(A/N: Some parts of this chapter is based on the dialogue in the book of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I don't have my book, so I will find out the rest of the info when I can.)
On the following Monday at breakfast, Hermione and Harry were tense with anxious excitement. Neville, who sensed this, remembered that Harry's interview was likely to come out in this week's (A/N: Or month's, have to check and see.) edition of The Quibbler. Luna herself was talking this over with Harry, and they waited to see if it was so.
They did not wait long. A few minutes later, an owl swooped down in front of Harry, a rolled newspaper tied to its leg. Before Harry could open it properly, more owls came, all bearing letters.
"I think it would be best to open the newspaper first. We can start on the letters for you," offered Luna.
"Thanks," Harry said, smiling gratefully.
Luna, Hermione, Neville, and Ron ripped open the letters. They were all comments and opinions on Harry's interview.
Neville read one of them. "This lady named Emily Kline thinks you're barking. Whatever."
Hermione skimmed through the one she held. "This man believes you. He says that the Ministry has not been making sense of things, and are lying about the peace in the Wizarding world," she exclaimed, beaming at Neville.
"Most of your critics seem to believe you," Ron remarked happily. "This is excellent!"
"What's going on here?" inquired a sickly-sweet voice.
Everyone looked around to see Professor Umbridge standing behind Harry.
"I had an interview an interview in Hogsmeade that was printed in The Quibbler. See for yourself," Harry declared, tossing her the magazine.
As she read it, Professor Umbridge scowled unpleasantly, and turned from red to purple. "How...how dare you! How could you continue to spread lies? You shall have another week's detention. It is obvious that you had not learned your lesson," she growled. Then she stormed away, still grasping the newspaper.
Harry groaned and slumped in her seat, feeling a tad defeated.
Neville leaned forward. "Don't worry. She's just afraid that people will start to believe you. And if they do, she won't have the ability to shut them all up. Just watch, you'll see," he encouraged.
"He'll have a good chance to do so. Several people here The Quibbler, so everyone is bound to find out about the article soon," Luna pointed out.
She was right about that. By the time the morning break was over, everyone in the entire school had read or heard about the interview. Just like the critics, they either believed Harry, or they did not.
The teachers certainly believed Harry, and they were even more kinder to him than usual, except Snape and Umbridge. They gave him points for doing even the most smallest things for them. Professor Thomas gave him a box of Chocolate Frogs after her class.
"How did you know I liked them?" Hermione heard Harry ask in delighted incredulity.
Professor Thomas shrugged. "Intuition, I suppose," she responded.
The most hilarious thing to Neville and Hermione was watching Professor Umbridge's attempts to confiscate The Quibbler magazine several times throughout the day. She would snatch them away from students and make them turn out their bags and pockets.
However, the students always managed to get ahead of her. They would charm their magazines to appear blank to anyone but themselves. It was all so much that Seamus Finnigan felt guilty. He apologized to Harry and told him that he believed him.
"Even Lavendar has to admit that Harry's telling the truth," chuckled Hermione to Neville. "I had a row with her at the beginning of the year because she called him a liar."
On the next Thursday, there was another D.A. meeting. Neville was really looking forward to it because he really wanted to brush up his skills. At seven thirty, Neville and Hermione went to the Room of Requirement together.
The room had a special place in both of their hearts. It was one of the rooms where they had showed each other their inexpressible love for each other. Neither of them spoke about those special moments, but they each knew that the other was thinking about them.
When all of the D.A. members had arrived, with Seamus as a new inductee, Harry went down to business.
"Today we are going to continue practicing our Patronus Charms. Remember that you have to think of a happy memory in order to conjure one. The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum,' Carry on," the latter explicated for Seamus' benefit.
Everyone gathered into groups of two or three and worked on their Patronuses.
Neville was having a good time. He was able to produce a Patronus almost every time tried. In fact, he was making the most progress of all the D.A. members. Harry was impressed, Hermione was proud of him, and he left everyone else in wonderment.
Then, suddenly, the door burst open. Everyone turned to see a house-elf run to Harry and grab him around the waist, beset with terror.
Harry bent down. "Dobby, what is it?" he demanded.
Dobby could barely speak. "Sh...sh...she is c-c-coming, sir," her whispered.
"Who?" queried Harry, shaking Dobby slightly.
"Um...um...Umbridge, s-sir," faltered Dobby.
Harry looked at everyone. "Why are you still standing here? GO!" he bellowed.
Neville grabbed Hermione and bolted into the seventh floor corridor. He wanted to get her back to the Common Room as safely as possible. That was all that mattered.
They were nearly there when they heard screams of fright and pain behind them.
"Hermione, go! I'll help them out!" proclaimed Neville, turning around.
Skidding to a halt, Hermione stared at Neville. "No! You'll get into a load of trouble," she protested, grabbing his arm.
Neville placed a hand on her cheek. "I know, but I don't want you to get in trouble. We're already in enough of it because we forgot to get the list with the D.A. members on it."
Hermione clutched her face with both hands. "Oh no! How could I have not remembered it?" she moaned.
Neville grabbed her arms. "We'll worry about that when we have to. Just get to the Common Room and stay there. Do you understand me, sweetheart?"
Hermione gazed at him for a few seconds before nodding. Neville squeezed her arms, then ran back down the corridor.
Hermione turned and headed for the Common Room. She was in sight of the Fat Lady's portrait when she bumped into Professor Thomas.
"Sorry, professor," the former gasped, getting off the floor.
"That's okay, Hermione. Oh, and don't worry. Neville will be fine," Professor Thomas assured her solemnly.
