer with the trunk and slammed it down on the ground in front of her, causing her to both jump back at the noise, but in shock as she was officially getting the boot.

"Not Trelawney." Lavender sniffed into Parvati's shoulder. I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. As much as Lavender may annoy me, I knew how much she and Parvati loved Trelawney. Eventually, the pink toad made her way across the hall towards her and smiled sweetly. 

"P-please!" Trelawney whimpered. "Y-you can't do this. H-h-Hogwarts i-is my home!" Trelawney blubbered into a handkerchief. Suddenly McGonagall shoved her way past us students and went to her side. As she wrapped an arm around her, Umbridge dared to speak.

"Anything you would like to say, dear?" 

"Oh, there are several things I would like to say." McGonagall snapped. "However, none of which are appropriate to do in front of these students, Dolores!"

"Oooooh, this may be too good. Where's the popcorn?" Seamus remarked. I reached over and slapped him for being so tactless. 

"Well, I can tell you one thing, Minerva." Umbridge took a step closer to the pair of them. "You cannot do anything about this, for I have the power to dismiss any staff member I do not see fit."