Word spread quickly of Harry's lifetime ban from quidditch, and Draco's ascendancy as captain. Draco's first act was to appoint himself seeker, an announcement he made at lunch. He then loudly reinstated Crabbe and Goyle as beaters, and once more relegated Bulstrode to keeper. Warrington, Montague and Vaisey were given positions as chasers, and Harper was demoted to the reserves.

After lunch, Harry skived off History of Magic and returned to his dormitory, where he used his mirror to contact Sirius. After expressing an appropriate amount of outrage, Sirius agreed to contact Dumbledore and arrange for Harry's Firebolt and the twins' brooms to be delivered to Grimmauld Place for safekeeping. Harry was relieved; he couldn't stand the thought of Umbridge locking his broom away for a whole year.

That evening, in the common room, Tracey gave Harry an "I-told-you-so" speech. Harry was having none of it.

"She had already requested the decree from the Ministry," Harry told her. "Which meant that she had already decided to ban me for life and appoint Draco captain. Nothing we said in that meeting mattered."

Tracey disagreed. "The meeting might not have made things better," she said, "but it certainly might have made things worse!"

"It doesn't get worse than this," Harry said.

"Yes, it can," Tracey said. "Umbridge might-"

"I don't want to hear it," Harry said, covering his eyes with his hands. "I've had enough for one day." And that had been the end of it. Tracey had left in a huff, presumably to spend time with Theo, and Harry had gone to bed.

The week passed slowly for Harry, and Draco took every opportunity to remind Harry that he was no longer quidditch captain. Instead of meeting at the pitch, like every other team in school, Draco had the quidditch team assemble in the Slytherin Common Room. Harry was reading quietly, near the fireplace, trying not to think about how open his schedule had just become. Draco made a big show of talking about tactics, speaking loudly enough that everybody in the room could hear him, even if they didn't want to. By the time Draco was done, there could be no mistake that Draco was the quidditch captain and Harry was not even on the team. Having made his (obnoxious) point, Draco then led the team down to the pitch, sneering at Harry as he passed by.

Once Draco had gone, though, Harry noticed something interesting: fully half of the Slytherin prefects were at practice—Montague, Warrington, and Draco. They were also the most aggressive of Slytherins prefects, and the most likely to engage Harry in a direct confrontation. Sure, Pansy was more than willing to be nasty to Harry's face, but she also was unlikely to draw her wand and start a duel. The same could be said of the sixth-year prefects, both of whom were girls; they had plenty of cunning and cruelty, but were unlikely to commit an act of violence. (Harry assumed that they had been chosen to balance Warrington and Montague, the seventh-year prefects; Snape had apparently learned his lesson about selecting his prefects for their brawn instead of their brains.)

It seemed that being removed from the quidditch team would have an unexpected advantage: Harry would have plenty of time to conduct business away from prying eyes. This suited Harry's purposes just fine, as he had a lot of business to conduct—most of it involving Gryffindor girls, in one capacity or another. It was a silver lining to a massive storm cloud, but it might have been enough to help Harry weather his foul mood, if it weren't for Snape.

During Harry's first Potions class, Snape unusually curt with Harry, flaying him with criticism and cutting comments. The scrutiny with which Snape monitored Harry's work was stricter than any Harry had previously experienced. Snape criticized Harry for being careless with his ingredients, and then for being slow when Harry was more careful. He criticized Harry for missing steps in his potion, and for inserting additional steps when Harry went back to double check his work. At the end of class, Snape loudly announced that Harry's potion was so dismal that Harry would not be allowed to turn it in for credit. As he stood over Harry's cauldron and vanished the potion, Snape hissed at Harry under his breath: "Let this be a lesson: do not squander your opportunities." Snape was not going to let Harry forget this failure, that much was clear.

There were only two bright spots to Harry's week, and both occurred on Thursday, during Slytherin's second quidditch practice with Draco as captain. The first was when Ginny Weasley approached him before dinner and announced that she had solved their location problem. It took Harry a moment to realize what she meant; after the week Harry had been having, Hermione's Defense club seemed very far away.

"What did you find out?" Harry asked.

"I asked Winky, and she gave me a great suggestion," Ginny said. "I'm going to go look after dinner. Come along?"

"Why don't you ask Hermione or Ron?" Harry said. All he wanted to do was sulk in his common room, not go marching around the school on some crazed search for a location that probably wouldn't work, anyway.

"I did. Hermione said that she had already delegated the responsibility to me, and that she's working too hard on a communication method to be bothered with this." Ginny folded her arms. "Besides, you're the nutter who suggested the Chamber of Secrets as a viable option. You're the one I need to convince, not Hermione."