Bobbing her head, Hermione dashed into the Common Room, panting for breath. When her respiration was normal, she frowned in thought..
What did Professor Thomas mean by what she told her? Did she know something? No, she couldn't have, unless she was a Seer. But if she was, she would be the Divination teacher.
Confused and worried, Hermione sat down by the fireplace to calm her nerves.
Nearly thirty minutes later, Neville entered the Common Room. Hermione needn't have worried, for he was fine, albeit sweaty and out of breath.
When Neville sat down, he told Hermione what happened after he sent her to the Common Room.
"I went back to the seventh floor corridor and hid behind a tapestry. But I knew that someone might look there, so I used Chameleon charm.
"Afterwards, I went to make sure that the others were safe. Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad tried to capture some of the D.A. members who couldn't get away fast enough, but I Stunned them all."
"What about Harry and Ron? Did they get away?" queried Hermione.
Neville shook his head. "I think that Ron did, but I don't know about Harry. I haven't seen him. I went back to the Room of Requirement to get the list, but it was gone," he sighed.
Hermione was wracked with guilt. "It's all my fault it's gone. Now we'll all be in trouble. Oh, I shouldn't have convinced Harry to form to this club. We were bound to get caught, and now we're going to be expelled," she sobbed.
Neville embraced her tightly. "It was for a noble cause that you convinced him. If you didn't, we wouldn't have learned to defend ourselves. I would rather be expelled and glad that I could take care of myself than to be in school and not know how. I thank you for convincing him, and love you more than ever," he murmured passionately.
Smiling, Hermione felt her heart fill with pride and affection.
The next morning, while Hermione and Neville were going to the Great Hall, they noticed a crowd of students around a bulletin board.
Neville and Hermione made their way to the front of the queue. There was a new notice: Professor Umbridge was the new Headmistress of Hogwarts!
Both of them felt just confused and outraged as all of the students around them. "What d'you reckon's happened to Dumbledore?" Neville wondered aloud.
"He left because the Ministry tried to arrest him. No one has a clue where he is," Harry explained, pushing through the crowd.
"I hope they never do," Hermione stated adamantly.
Harry laughed a little. "Me too."
Hermione gazed at him in askance. "How do you know?"
"Oh, I was caught and sent to Dumbledore. He took the blame for creating Dumbledore's Army, but I don't think Umbridge fell for it. She gave me another week's detention," Harry groaned.
"How did Umbridge find out about our club?" Neville questioned.
Harry took a deep, painful breath. "Marietta Edgecombe, Cho's best friend."
Hermione was shocked. She could not believe that Marietta would do that to them, especially since Cho was Harry's girlfriend.
She was just about to give Harry a few words of sympathy when Professor Thomas appeared. "You all had better get in the Great Hall. Professor Umbridge is about to be on her way, and she's in an awful stew. Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, come with me please."
More perplexed than ever, Hermione and Neville did, following her upstairs.
They were ambling down the Charms corridor when Hermione whispered, "Are we in trouble?"
"Yes, but not by me-by Professor Umbridge. She's looking for you and the other D.A. members," Professor Thomas clarified.
Neville scowled. "How do you know?"
Professor Thomas glanced at him. "Just trust me," she ordered. They stopped in front of her office. "Now listen to me. Hide in my office with the other D.A. members. Umbridge has dealt with Harry, but she's on the lookout for the rest of you. That's going to change, though. You'll see."
Neville and Hermione stepped into her office and Professor Thomas stood outside of door.
"Hi Neville, Hermione," Ginny greeted from a corner. "What do you think she's going to do?"
Hermione shrugged. "I have no idea, but I guess we'll find out," she observed, waving to everyone else.
Ginny chortled.
Presently, a pair of footsteps approached.
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge. What are you doing this fine morning?" the D.A. members heard Professor Thomas ask.
The footsteps halted. "I am looking for the D.A. members. None of them seem to be about," Professor Umbridge noted.
"Most confusing. They must have been seen somewhere," remarked Professor Thomas, in what Hermione and Neville knew to be a falsely surprised voice.
Luckily, Professor Umbridge did not notice it. "Well, I'll find them. I can guarantee that," she claimed.
"I'm sure you will," muttered Professor Thomas.
Professor Umbridge started to walk away. As she did, Hermione and Neville heard Professor Thomas hiss, "Obliviate." Then, "Accio Dumbledore's Army list."
A flash of light gleamed under the door and Professor Umbridge stopped again. Then there was a flutter of paper. Minutes later, Professor Umbridge strolled away.
Professor Thomas opened the door. "You can all go now. She's forgotten all about the D.A. and who was in. Plus, I have the list, so she'll never find out either. She remembers that Dumbledore has left, however, but that's all. Also, a word to the wise. It's best not to continue the club while Umbridge is here. You have a traitor in your midst. Oh, and Hermione, Neville," she mumbled. "Tell Harry that he doesn't have detention and explain why. He'll find it highly amusing."
Neville, Hermione, and the rest of the D.A. members cheered and thanked her joyously. Then they went down to breakfast again.
"It was good of her to do that. None of the other teachers would do it. She's very strange, I think..." Hermione opined. She told him about what Professor Thomas said to her the day before, when she ran into her.
"That is mind-boggling. But it doesn't matter. I think she's cool. You never know what on her mind. No one could figure her out," Neville implied.
He had no idea of the high tribute he was paying to Professor Thomas.
A/N: You will see more strange things from Professor Thomas. Also, twenty points to anyone who can guess who she is.