The best way of defiance 
is to start an alliance.

"I...I can't believe it!" exclaimed Mia, slamming down a copy of the Prophet on the wooden table. 

Melanie gingerly took the paper, her dark eyes skimming the print. "So, the Ministry's finally taking over?"

"Wait, what?!" asked Katarina as she leaned over the girl's shoulder to get a look at the paper. The Ravenclaw blushed and coughed a bit before handing the propaganda over.

"'High Inquisitor'...what the hell does that mean?" Mia scowled before taking a bite of her toast. She would've laughed at Kat, who was about to explode with profanities and confusion, but her resentment towards the Ministry stopped her from finding humor in everything.

"It means that she'll be headmistress by the end of the year."

"Headmistress?!" the two Hufflepuffs exclaimed and their Ravenclaw friend nodded grimly.

"Yep. Mum wrote me the other day...you know how she works at the Ministry, right? She told me Fudge is, without a doubt, trying to take over the school. He's scared of Dumbledore-"

"Dumbles didn't do anything!" said Kat defensively, her hazel eyes gleaming. "He's just the cool old dude that runs the school!"

Mel facepalmed and groaned. "Yeah, well Fudge doesn't see him as 'Dumbles' or 'the cool old dude', he sees him as a threat with an army of teenagers and powerful colleagues."

"Army?" asked Mia, one of her defined eyebrows quirked.

"Mhmm. It's obvious the majority trusts him...Fudge is a nutter and I've no clue where he got the ridiculous notion of Dumbledore's apparent desire to take over."

Kat frowned as she picked at the eggs on her plate and skimmed over the paper one last time. "So, uh, what does 'High Inquisitor' mean again?"

"Your idiocy kills me," muttered Mel with a sigh. "In short, she's the Ministry's pawn and will be like a second headmaster until they boot Dumbledore out."

"You're so blunt," Mia said coldly.

She gave a smirk. "Just honest. But anyway, I heard she's doing teacher evaluations-"

Mia's eyes lit up and she grinned. "Ahh, that toad's gonna get what she deserves! McGonagall and Sprout are gonna put her in her place...I can't wait!"

"Hopefully they won't get sacked," sighed Mel. "I reckon their seniority will let them stay. Flitwick's a good teacher and nice enough to please her. Snape...well, he probably won't be overly sarcastic. Trelawney's getting let go for sure. Grubby Plank-"

"Wait, do you know anything about Hagrid?" Kat interrupted quickly but received a shrug from the two.

Before they could continue their discussion, the bell chimed and students started rising. The three gave a groan before quickly finishing off their breakfast and following the crowd of students out of the Hall.

That day, Herbology was first and Mia couldn't be more excited upon seeing the flamingo-like toad woman in the greenhouse. 

Any comeback from Sprout would make her proud and happy, and she hoped more than anything that Umbridge would get told what for.

Mia parted ways from her friends and took her seat next to Draco. He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "What're you so excited about? You look like you're about to implode."

She grinned, her eyes flitting to Umbridge. "Guess."

"Sprout's soon-to-come sass?" he asked boredly and smirked when she gave a quick nod. "I don't blame you. That toad's horrid. Just don't do anything stupid."

"What do you mean?" questioned the girl and she received a shrug. She thought for a bit then scowled. "You mean defend Professor Sprout if the opportunity arises?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't think that's stupid at all. She's the best!"

From across the room, Sprout shouted, "Ten points to Hufflepuff!"

Mia gave a grin and Draco rolled his eyes. "Favoritism much?"

"You'd know, considering the fact you and your father have kissed up to Snape since you were a fetus first-year."

"Aren't fetuses...well, not even born? Smith, you're so stupid it gives me a headache," he said, facepalming. Before she could jump to a suggestion on taking some lavender sugar mixed with Dittany extract to relieve his newfound headache, the lesson had started.