Harry's shoulders sagged. "Fine. Where should we meet?"

"Seventh floor, left corridor," Ginny said. "Don't be late."

Harry's curiosity was piqued—he knew the seventh floor, and there weren't any rooms larger than a classroom in the left corridor. Certainly there wasn't anything secret; after all, he had the Marauder's Map, and the map didn't show any secret passages that high in the castle. Whatever Ginny had in mind, it was a complete mystery. Despite Harry's desire to wallow in self-pity, he found himself looking forward to his post-dinner adventure with Ginny.

When Harry arrived on the seventh floor, Ginny was pacing back and forth in front of an empty stretch of wall.

"Finally," Ginny said. "You took forever."

"I can't just sprint out of the Great Hall in the middle of a meal," Harry said. "People would be suspicious. And speaking of suspicious, I'm starting to wonder about the quality of Winky's information. There isn't anything here."

As Harry spoke, Ginny turned around and paced several steps away. When Harry finished, Ginny turned back and began to walk toward Harry once again. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, if I were you," Ginny said.

"What do you…" Harry turned to his right. There was a door in the wall that hadn't been there the moment before. "Wait. How did that get there?"

Ginny laughed with delight. "Come on, let's see what we have!" She glanced up and down the hall; once she was sure that nobody else was around, threw open the door and stepped inside.

The room was remarkable—there was a large, open space for dueling, and it appeared to have a padded floor in case one of the duelists was stunned or otherwise knocked to the ground. The walls were lined with bookcases, and each bookcase was absolutely packed with books. Harry looked at the nearest shelf and was surprised to discover that every titled seemed to be related, in some manner, to defense—Shielding Spells for the Easily Startled, Counter-Curses and Their Counter-Counter-Curses, and other useful-sounding titles.

"It's everything we need!" Ginny said brightly. "I didn't think it could possibly be this good…"

"What is this place?" Harry asked.

"Winky calls it the Room of Requirement," Ginny said. "You think of something you need, then you walk back and forth in front of that wall three times. At the end of the third pass, the Room of Requirement appears and gives you what you need."

Harry whistled. "So, if we need a room that's perfect for teaching Defense and dueling…"

"…we're given a room perfect for teaching Defense and dueling!" Ginny crowed. "I told you I would find someplace better than the Chamber of Secrets!"

Harry began to wander around the room, glancing at the various things that had been provided to them. One corner was full of dark detectors similar to the ones Harry had seen in Mad-Eye Moody's office the year before. In another corner was a set of targets and dummies, much better than the quaffle-and-broom mannequin that Harry and Draco had cobbled together in previous years. Ginny was right; the room was perfect. Harry was beginning to feel something that he hadn't felt in days—excitement.

"When's our first meeting?" Harry asked.

"Hermione says it will probably be next week," Ginny replied. "She's been casting spells at a galleon for the last week, Merlin only knows why. She says that once she's done, we'll be able to communicate in secret, and at a distance, with all the club members."

"Sounds good," Harry said. He glanced around—it was getting late, and he had one other person he needed to meet before the end of the night. "I'm sorry to be brief, but I have to go," Harry said as he made his way toward the door. "I'll concede that you have found a location that is much, much better than the Chamber of Secrets."

"Thank you," Ginny said. "Do you really have to go so fast, though?"

Harry paused. "Why?"

"I, er…" Ginny scuffed her foot on the floor. "I was hoping to take you up on that offer you made last year. At Yule Ball."

Harry thought back to Yule Ball, and did his best to remember their conversation. "You want me to teach you the Patronus charm?"

"Yeah, that one," Ginny said. "My dad says that Dumbledore is worried that the dementors will desert Azkaban and join You-Know-Who. If that's going to happen, I want to be able to protect myself."

Harry glanced at his watch. "I don't really have time to spare," he said. But he also didn't want to turn Ginny down outright—she was reaching out to him, and he couldn't squander the opportunity. "How about this? After the first meeting, we'll stay late and I can start teaching you the charm then. In the meantime, you need to think of a happy memory. The happiest you've got. The one thing that makes you happiest in the world. Between now and then, call that memory to mind as frequently as you can—you'll need it when it's time to cast your charm."

Ginny nodded and grinned. "I'll take care of it."

"Great," Harry said. He gave Ginny a wave. "I'll see you soon, then."

"See ya, Harry."

