Anna Potter and the order of the phoenix

Chapter 8

GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM-NIGHT
[Anna and Rose sit near each other in the common room. Around them, people talk, laugh, and study. Rose sighs and shuts her book with a snap.]
Rose: I don't know how we're ever going to pass our o.W.L.s in Defense. against the dark arts without any practice! That Umbridge woman is ... [She looks at Anna.]
Rose: We've got to do something about her. [Anna stares at her.]
Anna: Yeah, well, poison should do the
trick. We could ask Dobby to pour it in her dinner. Then we could use my cloak and map and hide her body in chamber of secrets and no one would be able to find her.
"That's genious." Said Barty. Gryffindors look at Anna worried.
[Rose looked at her shocked.]
Rose: How long were you coming up with it?
Anna: Calm down. I just came up with it. It was a joke.
Rose: You are telling me you came up with perfect murder in mere seconds?
Barty smirked proudly. Evan smaked him.
"Don't encourage it!" Said Evan. Barty pouted.
Anna: When i get angry i plan murder, which i will definetly not commit, but imagining it, still calms my anger issuies.
"Ah... First time i heard something like this." Said James. Lily looks at her daughter worried.
[Rose loosks shocked and goes back to subject.]
Rose: I meant her teaching. We're not going to learn anything in that class.
Anna: Yeah, that's true.
Rose: Anyway, I thought we should do it ourselves.
Anna: Do what?
Rose: Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd teach ourselves.
Anna: I don't know... [There is a tapping sound coming from the window. They turn and look.]
Rose: Hermes? [She goes to the window and opens it. Hermes deposits a letter in Rose's hands, turns, and vanishes out of the window again. The last Gryiffindor heads for bed, leaving the common room deserted except for the two of them. Rose opens it and returns to her seat.]
Rose: It's from Percy.
"Read it!" Said curious Lily.
Anna: Read it!
Rose: "Dear Rose, congratulations on becoming a Prefect. For some time I was worried you would take the 'Fred and George' route instead of following in my footsteps. You can imagine my relief that this is not the case." [She looks incredulously at Anna.]
Anna: Keep reading.
Rose: "Given your attachment to using me as a role model, I will give you a bit of advice from one respecter of authority to another. (pause) It is likely that you have been seeing quite a lot of Anna Potter of late. I must recommend you break ties with that girl as soon as possible. She may be Dumbledore's favorite, but Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer. Your loyalties should lie with the Ministry of Magic, not Dumbledore and Potter's personality cult.
James and Lily look at letter betrayed.
"I thought they were friends." Said dissapointed Remus.
Rose: (pause) Please do not fear breaking ties with Potter. If trouble arrises, go. to Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman.
"Yeah. Sure." Snorted Sirius.
Rose: (pause) I hope you will carefully consider my advice to you, Rose. Don't let the dangerous errors of Dumbledore, Potter, and unfortunately our parents lure you into destroying a perfectly good career. Percy." [Rose looks up, aghast.]
Anna: I think since he left his family, he's lonely and that's why he send you a letter. He doesn't want to be alone.
"Shs is defending him? He is a traitor! He left his family!" Said Regulus. Everyone realised it wasn't only about Percy. Sirius glanced at Regulus sadly. James and Remus placed comforting hand on him. Sirius send them weak smile.
"Seems like she has habit of defending people who don't desreve it." Said Barty.
"I think she just sees things from other's percpective and is very understanding person." Said Evan and placed his hand on Barty's thight, Barty smiled at him.
Rose: Seriously?! You're defending him?! Didn't you hear what he wrote? He is the world's biggest git!
Anna: Maybe, but he is your brother.
Rose: He is a traitor! [Rose hurls the pieces into the fireplace.]
Sirius: Watch it! [Rose jumps, startled.]
Anna: Uncle Pads?
"You might get caught, you idiot!" Said Remus and hit back of Sirius's head.
Sirius: Right you are. Got you letter and though we should talk in person. [She cranes her neck at the burning letter.]
Sirius: What was that?
Anna: Letter from Percy.
Rose: Yeah, full of the usual rubbish.
Anna: Except he did mention that Dumbledore might not be in charge here much longer.
Sirius: It doesn't surprise me. Fudge wants Dumbledore out.
Anna: Why?
Sirius: He's worried Dumbledore is trying to turn the students against the Ministry.
"He doesn't need to. They do good enough job themselves by sending Umbridge." Said Lucius.
Anna: Well, that would explain why Umbridge isn't teaching us anything useful in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Sirius: Exactly. The Ministry doesn't want you trained in combat.
Rose: What does he think Dumbledore is going to do, raise an army?
