Chapter 14: Educational Decrees

"So we're going to need a place to hold this Dumbledore's/Wizarding Army, right?" Lucy asked Harry after everyone had cleared out of the Hog's head which just left them two. 

"Well, yes, but it's got to be somewhere where Umbridge will never find us. She'll go mental if she sees what we're doing," Harry nodded eagerly and drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. 

"The shrieking shack!" Lucy slammed her fist down on the table. 

"It's too small..." 

"The forbidden forest!" 

"Not bloody likey!" 

"Um...an abandoned classroom!" 

"Umbridge would catch us in a heart beat..." 

"What about if we put a charm on the door so we were the only one's who could go in and out? Or just lock it with a simple charm?" 

"I like your thinking but it's still too risky." 

"I have no more ideas then," Lucy shook her head. "You got any?" 

"Not at all, I was thinking about an abandoned classroom like you but the more I think about it the more impossible it seems to use." 

"I guess we'll have to ask the others, see if they've got any other ideas." She slipped on her coat and stood up. The two exited the Hog's head and were then brought out into the surroundings of Hogsmeade, where it was almost empty. 

They walked back up to school together, ignoring the carriages they could of taken, and up the steps to Hogwarts. Lucy kept her coat on but Harry took it off and the first thing that caught their eyes was a couple of framed pieces of parchment, hanging outside the great hall. In fact, Filch was even hanging a new one up as they stepped forwards. 

"What the — ?" Lucy asked. 

"Educational decrees, Miss," Filch laughed as he hammered the little frame into place. "On Umbridge's orders." 

"Educational decrees! Wait, what are educational decrees?" 

"The Ministry laws to set or modify standards at Hogwarts," Harry said, Lucy walked forward to the nearest frame and read aloud: 

"Dolores Jane Umbridge has been appointed to the post of Hogwarts high inquisitor — oh dear god..." 

"Educational decree number 23!" Filch smiled proudly, then he gestured to the one he was hanging up. "Educational decree number 68: all student organisations are hence fourth disbanded any student in noncompliance will be expelled." 

"Well that's just great," Harry muttered in Lucy's ear. 

"Um — Mr Filch?" Lucy asked sweetly and Filch stopped hammering in an Educational Decree and faced her. "Does that mean Quidditch is banned too?" 

"It might well mean that, so you two better run along and remember not to start any club because you'll be expelled...oh how your father would be disappointed if he found out that you'd been expelled," Filch laughed at Lucy. 

Harry and Lucy took off as quickly as they could to the common room and when Filch was out of earshot Lucy stopped dead in front of Harry causing him to stop. 

"We have to tell the others that we can't do it." 

"Do what?" Harry frowned. 

"The Wizarding Army, Dumbledore's Army whatever you want to call it. We can't do it. We'll all get expelled. All of us, every single member. Do you really want that to happen? Besides we can't think of anywhere to hold it so what do we do?" 

"We can't give up," Harry snapped pushing past her and making his way to the common room. "I'm not letting Umbridge get in our way...just because she thinks she owns the place." 

"But, Harry!" Lucy protested as she chased after him. "If I got expelled my dad would have a fit!" 

"Lucy — "

"He would never let me go out of the house again! I'd be made to study everyday and he'd be so disappointed in — "

"LUCY!" Harry yelled, his voice echoing around the vast place. "What would you rather, getting expelled with a few others or being able to fight Lord Zuc and Lord Voldemort's forces?"

"Being able to fight..."

"Exactly and if we don't hurry up none of us will be able to fight and Lord Zuc and Lord Voldemort will take over, our lives will be living hells if we are still alive..."

"Well, we need a place to start it and...and this is quite a risk but, dad might know where to hold the Wizarding Army." Lucy said, looking down at her feet. 

"What! Are you crazy?" Harry hissed. 

"Yes, somedays I think I am. But somedays I'm just so crazy I think my plans might work..." And with that, Lucy ran off down to the dungeons. 

*      *      * 

Lucy shoved open the door to the dungeons and found Snape in the middle of brewing a potion, he didn't look up as Lucy slipped off her coat and then sat on the table as to where he was brewing a potion. 

"Hey, dad," Lucy said and Snape finally looked up from his work. 

"Good afternoon, Lucy," he replied in a bored tone. "What is it you want?" 

"How do you know I want something?" 

"Because you grin like an idiot when you want something from me..." Snape rolled his eyes and stirred the potion clockwise five times, Lucy watched him impatiently and when he had finished he looked up at her again. "Go on then, spit it out. What do you want from me this time? If it's anything to do with McGuire it's an immediate no." 

"It sort of has something to do with McGuire but mainly me and the benefit of students," Lucy said, trying to convince her father but she could see it wasn't working already. 

"Like I said, an immediate no." 

"You don't even know what I'm going to say yet." 

"Well hurry up, I'm busy." 

Lucy then began to explain about Dumbledore's Army and the Wizarding Army and how a group of students had met up earlier in the Hog's head to discuss it. 

" — and it's a secret organisation, Harry told me not to tell you but we really need a place to practice and if we don't, none of us will be able to fight." 

Snape paused as he added some more ingredients to his potions and then he looked and up and pulled a serious face. "You could get expelled for that." 

"I know. If Umbridge found out I'd never be allowed back into the school, but if you kept it a secret, me and Harry  might just be able to train these selected students and have more of a chance to defeating Lord Zuc and his army." 

"You're getting very ambitious recently, Lucy. Using magic outside of school, almost getting yourself expelled from Hogwarts, arguing with teachers and landing yourself in detentions." 