Harry stepped out of the Room of Requirement and back into the seventh floor corridor. Seeing that there was nobody around—why would anybody be in a hall full of classrooms at eight o'clock at night, after all—he pulled out the Marauder's Map and activated it. He could see his dot clearly, but Ginny, still in the Room of Requirement, was nowhere to be found.

Huh. Apparently this was one secret that even the Marauders themselves had not been privy to.

Harry deactivated the map and began to walk quickly through the castle. Down the main staircase, into the fifth-floor corridors, and then to a familiar potions classroom, the same that he had used last year while preparing for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Snape had given Harry access last year, and Harry had taken it upon himself to add an enchantment of his own to the door of the classroom, just in case he would ever need to gain access at some point in the future.

"Swedish Shortsnout," Harry mumbled. With a click, the door unlocked itself and swung open. Harry stepped quickly inside and closed the door behind him. Before he could turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind and grabbed him tightly. A husky voice whispered in his ear.

"Finally," Katie Bell said. "You took forever."

This was the second bright spot in Harry's week. Feeling Katie's arms loosen, Harry turned around and gave her a proper kiss.

"Sorry," Harry said. "I had to take care of something for the Defense club that Hermione's starting."

"Clubs are boring," Katie said. "Kissing is awesome." She leaned in and gave him another kiss, and Harry was forced to agree. Compared to kissing, which was awesome, everything else was, in fact, boring.

"Did you get inside alright?" Harry asked, once it became necessary for him to come up for air.

"Mostly," Katie said, stepping away from Harry. "I had a hard time remembering the password. I said 'Scandanavian Shortsnout' three times before I remembered it was actually 'Swedish.' Your password doesn't make much sense."

"Swedish Shortsnout is a type of dragon," Harry said. "I fought one last year in the tournament."

"Oooh, how manly," Katie said jokingly. "Couldn't wait to remind me that you fought a dragon, could you?"

"No, it was just something that would be easy to remember," Harry said. "And unlikely for someone to say accidentally while standing outside a locked potions classroom."

Katie shook her head. "I can see right through you. Remind me that you're a dragon slayer, remind me that you're teaching the whole school how to defend themselves from You-Know-Who…" Harry didn't bother correcting her misapprehension; Harry would be running the Defense club soon enough, anyway. Katie, meanwhile, had begun to run her finger down Harry's tie. "Are you trying to impress me, Potter?"

"Well…"

"Because it's working," Katie said. She grabbed his tie and pulled him forward into another kiss. Katie seemed intent on giving Harry a thorough snogging, but Harry wasn't able to enjoy it—when she had pulled him forward, Katie had also tightened Harry's tie around his neck like a noose. Harry's eyes were wide open, and he was rapidly tapping his hand on Katie's back, trying to get her attention, but Katie was not allowing herself to be distracted. Finally, Harry took hold of Katie's ponytail and gave it a firm yank.

"Hey!" Katie yelled, pulling back from the kiss. "Careful!" Harry released Katie's hair, seized his tie with both hands, and yanked it loose. Katie, realizing what she had done, raised her hands to her mouth in shock and embarrassment. "Oh, sorry! Sorry!" She reached forward and touched Harry's neck delicately with her fingers. "Are you alright?"

"No harm done," Harry said, slightly hoarse from the pressure against his neck.

Katie though, had flushed deep scarlet. "I can't believe… I'm so…"

Harry reached up and put one of his hands on Katie's. "Don't worry about it. That sort of thing could happen to anyone."

"Accidentally choking somebody instead of snogging them?" Katie asked. "That could happen to anyone?"

"Shh," Harry said. "Questions are boring, kissing is awesome." Harry leaned forward and pressed his lips against Katie's, and, although she was initially reluctant to participate, Katie eventually gave in.

Later that evening, after curfew, as Harry was tucking in his shirt and Katie was straightening her hair, Harry asked when he would see Katie again.

"When do you want to see me again?" Katie replied.

"As soon as possible," Harry said, and he was pleased to see Katie smile.

"Good answer," she said. "When are you free next?"

"When are you free next?" Harry said. "One of us still has quidditch practices, and it isn't me."

"You're right. Angelina would never forgive me if I missed quidditch practice to snog Harry Potter." Katie looked up at the ceiling. "I think… Friday? How does Friday sound?"

"It sounds great," Harry said. "I'll see you here, same time?"

"Same time," Katie agreed. "And this time, don't be late." Katie gave Harry a quick kiss on his lips, then slipped outside the classroom. "Good luck getting back to the dungeons," she whispered as she closed the door behind her.

