I'd spent nearly an hour soaking my hand in the essence, and while my hand was blissfully numb, the gouges still hadn't healed. Deciding I'd rather not bleed to death I headed for the Infirmary, hoping Madam Pomphery might be able to help me out with it.

"Mr. Diggory, I had hopped I wouldn't be seeing you this year." Her stern voice lectured me as I let myself into the infirmary. "What is it this time?"

"My hand. It won't stop bleeding." I said, showing her my palm.

"Good heavens Mr. Diggory. Have you been using a blood quill?" She asked as she examined my outstretched palm.

"It was my detention tonight. With Madam Umbridge. Harry Potter had it with me. She had us writing lines with the bloody thing."

"She does know it's illegal to use a blood quill?"

"I dunno. I figured I should just go with it and not complain. I didn't want to get into more trouble. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I guess I just figured they'd heal and I'd have some annoying scars for a little while."

"What was it she had you writing?" She questioned as she began to mend my hand.

"I shall not tell lies."

"I'm very sorry Mr. Diggory. While I can heal these wounds, they will leave some rather nasty scars. That's part of the reason why they're illegal, because they don't truly heal properly for years. There. All done. Know, let's you and I go to the Headmaster. Surely after the Minister hears about this that horrible woman will be gone." She said as she finished up with my hand and began walking towards the Headmaster's office.

"Headmaster. Deloris Umbridge used a blood quill on Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter during their detention tonight."

It made my blood boil that even after the evidence presented to him, Minister Fudge did nothing about Deloris Umbridge. 'Surely the boys are mistaken. Such an esteemed member of my staff would never resort to such a thing. Deloris Umbridge is an upstanding woman and I'm shocked to hear such blatant lies about her. Although, look at who it is saying such things. Honestly Misters Potter and Diggory should be checked into the fifth floor if you know what I mean.'

It didn't take me long to learn that Madam Toad had the full respect and support of the Minister and nothing we did could really change that. It only took that one detention to realize that it would just be better if I kept quiet and my head down in her class. Unfortunately it took Harry quite a bit more detentions to learn the same.

Things at Hogwarts only continued to worsen as Dolores Umbridge was made 'High Inquisitor'. Which basically allowed her to choose which teachers stayed and which would be fired. I hadn't had any classes as of yet with Umbridge showing up and 'inspecting', but we all know how well Professor Trelawney's inspection went over.

Then, there was the stupid 'Educational Decree', which said that any group of three or more people would be considered a Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club and none of these could exist without the toad's approval. Even already formed things such as each house Quiditch teams had to go through the process. Anyone found in an illegal group would be expelled. How ridiculous is that?

Before the decree had come about, Hermione had decided that she was sick of her education lacking in any way, and had decided that we the students should do something about it. It was decided that we would form a group dedicated to learning the practical part of our D.A.D.A. classes.

So, that was how I found myself pacing outside of a wall opposite a tapestry on the seventh floor. After a while a door finally appeared, and I walked into a rather large room with floor pillows and self-defense books. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, the twins, and a few others that I didn't really know were already there. Soon enough all twenty-nine people were here and we began.

It was decided that Harry would be our group leader, and after some deliberation we decided on the name 'Dumbledore's Army', or the D.A. for short. We worked on perfecting everyone's expelliarmus technique.

And that was how we made our school lives somewhat better. Time passed and soon enough it was nearly time for Christmas break.

Thanks to a vision that Harry had, Mr. Weasley survived an attack from a rather massive and deadly snake. Apart from that, Christmas came and went as per usual in the Diggory household and once again we were back to school for the spring term.

Apart from Fred and George's miraculous escape, things were pretty much the same and time seemed to pass even quicker than the previous term and before I knew it, it was exam week. I still hadn't confessed my feelings to Hermione, and I was ashamed at how cowardly I was being in that regard. It was as I was leaving my final exam that I heard Hermione's panicked voice.

"What's happened?" I asked, noting Harry's sickly expression.

"He has Sirius, at the ministry. Don't you see? This is what all of my dreams have been about. That thing your dad was protecting at the ministry, that's what Voldemort wants, and he has Sirius. I have to go."

"Harry no! This could be a trap!"

"What do you want me to do Hermione? Sit back while he tortures my godfather?" Harry spoke harshly.

"No! That's not what I meant. At least check and see if he's really not there. We could try to floo him. We can use Umbridge's fire. We'll draw her away, but we have to have lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny and Luna." She said, as I noticed for the first time that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were not the only ones present.

"One of us has to go and find Umbridge and – and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from the office. They could tell her Peeves is up to something awful as usual…"

"I'll do it." Ron volunteered. "I'll tell her that Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something. That's miles away from her office. Actually, I could probably get Peeves to do it if I ran into him on the way…"

"Alright," Hermione said, "Now, we need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off…"

"Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor," said Ginny, "and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas." Hermione looked shocked at the readiness to which Ginny had come up with the idea. "Fred and George were planning something like that before they left." She said simply.