"You don't have to use the plural for detention..." Lucy cringed through gritted teeth. 

"If I'm honest, I do think that it's a clever plan but a very dangerous one too. If all of you got caught, you'd all be expelled and if I was the one that got you a place to train I'd get the sack. And if I got the sack, we'd have to sell our house...I can barely afford the place as it is. I've been asking for a pay rise for several years but Dumbledore has never given me one." 

"But what if the place you found us was so secret, not even someone as snobby as Draco Malfoy could find it?" 

"Don't be silly, I can't just invent a room." 

Lucy burst out laughing, she hardly ever heard her dad being witty. But then composed herself and turned serious again. "Can you at least try? It can get us further to getting rid of Zuc." 

"I don't know..." 

"A-ha! So there is a room that Draco Malfoy won't find!" 

"Possibly, you have to know where to find it to get it. If you don't know you won't find it." 

"Stop being secretive and just tell me." 

"But that's the thing, I'm not being secretive — " Snape took three vials and began filling them with the potion he had made. "You have to know where it is to find it." 

"Well can you help me find it?" 

"Perhaps I could, but then perhaps I couldn't."

"Dad!" Lucy whined. "Please!" 

"Alright, I'll show you. But you can't tell anyone until I say it's OK." 

"Fine, fine, just tell me where the room is." 

"If you keep the attitude up, young lady, you won't be getting anything." 

Lucy rolled her eyes as she followed Snape out of the dungeons and up to the seventh floor corridor. It was completely empty and it was possible that there was no one up there at all.

"Where's this damn room?" Lucy demanded as she turned corners frantically and tried to look for a door that seemed secret. 

"Some days I swear you're not my child, you inherited no intelligence whatsoever from me or your mother..." Snape groaned and grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to a blank wall. 

"Oh, a wall...great place to practice defense against the dark arts..." 

"You don't even know how to get to the room so I suggest you keep your mouth shut until I tell you to speak." 

"Hi, Snivels!" Someone yelled from the end of the corridor. It was Shona. 

"Oh, just who we needed to spoil the fun..." Snape groaned. "What is it you want, McGuire." 

"Well, I don't know. I was just wandering around the hallways of Hogwarts and I happened to stumble across you." 

"Yes,  you accidentally stumble across me all the time apart from in lessons which you don't show up to." 

"Lets face it, your classes are boring. I can't put up with you droning on about clap trap when I've got important things to do like terrorising other people. You can't have all the attention you know. Draco is next on my list, now..." Shona said then turned to Lucy. "So what you two doing up here in the seventh floor corridor?" 

"Staring at a wall at the moment," Lucy said and pointed to the wall. "Pretty interesting, isn't it?" 

"Oh I love the 'stare at the wall' game! It's better than watching the paint dry game! Why did you count me out?" 

"Leave us alone, McGuire." Snape groaned. 

"I've got nothing better to do than pester you! Can't you at least tell me why you're staring at a wall?" 

"We're not staring at a wall." 

"Then what are you doing?" 

"None of your business." 

"Oh just tell me, you miserable git." 

"Just tell her, dad," Lucy sighed. 

"Fine, we're looking for a room for Lucy and Potter's club." Snape said in defeat. 

"Staring at walls isn't going to get you very far, is it?" Shona snorted. "Oh, lets all stare at walls until a secret room appears! Real classy, Snivs." 

"Shut up." Snape hissed and then turned to Lucy. "You really need a room for a club, yes?" 

"Yes, me and Harry need it for our club." Lucy said. 

"Good, close your eyes and wish for it." 

"I'm not five years old!" Lucy snapped. "I'm fifteen years old!" 

"You are as mature as a five-year-old sometimes...even then I think five-year-olds are more mature than you..." 

Lucy hissed at him then closed her eyes and wished so desperately for a room where her, Harry and everyone else could practice defense against the dark arts. She opened her eyes a minute later to find herself still staring at a blank wall. 

"That went well!" Lucy smiled sarcastically. "Right, I'm going — "Lucy span on her heel and began walking off but without moving, Snape grabbed hold of her and pulled her back and pointed ahead. 

"There's your room." He said simply and shoved her towards it. 

"You're joking." 

"When does your dad joke, Lucy? Lets be serious here." Shona said. 

"Fine, fine, I'll go see if it's real..." 

Lucy walked towards the wooden door with patters engraved on the door that had taken the place of the blank wall and then she placed her hand on the door and pushed, not expecting much. To her surprise it opened and she peered inside. 

"What...how? What's going on? How can that happen? Dad?" Lucy spoke quickly as she pointed to the door. 

"I discovered this place when I was in your year. James Potter used to get on my nerves sometimes and when I really wanted to get away from him, I went to the seventh floor and this door appeared for me. But it's different, depending on what you wish for." 

"This is awesome!" Shona laughed as she ran inside the room and looked inside. "Oh! Oh! Oh! When can we start, Professor!" Shona hopped up and down on one foot as she turned to Lucy. 

"Soon, we'll have to find the others first, won't we?" Lucy said as she too stepped inside and had a look around. 

Snape admired the room too and Shona took her wand out and began attacking the wooden figure of a death eater which would be used for target practice and Snape yelled at her to stop. Whereas, Lucy walked over to a mirror in the corner of a room with newspaper clippings stuck to it. 

She looked at them and even stopped to read some very inspirational articles. But when she came to the last one, her heart stopped. 

It was a picture of Cedric Diggory.