Author's Note: You're half way done! And you haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet. Continue!
The next day Harry and I walked around the ground of Hogwarts quietly, having just gone to the Owlery, where Harry and I had sent a letter to Sirius. Mine consisted with what was going on at Hogwarts, my concerns about Umbridge and some questions I had for him, about him and mum.
I was pretty sure by now that all the time I was spending with Harry was making him annoyed with me. I mean, I liked spending time with him, and I think we both needed it, even if we were silent the whole time. I spent time with him because he was the only one that knew what I was going through with my mums death, and I also spent time with him so that he wasn't alone. Him? He just seemed to try to ignore me.
So we were walking down to Hagrid's hut now, I don't know why, since we both knew he wasn't at home. But then Harry bypassed it and looked up as one of the horse-like creatures flew over us and into the forest, waling quietly.
"Come on," I smiled, taking his unscarred hand in mine, I pulled him after me into the forest until we came to a clearing full of the creatures.
"Hello Harry Potter and Rebecca Sherwood," Luna called, not even turning around. I smiled over at her and pulled Harry with me as I watched Luna pet he creatures.
"Your feet. Aren't they cold?" Harry asked.
"A bit," she nodded. "Unfortunately all of my shoes have disappeared," she then leaned forward and whispered; "I suspect Nargles are behind it,"
"What are they?" I asked, wanting to move on. "They're called Thestrals," she explained at the one she had been petting walked away from us, stretching out it's wings. "They're quite gentle, really, but people avoid them because they're a bit…"
"Different," Harry finished.
Luna nodded and began to walk towards a baby Thestral, reaching down into her bag to pull out an apple.
"But why can't the others see them?" Harry asked, as he caught up to her.
"They can only be seen by people who've seen death,"
"So… you've known someone who's died, then?" Harry asked slowly.
"My mum," Luna nodded.
At that Harry glanced over at me, but I quickly looked away from him, and over at the momma Thestral.
"She was quite an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment and one day, one of her spells went badly wrong," Luna continued. "I was nine,"
"I'm sorry,"
"Yes, it was rather horrible actually. I do feel very sad about it sometimes, but I've got Dad," Luna smiled.
She then tossed the apple to the baby Thestral, who smelled it before knocking it away with it's nose and looking back up at Luna expectantly.
"We both believe you, by the way," Harry and I looked over at her, Harry looking somewhat confused, so Luna continued. "That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Names is back, and you fought him, and the Ministry and the Prophet are conspiring against you,"
"Thanks. It seems you're about the only ones that do," I elbowed him lightly and glared before he corrected himself. "You and Rebecca, I mean,"
I smiled.
"I don't think that's true," Luna said shaking her head as she reached into her bag again. "But I suppose that's how he wants you to feel,"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Well, if I were You-Know-Who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else because if it's just you alone you're not as much of a threat," Luna smiled, with a tilt of her head.
"You're very wise," I smiled at her.
"I think it's because I was bit by a gnome before I came to school," she told me before she pulled out a piece of steak and threw it to the baby Thestral, who quickly gobbled it up.
Harry and I looked at each other before we started to chuckle lightly at the comment, making Luna smile. After we all spent a while longer with the Thestrals, the three of us walked back to the castle, the whole way Luna explaining what her dad had found out about gnomes and their saliva.
Once back at the castle, I was surprised that instead of beelining for Gryffindor Tower, Harry headed toward the Great Hall, where I knew lunch was no taking place. It made me smile really.
I followed him into the Great Hall where I spotted Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George all sitting together eating, Hermione glaring at Ron whose mouth was overflowing. Harry approached them slowly, and only when he stopped next to Hermione, did she look up at the two of us.
"Harry," she smiled a little awkwardly.
"Can we join you?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked over at me and smiled, knowing what I had said that night on platform had finally come into effect. He had finally figured out that he wasn't as alone as he thought he had been. Hermione then turned to the others who were watching, looking stunned, before nodding. Harry and I were about to sit when they heard Professor McGonagall and Professor Umbridge arguing outside of the Great Hall, causing the lot of us to jump up and run out to see what was going on.
"Pardon me, Professor," I could hear Professor Umbridge saying. "But what exactly are you insinuating?"
"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall explained.
I knew that this was all about that Hermione and I had told her last night, and I was glad to see that McGonagall was taking her down.
"So silly of me," Umbridge began. "But it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom, Minerva," She took a step up the stairs.
"Not at all, Dolores," A step up. "Merely your medieval methods," Professor McGonagall explained, getting frustrated with the new bi- professor.
"I am sorry, dear," Umbridge said. "But to question my practices is to question the Ministry, and by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty,"
McGonagall paused for a moment before she took a step backwards and back down a step. "Disloyalty?" McGonagall asked, shocked.
Umbitch smiled and took another step up the stairs so that she could talk to those of us gathered in front of the Great Hall. "Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared," Umbridge said. "Cornelius will want to take immediate action,"
I exchanged looks with Harry. If the Ministry was about to really get involved in Hogwarts, things were going to get bad very fast.
We were right. Thing changed quickly after Umbitch had been promoted to the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor and could therefore make any ridiculous rule she wanted and harass all the teachers about their qualifications. Those ridiculous rules now hung outside of the Great Hall like pimples on someone's face. We were not allowed to use magic anywhere. We had to wear our uniforms all the time and correctly. We weren't allowed anywhere near each other (it was mostly for couples). We couldn't listen to music. The Weasley twins tricks and other products were banned from the school.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and I now stood in front of the Great Hall as Filch finished posting another of Umbridge's new rules, though I didn't take the time to read the stupid thing.
"She almost made Professor Trelawney cry today, because Professor Umbridge tried to force her to predict something," I murmured.
"I don't like Professor Trelawney or her teaching," Hermione commented, as she turned away from the wall. "But that's cruel,"
"The Ministry is completely backing her," Ron grumbled as the four of us began to walk down the halls. "Percy's working for the Minister and said that her job is to address the 'failing standards at Hogwarts'," Ron rolled his eyes.
"Things are getting out of hand," Harry growled.
Suddenly, they heard a group of students running through the hallways muttering to each other. The four of us exchanged a look before following them until Harry caught up to Cho Chang. "Cho, what's going on?" he asked.
"It's Professor Trelawney,"
That's all she had to say before I was sprinting to through the groups of student until I spotted Professor Trelawney standing in the center of the courtyard with all her belongings by her feet. Filch threw her last suitcase at her, causing her to stumble back into her trunk as she stuttered in fear, looking down at her bags.
Then Umbitch appeared, and made her way through the crowd toward Professor Trelawney, smiling as usual.
"Sixteen years I've worked and lived here," Trelawney began, her voice trembling. "Hogwarts is my home. You can't do this!"
"Actually I can," Umbridge said smiling, holding up a folded sheet of paper.
Professor McGonagall appeared then, moving past Harry and I, and made her way to Professor Trelawney and hugged her as she began to sob into her shoulder.
"Something you'd like to say dear?" Umbridge asked as she caught McGonagall glaring openly at her.
"Oh there are several things I'd like to say," McGonagall spat at Umbridge before turning back to comforting Professor Trelawney.
"She can't just fire and banish Professor Trelawney," I whispered angrily to Hermione and Harry. "She's not the Headmaster,"
"Don't give her any ideas," Hermione whispered back.
Right then, Dumbledore swept into the courtyard and stood in front of Umbridge, staring her down. "Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore began. "Might I ask you to escort Sybil back inside?"
Professor Trelawney's eyes practically lit up behind her microscope-like eyeglasses. McGonagall nodded and began ushering the frazzled professor inside. "Oh, thank you!" Trelawney said, shaking Dumbledore's hand. "Thank you!"
"Dumbledore," Umbridge began. "May I remind you that under the terms of Educational Decree 23, as enacted by the Minister-"
Dumbledore quickly cut her off. "You have the right to dismiss my teachers, you do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster,"
A small smile ran across Umbridge's face. "For now," was as she said, making me shiver in fright at the thought of her being in anymore control that she already was.
"Don't you all have studying to do?" Dumbledore suddenly exclaimed as he spun around and went back inside.
Everyone started to disperse and Harry ran off trying to catch up with Dumbledore. I, however, turned to Hermione, who was leaning against a column. "We have to do something," I growled angrily. Hermione nodded and the two of us headed back inside.
Author's Note: I felt so bad for Trelawney. Umbridge is just a bitch!