"Well then, Harry, you, me, and Cedric will be under the cloak and we'll sneak into the office and you can talk to Sirius –"

"He's not there Hermione!"

"You can check whether he's there or not while Cedric and I keep watch."

"Alright. Let's do it." With that we each set off on our mission, Hermione, Harry and I squishing together under the cloak as we all made our way towards Umbridge's office. Ron running as if possessed, made it there much quicker than any of us and when we were halfway there we halted as Umbridge hurried past us. Ginny stopped at the entrance to the corridor and Luna continued on towards the end as they set up positions while we crept into the toad's office.

We made quick work of everything. Hermione ran towards the window, peering down to the grounds with her wand out while I stood in front of the door.

We heard Harry's part of the conversation, but as the door was forced open and Umbridge along with the majority of the Inquisitorial Squad came in, Hermione and I could do nothing as they took our wands and Umbridge went to forcefully pull Harry from the fire.

"I want to know why you are in my office!" She screeched as she shook the fist that was clutching his hair and made him stagger.

"I was – trying to get my Firebolt!" He croaked.

"Liar!" She shook his head again. "Your firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire, with whom were you communicating?"

"No one –" Harry insisted again.

"Liar!" Umbridge shouted as she threw Harry from her.

There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna, and to my amazement Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. Each of them had been gagged and bound.

"Got 'em all." One of them said, shoving Ron forward into the room. "That one," he pointed at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed to Ginny, "so I brought him along as well."

"Good, good," said Umbridge, "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will be a Weasley-free zone soon, know doesn't it?" She smiled sickly as all of the Slytherins laughed stupidly along with her.

"Very well. I've offered you the chance to tell me freely. Draco, be a dear and go get Professor Snape."

Apart from the muffled sounds of each of us struggling against our captors, all was quite for several moments until Snape appeared.

"You wished to see me, Headmistress?"

"Ah, Professor Snape," She said, smiling sickly and standing once more. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter. Surely you did not use it all? I told you three drops would be sufficient." Umbridge flushed.

"Can you make me some more?" She asked in what I assume she thought was a sweet voice.

"Certainly. It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready in around a month."

"A month?" She shrieked. "A month? But I need it this evening! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown and I wish to interrogate him!"

"I have already told you that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison him I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling…"

"You're on probation!" She screamed, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows raised in an unasked question. "You're being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better of you! Get out of my office!" Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave.

"He's got Padfoot!" Harry shouted in desperation. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" Snape had stopped with his hand on the door handle.

"Padfoot?" Cried Umbridge, looking eagerly between Harry and Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"

Snape looked to Harry before speaking coolly, "I have no idea, Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I'm afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if you ever apply for a job." With that he shut the door behind him with a snap.

"Very well," Umbridge said as she pulled out her wand. "Very well… I am left with no alternative… his is more than a matter of school discipline… This is an issue of Ministry security… Yes… yes… You are forcing me, Potter… I do not want to," She said, switching her weight from one foot to the other. "But sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minster will understand that I had no choice… The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue." She said as my eyes widened in horror and she lifted her wand

"No!" Hermione cried and I moved my head as much as I could to look to her. "Professor, it's illegal! The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" She cried.

"What the Minister doesn't know won't hurt him." She said. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same…"

"It was you?"

"Somebody had to act. They were all bleating about silencing you somehow – discrediting you – but I was the one who actually did something about it… Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you Potter? Not today though, not now… Cruc –"

"NO!" Hermione shouted in a cracked voice from behind the rather large girl pinning her. "No – Harry – Harry, we'll have to tell her!"

"No way!" Harry screamed.

"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's… what's the point?" She began to cry weakly into the back of the robe of the person that held her. I couldn't believe it. Hermione was going to betray us.

"Well, well, well. Ms. Know-It-All is going to give us some answers."

"Er – my – nee – no!" Ron called from behind his gag.

"I'm – I'm sorry everyone, but I can't stand it –"

"That's right girl!" Umbridge called, seizing Hermione by the shoulders. "Now then, with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," She gulped. "Well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore…" Each and every one of us stopped struggling against our captors as what Hermione was saying sunk in. She was lying for us, and rather convincingly at that.

"Dumbledore? You know where Dumbledore is?"

"Well… No!" Hermione sobbed, and I couldn't help but silently applaud her acting skills. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head –"

"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!"

"But – but we needed to tell him something important!" She cried again as she brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Yes? What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"We… we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" She chocked. Where was she going with this?

"What's ready?" Umbridge demanded. "What's ready girl?"

"The… the weapon."

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I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognize.