LUCY RILEY GRANGER - intelligent, generous and somewhat ridiculously brave - is how you would describe the girl with a thousand predicaments. With a hidden power and an equally knowledgeable twin sister, she didn't expect a boy to be thrown into the...
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LUCY'S POV
Two weeks seemed like forever with Umbridge in control of almost everything. Dumbledore had returned and he couldn't do anything about it. Everyone could tell that he was becoming short tempered, quite the opposite of what we were used to. Everything was so sad. Fred and George weren't pulling jokes, Luna had disappeared to visit her aunt, Hannah isn't as cheeky, Angel isn't cheerful, Charlotte isn't as fierce and Professor Mcgonagall was less sassy. Umbridge is basically a fat pink toad-like dementor, she sucked all the happiness out of Hogwarts and its students. I've had enough and I can tell that Hermione was holding on to her last piece of sanity. The fat troll makes one wrong move and I'm putting my plan into action. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Myles and I are eating breakfast in the Great Hall with Riley and James. The hall, which is usually full of laughter and chatter as well as colour, is silent and bland. The banners seem faded and the Gryffindor lion seemed less fierce. The teachers just threw desperate looks at each other as Umbridge sat in her seat snootily.
"I heard Pig Face is going around to each classroom and is going to judge each teacher." Riley explains dully. After what happened to James, Riley seemed less happy and more hopeless and every time I tried to talk to her about it, she would change the subject. Everyone's EEs were basically dead, horrid black and grey. Lily wasn't any better. She had become extremely pale and sickly looking. She always had bags underneath her eyes and she never wore a smile any more. Fred was getting worried and so was everyone else. She's unhealthily thin, hardly touching her food and emotionless. She had lost all confidence.
"I'm hoping she won't be too hard on Hagrid. If she fires him, he wouldn't have anywhere to go." Ginny rests her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry wraps his arm around her protectively. The only thing really keeping these teenagers going was the love that they felt for each other.
"Guys, I'm going to go check on Lily. Stay here, I just don't want to crowd her at the moment." I sigh, thinking about how helpless she looked. I climb up the Gryffindor stairs and to the Head students room. Professor Mcgonagall gave me the password so I could make sure that Lily was okay.
"Fawkes' feathers." I call to the sad-looking wizard. He opens up and I walk in. Loud sobs could be heard from Lily's room and it breaks my heart. I knock on the door. "Lily, it's Lucy. Please open up." I strain my hearing to listen to Lily's light footsteps and the door opens. "Lily, what's wrong?" I ask concerned as I walk in and Lily closes the door.
"Nothing's wrong." We both sit down on her bed and I give her a look of disbelief.
"Lily, you can tell me anything and you know I won't tell a soul." I grab her hand, squeezing it to reassure her. She let's out an exasperated sigh.
"Lu, it's nothing. It's just Head Student stuff." I raise my eyebrow at her response.
"Lily, Dumbledore would have told me. I'm Junior Head Girl, remember?" Lily burst into tears again, crying into my shoulder. "Lilyanne Elizabeth Groves! Tell me what's going on right now!" I demand as she cries into her hands.
"On the day that you stood up to Troll Face, she told me to come to her office. I was all by myself and she forced me, so I went and I yelled at her for being so cruel. I kept yelling. She yelled a silencing spell at the ceiling and then she-she-she cursed me. She's been doing it for the past two weeks and she threatened to hurt you guys if I told anyone!" Lily let out another loud sob and fury filled my body.
"That's it!" Lily's eyes snap open in fear.
"Please don't tell anyone." She pleaded and I hug her.
"I won't." I reply softly. Step one of D.A is going to start soon. I walk out the door and I leave Lily alone. I see Fred sitting at the top of the stairs, looking upset.
"Have you ever felt so hopeless because you can't help the one you love?" Fred asks sadly. I sit down next to him.
"Look, Fred. I want to tell you why, but I promised Lily." I pat his shoulder comfortingly.
"Please." He sobs, which shocks me. The Weasley boy had always remained strong, even with everything that's happened the past seven years. "You don't know how painful it is to see my girlfriend so unhealthy and listen to her cry everyday, knowing that I can't do make her happy." I'd never seen Fred cry before and it honestly broke my heart. He was the jokester and George and him always sported cheeky smiles.
"Fred, Umbridge has gotten to her." His sobs stop and he looks at me, his face red with anger. His EE going off, almost exploding like fireworks. I knew that Fred was protective of Lily, but this was a whole other level. "Fred, don't do anything stupid. I know what to do." I start to explaining the plan to him and he agrees.
"Guys! Come downstairs now!" I hear George shout, alarmed and intrigued. We rush downstairs and into the courtyard. Filch was giving a startled looking Professor Trelawny her bags as Umbridge smiled.
"You can't do this." Trelawny stutters on the verge of tears.
"Oh, but I already have." Umbridge grins evilly as Professor Trelawney bursts out sobbing. Professor Mcgonagall rushes towards the sobbing Divination teacher and hugs her.
"Sh, Sybil it's okay." The professor tries to calm her down.
"Is there something you would like to say, Minerva?" The pink troll asks, sickeningly sweet.
"There is several things I would like to say." Her scottish accent became thick as she glares. Dumbledore strides into the courtyard. "But most it is not appropriate for children's ears."
"Minerva, please take Sybil to her room and calm her down. I will get her things later." He states calmly. Professor Trelawney shakingly thanked Dumbledore several times before McGonagall led her away.
"Albus, by decree one hundred and thirty seven. I have the power to fire teachers." Umbridge spoke calmly.
"Yes, but you don't have the power to kick them off the grounds. That is the principal's decision." Umbridge smiles.
"Not for long." Dumbledore ignores the last comment.
"Back to your classes, everyone! Don't you have studying to do?" He stalks off.
