Incendio

"First you suggest I teach everyone Defense Against The Dark Arts, and now you want to have me tell Samantha everything about my detentions so she can publish it for the whole school?" Harry Potter gritted his teeth and looked nervously at Hermione.

"Harry, please you can trust Samantha." Hermione argued at him.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly in the mood to give Umbridge the satisfaction. She will say I'm seeking attention." Harry argued back. He was being slightly aggressive and Samantha just stood there listening. Hermione had tricked Harry into meeting her and Samantha to discuss what Umbridge had done to him in detention. It made Samantha sick, to know that moments before she interviewed Umbridge, she'd been torturing her classmate. She knew it'd be a hell of a story, but it would need evidence. She also knew she couldn't say anything unless Harry consented to it, it would go against her integrity.

"Yes, but the parents deserve to know." Hermione continued arguing.

"I don't have any parents to care Hermione." Harry snapped back.

"It can be anonymous." Samantha interrupted. "She'd have no proof it's you."

They both stopped and looked at Samantha.

"She'd know it was me." Harry slumped in his posture. "Who else has come out of detention with her with scars in their hands?"

Hermione and Samantha looked between each other. They didn't know anyone else who had.

"It's obvious she's targeting you." Samantha interjected. "I can offer a little protection, it would only be alluded and you would only be known as an anonymous student."

"What if you get asked?" Harry asked. "What if someone asks who the student is?"

Samantha looked at Hermione then back to Harry. "I won't tell. On my honor as the Editor-In-Chief. It won't leave this room."

"You could get in trouble." Hermione said softly.

"I know." Samantha agreed. She knew Umbridge wouldn't be pleased, but she also knew if the parents and teachers knew, they would put a stop to what was happening to Harry. They'd have to listen if it was in print. She could report it, but she worried no one would believe it. They had to stop this before it became worse. Supposedly, Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and had some kind of new power. Samantha couldn't help but feel that anyone who tortured students shouldn't be in any position of power.

"Alright." He conceded.

Samantha had never worked on an article so much in her life. She was worried, but excited. This was something that could make a difference. This could change the course of their school year. She wrote it in a way that wasn't exactly damning of Umbridge, but merely looking at her from all perspectives.

She decided since it would be controversial, that she would first present it to the other Gazette members. She was nearing the end of their meeting and she knew she had to spit it out.

"Two more orders of business left for tonight. The first is of course the auditions. We all discussed next Saturday, are we all still on board for that?" Samantha asked.

Everyone agreed again before Colin added, "Of course, my brother is auditioning again."

"I've had a few friends who have been interested as well." Ernie continued.

"That's great. I know I've spoken to a few interested parties." Samantha thought to her conversations with Luna and Lee.

"One of them is Lee right?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, has he been after you about it too?" Samantha inquired wondering if it had all just been about the Gazette.

"You could say that." She rolled her eyes.

"He's honestly had more questions about our Editor-in-Chief." Colin volunteered and Ginny hit him directly in the stomach, like she would to her brothers. Marietta and Daphne both started giggling, while Neville and Ernie locked eyes in confusion.

Samantha knew what they were insinuating and she decided to ignore it. She didn't have time for that and if he was only interested in the Gazette to get closer to her, then he wasn't very serious about it. "Anyway, onto our last order of business. I have an article that could be considered slightly controversial, so I wanted to run it by everyone first."

She took a deep breathe as she handed the article about Umbridge to everyone to read. Reactions were quiet. She didn't think she'd ever heard everyone so quiet.

"You have proof correct?" Ernie asked breaking the silence.

Samantha nodded. "My source requested anonymity, but I have corroborating sources along with the fact that a lot of that is Umbridge's exact words."

"Those are her words?" Colin almost laughed. "She's sure thick to bribe you."

Samantha raised her eyebrows. "I know, but I won't publish this unless we are all on board. We could get in trouble for this."

"I'm in." Daphne to Samantha's shock, piped up. "I don't know how much of Potter's story I believe, but we are journalists, we don't need to be biased. She's only telling one side of the story. We have to send a message that we don't cater to either side."

"Well said." Colin commented to her. "Anyone else?"

Ernie, Neville and Ginny all three pronounced they were in.

Marietta was the last one to say anything, "The parents should know."

Samantha took a deep breath, "Alright, once we have the full layout tomorrow I'll go ahead and publish this. Until then, I think we should keep it between us."

Everyone was in complete agreement when they left that evening. Samantha left the finished layout for the paper, with full plans to use her free afternoon the next day to get it ready for distribution.

She went back to the common room, exhausted but still pushing on with her homework. The article still fresh on her mind, she tried to relax her mind and body as she laid into her bed. She hoped she was making the right decision.

