[ @iconoclast-infidels | Hogwarts AU ]
There were rumors of dark things coming, of dementors outside Azkaban, of secret meetings, of hidden agendas — of Voldemort's return. Dmitry did not know what to think of any of it. He'd heard these rumors and seen that Potter guy around Hogwarts seemingly getting himself in trouble for no reason whatsoever, but the Ravenclaw had no reason himself to truly know anything, not really. He liked to keep to himself... with the exception of talking to ghosts, spending time with Lisbeth, and annoying one Nico 'Not Winston' Churchill, who was ready to use an unforgivable charm against anyone who called him Niccolo or Mr. Churchill, just the same as Dmitry was ready to use his bare hands if the name Hackshaw was uttered.
Dolores Umbridge's authoritarian rule was really starting to get under Dmitry's skin something unbearable, though. He was willing to believe the rumors, that the Ministry of Magic was trying to supress the truth and that she was there to paint a convenient picture. She certainly acted like a propagandist. He was Russian, he'd seen propaganda alright. Decree after decree, it seemed their freedoms were constantly taken away, replaced by stricter, more stringent rules and edicts unescapeable. It caused may to be held in detention, and it had quickly become clear that Dolores Umbridge's draconian punishments were not meeting any actionable resistance. Oh, yes, the Headmaster was displeased —the true Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore— and Madame McGonagall would not stand for it. But Umbridge seemed to have full rights to do anything she wanted, thanks to her appointment to Hogwarts by the Ministry. Or at least, so it seemed.
Regardless, Dmitry did his best to keep out of trouble. He'd had one or two close calls, nearly landing himself in detention. The looks on students' faces as they left Umbridge's office were something that truly rattled Dmitry. It was the way they all looked equally shattered and refused to speak of it. He'd been through enough at home; he didn't want to deal with more of that. Still, he was yet eager to sneak out of the castle with Not Winston, even just to talk. Today was one such day. He had a pile of homework to finish but that hardly mattered — he'd already handed in the Astronomy parchments, anything else could wait. No, today he had decided to ask that Slytherin boy to meet up with him under the Whomping Willow. Where to from there? He didn't care.
The Ravenclaw had slipped under the roots, still not managing to do it entirely unscathed, but getting better at navigating the tree's rage. It was a good challenge. Lisbeth, much smaller than him, was seldom, if ever, harmed in the process. He always let her go first, too, not daring to leave his beloved feline friend behind. Once he was in the tunnel which the tree guarded, he found a corner to sit at while waiting for Not Winston. While he waited, he summoned a charm with which to entertain Lisbeth, creating the illusion of a mouse, which transformed into other animals as it scurried along the ground, occasionally hiding and reappearing elsewhere.
When he heard the Slytherin arrived, he grinned, still watching Lisbeth play. "Oh there you are, I almost thought you wouldn't come," he said, not missing a beat. He flicked his wand to change the charm so it wouldn't require his full attention and then sprung up from the floor to talk to Not Winston. "Sorry to drag you all the way out here, everywhere else was taken."
"People really gotta start figuring out where to hold all their secret meetings at, I'm not about to tolerate any more of this crowds business," he said using air quotes for the word 'crowds'. "If Umbridge can't even do that right, maybe they oughta get rid of her 'I'm here to make things efficient' ass. Just a thought."