"Morning everyone! Today you'll be extracting Botuber Pus - yes, Finnigan, pus - which is quite useful in many medicines such as-"

"Hem hem," coughed Umbridge daintily. Everyone's eyes flitted to her except for the plant lady's, who was 'too busy' getting the supplies out and passed around. 

"So, I must warn you, the pus is dangerous and can give you some nasty boils if carelessly-"

"HEM HEM!" 

"You seem to have a cough. There's a hose out back if you need a drink," said Sprout, her back still turned as she bent over to get another Botuber plant.

"HeM hEm!"

"For the love of Helga..." Sprout grabbed a watering can and tossed it to Umbridge, who just barely caught it. A few students started giggling. "Not the most fancy but it's still a drinking source."

"I don't need a drink!"

"Then what is it?"

The toad-like lady put the watering can down loudly and pulled out a clipboard. "I was wondering if you were informed of the inspection."

"Obviously, that's why I was teaching like normal. You're evaluating my ability to teach, not to shower you with attention, right?" asked Sprout gruffly. Umbridge's mouth opened and closed like a fish's but no sound came out. She finally settled with standing in the corner, angrily scribbling down notes. 

The lesson began and Draco and Mia worked quickly, not speaking much as they were aware of Umbridge's decision to start pacing around the room. 

Just as they were about to extract more pus, Umbridge was within their vicinity and the partners shared a mischevious look.

"Professor Umbridge!" said Draco loudly. 

The woman scurried over and gave a sickly sweet smile. "Yes?"

"I was wondering how your inspections have been going?"

"Well, this is the first one today. I must say....Sprout's isn't looking so good - oh, you two can keep working - as I was saying, she's completely and utterly rude..." the woman kept rambling and Mia clenched her jaw. Draco, on the other hand...

He 'accidentally' squeezed one of the boils on the plant in Umbridge's direction, causing the pus to squirt onto her face.

The woman let out a scream and yellow boils broke out on her complexion. Everyone turned to watch as she stumbled towards the door.

Mia did everything she could to hold back laughter. She grabbed Draco's arm and laughed into his shoulder inaudibly. What she failed to notice was how he tensed up and blushed a bit.

When Umbridge's wails faded in the distance, the class burst into fits of laughter, including Sprout, who asked, "Okay, who did it?"

"Draco!" exclaimed Mia, looking up and laughing. Everyone smiled as they turned to face the pale Slytherin, whose cheeks were beet red at this point.

"Ten points to Slytherin...now, back to work!" said the teacher, winking at the boy. 

Draco just looked at Mia as she couldn't stop laughing. She said between breaths, "I love you Malfoy, that was great!"

His glimmering grey eyes widened but she took no notice. The Slytherin felt...something. 

Instead of speaking, his lips curled into a smile and he just watched her, not minding that she was still latched onto his arm.

~=~ 

During one of the passing periods that day, Mia walked by herself to class. Not that she minded, as she preferred to be alone at times. It gave her some time to think and observe others. 

"Hey, Mia!" Harry's voice rang out and many people turned to look at him, including the blonde Hufflepuff. "I erm...need to talk to you."

"Sure, what is it?" asked Mia, tilting her head. The raven-haired boy awkwardly grabbed her arm and pulled her a bit down the corridor until there weren't many onlookers. She laughed a bit. "What's this about?"

He gave a sigh and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Um...I need a favor from you."

"Of course, whatever you need."

"Well...erm...you're popular, right? In your house?"

Mia chuckled and blushed. "I don't know if I'd say that, Hannah's still a bit irked at the fact that I got Prefect. Why d'you ask though?"

"I need you to recruit people," said Harry quickly.

"Um...okay...what for?"

"So you know how Umbridge doesn't teach us any spells?" Mia nodded at this and he continued, "Well, we've decided to form a group to learn how to use defensive magic. If the school won't teach us then we should teach ourselves!"