"Not something he wouldn't do." Said Narcissa.
Sirius: That's exactly what he's worried about. Pudge is getting more paranoid about Dumbledore every day. [There is a nervous silence in the room.]
Rose: What do you know about Umbridge?
Sirius: She's a nasty piece of work. Apparently she hates part-humans.
Sirius glares. Remus smiles at him.
Rose: Could she be a Death Eater?
Sirius: The Order seriously doubts it. She's no picnic, but she's no Death Eater either.
Rose: But she's evil.
Sirius: The world isn't split into the Order and the Death Eaters. [Anna smiles at Sirius.]
Regulus looks at Sirius surprised.
"Askaban really changed him." Said Narcissa quietly. Regulus nodded.
"Careful, pads. You sound wise." Teased James.
Sirius: To your question about Hagrid, well, no one is really sure what happened to him, actually. He was supposed to be back a while ago.
Rose&Anna: What?
Sirius: Dumbledore's not worried about him, though. Hagrid's tough. He'll be all right.
Anna: But if he was supposed to be back by now...
Gryffindors look worried.
Sirius: Look, asking questions about him will only make it more obvious that he's not back. [Suddenly he glances with concern at the wall of the fireplace.]
Sirius: Get out of here! [His head vanishes. A split second later, a stubby-fingered hand appears in the fire, groping for Sirius's head. The two of them run for their dormitories.]
"I told you it was stupid idea!" Said Remus.
"I needed to talk to them." Defended Sirius.
ASTRONOMY TOWER-NIGHT
[Anna walks toward Cassiopeia, who is holding Papers in her hand.]
Cassie: You are late.
Anna: Only 2 minutes.
"Still late." Sneered Lucius.
Cassie: Still late.
Lucius looks surprsised and smiles.
[Anna rolls her eyes.]
Anna: So you found it?
Cassie: Yes. (Smirks) And you are gonna love it.
Anna: Oh, do tell.
Cassie: Umbridge's father was a pureblood, named Orford Umbridge.
"Haven't heard." Said Evan.
"Neither." Said Regulus.
"Not me either." Said Barty.
"He probably isn't anyone important. I would know him." Said Lucius.
Cassie: He married a muggle Ellen Cracknel. Their second child, Dolores's brother was squib.
"Juicy." Said intrigued Sirius.
Anna: She is blood supermacist, but also a half-blood? Is it some kind of trend?
"Yes." Deadpanned Sirius. James chuckled.
Cassie: (chuckles) Kind of.
Anna: Bloody Hypocrites. All of them. I have read her writings, you know? It's so clear how prejudiced she is and she is a half-blood with muggle mother and squib brother.
Cassie: After Orford found out his son was squib, he divorsed Ellen, Orford and Dolores blamed Ellen for the boy turning out squib. Orford took Dolores with him. Ellen and her son went out to live in muggle world.
"Interesting." Said Barty, enjoing the gossip.
Cassie: Orford Umbridge was floor mopper in ministry. When Dolores started her career, she forced her father to retired. From that point on she lied about her family, claiming that she was a pure-blood rather than a half-blood. She eventually became Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and had a place in the Wizengamot. Whenever she was asked about her relation with Orford, she would deny any connection and claim that her deceased father had been a distinguished member of the Wizengamot. Nasty things tended to happen to people who asked about Orford, or anything about which she did not like talking, and people who wanted to remain on her good side pretended to believe her version of her ancestry.
"Sounds like her." Said Evan.
Anna: How did you find out all this in few days? From school.
Cassie: I told father that Umbridge woman was suspicious and i wanted information on her and he sent me files. I found out other things from Blair, her mother- Mrs. Zabini is a good gossip.
"She is." Agreed Narcissa.
"You know her?" Asked Evan.
"Yes. She was in my year. We are friends. That's probably why Blair and Cassie knew each other and why Blair calls me aunt." Said Narcissa.
Anna: (smiling) Thank you.
Cassie: Don't thank me. It wasn't favour. It was a deal. You own me.
"Slytherins." Said Sirius.
Anna: I know. So do you know what you want?
Cassie: Not yet. [Anna takes the files.]
DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES-NIGHT
[Anna strolls along the darkened corridor, passing the many grey doors. There is only one door that interests her. It lies at the end of the long hall, pure white light shining through the gap between door and jam.]
"This again. It's not coincidence." Said Remus.
[Anna moves towards it, bathed in shining light. She reaches out her hand to the door and grasps the handle. It is locked. She shakes the handle and hits the door.]
GRYFFINDOR GIRLS DORM-NIGHT
[Anna's eyes snap open. She rubs at her scar, wincing in pain.]