Harry waited a couple of minutes to ensure that Katie was not coming back, then pulled out the Marauder's Map. He activated it and watched Katie as she made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She had a close call with Mrs. Norris at the main stairwell, but she was able to avoid the cat and make it back to her dormitory unscathed. Satisfied that Katie had made it back safely, Harry stood, donned his invisibility cloak, and slipped back to Slytherin.

When Harry stepped into the common room, he found it almost empty. A couple of second year students were up late studying, and one familiar blonde head of hair sat near the fireplace, staring at the door.

"Where have you been?" Tracey asked, as Harry walked toward her.

"Ginny Weasley had something to show me," Harry said, dropping onto the couch next to Tracey.

Tracey scowled. "I don't like her."

"She's in Gryffindor, I get it. Not a big deal."

"So what did she have to show you?" Tracey's eyes had narrowed, and she was looking carefully at Harry's clothes. Although Harry had done his best to put himself in order, there was no way to truly cover the dishevelment that resulted from snogging. Harry should know—he had seen Tracey and Theo try and fail at it frequently enough.

"She found a location for the Defense club," Harry said, allowing a hint of exasperation to creep into his voice. "It's going to be perfect."

"If it's perfect, then why did you take so long before you came back to the common room?"

Harry's hint of exasperation blossomed into full-out irritation. "Because I'm teaching her how to cast a Patronus charm," Harry said. "What's with the interrogation?"

Harry had an idea of why Tracey's interest had been piqued—Harry's dishevelment, his admission that he had been sneaking around the castle with a Ginny, and the fact that he had previously taken Ginny out on a date were combining to make Tracey jealous. In Harry's opinion, this was stupid; Tracey was dating Theo, so she had no right to be jealous. If Tracey still harbored some desire for Harry, she needed to end her relationship with Theo before she started another with Harry. If Tracey wanted to stake some sort of claim to Harry while still maintaining her relationship with Theo, well, that was totally unfair, and Harry was going to make things as uncomfortable as possible for her.

"Why are you teaching her how to cast a Patronus charm, anyway?" Tracey asked, ignoring Harry's question. "What's she ever done for you?"

"She forgave me for being a colossal prat last year," Harry said. "She's nice, she's good conversation, and she believes me and believes Dumbledore when we say that Voldemort is back. Having her on my side will make it easier to take control of Hermione's Defense Club, too; the more Gryffindors I have on my side, the smoother the transition will be." Harry shook his head. "I don't see what's wrong with spending time with her."

"Well, I think she's taking advantage of you," Tracey said. "She knows that you're lonely, she knows that you're feeling insecure, she knows that you're under constant assault from Umbridge, and she knows that you're rich. She, meanwhile, comes from a poor pureblood family."

"So?"

"So if the Weasleys can tie their name to yours, then they gain instant legitimacy!"

Harry threw his arms up in the air. "Will you listen to yourself? She's a Gryffindor, not Salazar Slytherin reincarnated! Not everything has to be some sort of plot! And I'm teaching her charms, not marrying her!"

"You'd better not be!" Tracey shouted back, leaping to her feet. Her voice echoed loudly through the common room, and all other conversation ceased. Harry looked around and saw that all eyes had turned toward Tracey. Tracey knew it, as well; she was turning red in the face. Without another word, she turned and rushed to her dormitory.

Harry sat back on the couch and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. He hadn't wanted to embarrass Tracey in front of the whole house; he just wanted to demonstrate to Tracey that he wouldn't put up with her jealousy. And it was her decision to start shouting, anyway.

Harry tried to put the whole incident out of his mind, and by morning, he had succeeded. Tracey didn't mention it again, so Harry considered the matter to be (awkwardly) settled.

A/N: A lot of people were worried about Harry's Firebolt. I didn't expect it to be such a bone of contention-Umbridge just wanted to lock it up for the year, same as she did in canon.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the father/son relationships in Harry Potter, lately, and I came to a realization that seems both profound and obvious. (It's possible that everybody else has noticed this already, but then again, maybe not.) I had always thought that Draco's constant repetition of "Wait until my father hears of this!" was a way to make him seem weak and entitled, as if he had no power of his own and instead was forced to appeal to corrupt authority figures in order to get his way. Now, I'm sure that characterization is still intentional, but there's another layer to it. When Draco is in conflict with Harry and Draco says, "Wait until my father hears of this," it's also a reminder that HARRY HAS NO FATHER TO ASK FOR HELP. Draco is constantly reminding Harry that Draco has a father and Harry does not-what a jerk!

Has everybody else known this all along? Am I late to the party on this one?