She thought for a bit but sighed. "Look, I think it's a cool idea and stuff but...well, is that all you've got? You know it's pretty much illegal now to make clubs that aren't Ministry approved-"

"I didn't think you were one to live by rules," he muttered and she raised an eyebrow. "I just...I don't know, you seem braver than the rest of your house."

"No, I'm just more of an idiot," said Mia, smirking. "All I'm say saying is it's gonna be difficult to do anything under the Ministry's nose, and if you don't have a plan-"

"That's why we're going to brainstorm at the Hog's Head next weekend," suggested Harry with a wink.

She smiled at him and thought a bit. It was a good idea and she was happy Harry hadn't given up. The two had been acquainted since first year and she'd always worried when he'd hit his breaking point. Mia had seen the boy go through hell of all kinds. From bullying to the Dark Lord himself, he stayed strong and brave like a true Gryffindor, and for that, she was happy.

"Alright. So, how many people? I could get a lot, yanno, even some Slytherins-"

"No no no, don't do that!" said Harry, exasperated. 

Mia frowned a bit. "Why not? They have just as much of a right to an education-"

"None of them are trustworthy and they're evil-"

"Not true!" she defended quickly, her temper rising.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Fine, give me an exception."

"Blaise, Millicent, Draco-"

"Malfoy?! "

"Yes, Draco. He isn't that bad-"

"Mia, listen to me," he said quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him resentfully and he sighed. "When I asked for your help, I meant to recruit the Hufflepuffs in our year and maybe a few others...we don't want too many people, especially ones we can't trust."

"But everyone deserves a chance-"

"I know you're trying to be nice but you do too much sometimes," said Harry coldly. "The fact that you even considered Malfoy-"

"I'll have you know that's he's helped me out on multiple occasions unasked-"

"He's also bullied you and many others on multiple occasions, unasked," he retorted. When Mia frowned and looked down, Harry softened his tone a bit. "Maybe later on we can include more people, but for now, we don't want too many...okay? So please, can you just do what I asked? And keep it on the down-low."

The Hufflepuff stayed silent for a bit, biting her lip. She was frustrated that not everyone was included. She believed everyone deserved a chance, even Draco. The fact that he limited the chance to learn to a certain criteria...well, it just irked her.

Regardless, she couldn't bring herself to say no to the famous raven-haired boy that made her heart speed up a bit with each encounter. Of course, it was hard for her to say no to anyone, but Harry was one of the few that made her feel more submissive. 

So, she responded, "Okay, sounds good."

Harry smiled. "Thanks so much, I owe you."

"Don't worry about it...see you around," said Mia, forcing a smile before she left, feeling slightly dejected. 

~=~

"Hey, so you're probably wondering why I brought you all here," said Mia, looking at the group of Hufflepuffs sitting crisscross before her. She chose people Harry knew of and didn't mind too much, as she didn't want to get on his bad side. 

The current group consisted of herself, Katarina Hicks, Ernie MacMillan, Justin Finch-Fletchly, Hannah Abbot, Zacharias Smith, and Susan Bones. 

Earlier, Mia had separately talked to Melanie Gaye, Luna Lovegood, and Rose Zeller. Some would argue on the last person, but Mia didn't care. Although Rose was only a first year, she had tremendous ability at a young age - much like her own - and a really good attitude. And besides, she could help out the younger students with this newfound knowledge.

"Yeah, why did you get us here? Ooooh, are you going to confess your love for Draco?" asked Katarina excitedly. 

Everyone's eyes widened and Mia groaned. "Never. I don't 'love' Draco, I merely tolerate him. Now, the reason I brought you here...how many of you hate Umbitch?" She received everyone raising their hand and snickering. "How many of you want to learn actual spells?" Same response. 

"Are you gonna teach us, Mia? I don't blame you, you're probably the best candidate anyway. You've always known tons of spells," said Ernie with a smile. 