The next day she was attending her Muggle studies class when Draco Malfoy popped his head into the classroom. "Excuse me mam." He said mam to Professor Burbage like he didn't respect her at all. "I need Ernie McMillan and Samantha Fyre please."

Ernie and Samantha looked at each other with worried faces. They were lead to the Gazette's meeting room where Professor Umbridge had the rest of the members lined up against a wall. Ernie and Samantha joined them.

"I am going to start off first by taking twenty points from each of your houses." Umbridge said as she walked down the small line of students. It was clear she was furious, but she kept a smile upon her face.

Samantha felt her throat constrict as she tried to hold her tears back. She knew Umbridge would be upset, but she had actually hoped it had been published first.

"This on the back of this horrible article you plan to publish." Umbridge picked up the newest edition off of the table. "Thankfully Mr. Malfoy informed me of this atrocity. Twenty points to you Mr. Malfoy, now back to your class."

Malfoy smirked a wide smile and Samantha felt like turning him into a ferret, not that she knew how to do that, yet. He left the room as everyone glared at him, including Daphne who looked ready to cry.

"This is a clear smear piece against myself and the Ministry. You will not be allowed to publish such a piece. I want every copy of this destroyed."

"We will not destroy it." Ginny said standing her ground. "You will have to do that yourself."

"You will, and then you will tell me the name of the student who told you such lies about their detention." Umbridge got louder.

"No." Samantha stood a little straighter, she had promised Harry. She knew in her bag was her notebook where her draft and notes for the article was kept. She would not hand it over.

"Someone tell me." Umbridge looked to everyone else.

"Only Sam knows who it is." Marietta insisted.

"Tell me at once Fyre!" Umbridge squealed at Samantha.

Samantha shook her head, "The student was afraid of further punishment."

"Tell me at once or it won't just be points lost." Umbridge shouted.

"I will not tell anyone, especially not the very teacher who was torturing a student." Samantha blurted out hotly.

"The Hogwarts Gazette is permanently banned."

The words hung in the air and Samantha held back her tears, for fear of full collapse. The students were escorted from the classroom. Ginny grabbed her hand strongly.

Filch was waiting outside, smirking at them.

"Mr. Filch, please see that this room is blocked off from anyone entering it." Umbridge told him aggressively. "After you destroy every copy of this ridiculous paper."

"Yes mam." He said with a disgusting smile.

Samantha was handed a paper to bring to Professor McGonagall.

"Everyone else, go back to your classes immediately." Umbridge ordered before strutting down the hallway in her tiny pink heels.

Samantha started to feel her breathing start to heave. She knew she'd be in trouble, but she never imagined it would be banned.

"Do you need us to go with you Sam?" Neville asked rubbing her back, while Ginny still held her hand.

No one moved.

"No, you all should go back to class." Samantha said trying to regain her composure. No one was allowed to make her feel inferior and she wouldn't let anyone see her crumble."I won't be responsible for you all getting into any more trouble."

"You aren't fully responsible. We all agreed to it." Ginny reminded.

"Still, don't give her an excuse please." Samantha insisted as her shaking continued. "I'll face McGonagall."

Samantha entered McGonagall's office with her head held high, but she could get her shoulders to descend. McGonagall had her sit down as she read the message from Umbridge before hearing Samantha's side of the story and reading Samantha's draft of the article.

"Unfortunately for the present, you understand my hands are tied Miss Fyre. It seems the Gazette is banned." McGonagall said and Samantha's heart dropped. "However, I will be speaking with the Headmaster about getting it reinstated. I will make a copy of your draft to show him."

Samantha nodded. "I apologize for the trouble Professor."

"Your actions seem well intended Miss Fyre, do not apologize for standing your ground in a peaceful way." McGonagall nodded. "Did anyone else in the school know about this article?"

"Only the Gazette members knew." Samantha also admitted. "I don't know how Malfoy found out about it, but everyone on the Gazette was punished today. I doubt the snitch would have been punished."

"For now, we will keep this between us." McGonagall instructed. "I must ask, who was the student that had detention with Umbridge?"

Samantha nodded, "My source wishes to remain anonymous. They wouldn't give me any information until I promised that."

"Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" McGonagall asked, "You have been shaking since you entered my classroom."

Samantha shook her head.

"Alright, Miss Fyre." McGonagall said strongly. "You may leave."

Samantha left the Transfiguration classroom and walked quietly down the hallways to her common room. She was supposed to be spending her free afternoon working on distribution and instead she spent it in a deep form of grief. She went directly to her dorm and broke down. Hot tears streamed down her face. She couldn't even put into words the pain she felt. Everything she worked for, not to mention possibly her whole future, it was gone.