"Ha, like I could ever be a teacher. Although I'm flattered, I'm afraid that's not the case...Harry's gonna teach us."

Justin loudly spoke up and Mia was grateful for the empty Common Room. "Potter?! After all the Hippogriff dung he's spewed, why would we want to follow him in anything?!"

"I think Harry's kind and knowledgeable," said Hannah quietly, giving a small smile. "I trust him...why would he lie?"

"So he can be Saint Potter," muttered Zacharias and others began murmuring as well.

"Then how did Cedric die?" Mia asked, her voice cracking. The room fell silent. "Tell me, seriously, how did he die?! If it wasn't Voldemort, tell me how the hell someone as great as Cedric died!"

Everyone sadly stared at the girl before them, whose eyes were full of tears that escaped and were now running down her face. She quickly tried wiping them away to no avail. Cedric was close to them all and was especially like a big brother to Mia and Hannah, and that's why they were quick to believe Voldemort's return.

So, the latter spoke, her own eyes full of tears. "Who would be sick enough to lie about something like that? Harry was...devastated. We all saw it. He wouldn't lie, especially about that."

Kat testified as well. "Voldemort-" She was cut off by many gasps and flinches, but just rolled her eyes. "Fine, 'You-Know-Who' killed Harry's parents, so why would he lie about the guy coming back?"

"Exactly. Now, Harry's willing to teach us what he knows. If you're interested, go to the Hog's Head at the beginning of the next Hogsmeade trip. Don't tell anyone about it, and if you're untrusting, don't bother going."

Mia was greeted with many people nodding and muttering in agreement, but it ended when Susan spoke up, "Wait a second...didn't the Ministry ban clubs?"

"Fuck the Ministry!" shouted Mia with a grin, and they just looked at her. She held the carefree expression. "Who's with me?!"

There was silence for a bit until they followed suit, all throwing up a middle finger and yelling, "Fuck the Ministry!"

One of the seventh years from the guy's dorm yelled, "Shut the bloody hell up! It's two in the morning!", causing the group to burst into fits of giggles.

"This is gonna be great...come on, let's get some food to celebrate our defiance," said Mia with a grin, getting up and leading the group the kitchens. They got all kinds of desserts and even convinced the house elves to make some butterbeer. 

After they were sat back in front of the crackling fireplace with their food and goblets in hand, Susan said, "Cedric would've loved this...maybe he could've been the teacher. He was so good at...well, everything."

Everyone gave a sad smile and nod. Cedric was genuinely a role model and good friend to them all. They knew that he wouldn't want anyone to blame or bully Harry, and maybe that's why they were so quick to agree. It was funny, though, because even during the tournament Cedric wasn't mad at Harry, even when everyone else fully believed that the Gryffindor just wanted attention. 

Cedric had always been kind and understanding to everyone. He was never one to believed rumors and always had to hear things from the horse's mouth. And even if something horrible was true, his kindness never faltered. He always had faith in everyone and everything, and maybe that was why Mia felt the same. 

Besides Katarina and Melanie, Cedric was the first person to be her friend and try to help her out. He didn't do it out of pity or because he felt obligated, but instead because he genuinely took a liking to the brave girl and, unlike some others, appreciated the fact that she stood out. He mentored her until the day of his death and was like the brother she never had. 

For that and everything else, she was grateful.

As Mia looked around at the conversing Hufflepuffs, she raised her goblet and said, "To Cedric."

"To Cedric," the group chorused, raising their glasses as well.

And as they did so, Mia's eyes caught onto Helga Hufflepuff's portrait, and she could've sworn their founder also raised her goblet with a proud smile.

~=~

Kind of a filler but whateves. At least I got an update on time!

Hope you enjoyed it, even with the lack of Draco's fine self.

Question of the chapter
~If you could insult or attack Umbridge, what would you do?~
(I'd be like Draco and spray botuber pus on her :')

Pls vote, comment, and follow :)

Love to all,
~Lumos