Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!

"Noel?" I rapped lightly on the door to our dormitory, opening it quietly. The room was dark and her hangings were drawn.

She didn't answer.

Gingerly, I walked over to her bed and pulled back the curtains. "Hey, how are you feeling?" There was once again no response as she stared at me blankly. "Turns out yesterday Harry had Rita Skeeter interview him for his side of the story. It talked about everything that started last spring and how You-Know-Who is really back."

I sat on the edge of my bed, watching her carefully. "Umbridge just about had a cow. She gave Fred and George detention. She also banned the Quibbler from school grounds, oh yes, I forgot to mention the interview was published by Luna's father, and for once everyone is reading it. I'm so glad, it must be great for their business."

"I'm a fuck up." Her voice was thick, as though she'd been crying all day, although her countenance remained passive.

I sighed and moved so I was on her bed. "No, you're not. I understand how things from your past can completely take over and invade your life. How they can keep you from doing what makes you happy. How frustrating it is when no one understands or has the patience."

"That's it, that's what I don't get. Lee tells me all the time that he loves me and that he'll never hurt me or leave me but he doesn't seem to actually get why I can't be his sodding girlfriend. He promised a month ago that he would be okay with us being exclusive but non-official. I mean, he gets all the coupley-stuff without the actual title. I let him acknowledge me in public now. I just-"

She cut herself off as a few tears dripped down her cheeks. I sighed and handed her a tissue from the small table beside her bed. "Noel, what happened yesterday? I've never heard Lee yell like that."

Noel suddenly got smaller, shrinking beneath her sheets. "I freaked out okay? We went to Gladrag's so I could get my black cloak dry-cleaned, and when Lee went to go look at some socks, the shop worker told me that we were 'adorable together,' and that Lee was 'a real keeper.' She even talked about how handsome our kids will be. I mean, kids? I already almost had one, thanks, and I don't even know if I ever want any."

"Noel-" I started.

"But that's the thing. Lee does, he's said so. He wants a little girl so badly, and at least two boys to mess around with, teach them how to fly and do magic tricks and the like. And so I started thinking, I like him a lot, and he loves me, but what if we're not right for each other? We'll never work out in the end because we want different things." Her voice was void of any emotion, as though she'd been replaying this exact wording in her head all day.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I wasn't sure of what to say, so I remained silent for a moment while I pondered it. "I think you guys should talk. He didn't know what was going on in your mind, and I'm sure that if he did he would understand."

"Would he understand me walking back up to the castle with Charles Goldstein?"

My brow furrowed. "What?"

Noel gave a rueful smile. "Lee knew I'd gotten into a mood after I dropped off my robes, and when he tried to cheer me up by buying me candy at Honeydukes, I completely snapped at him and told him to leave me alone. I saw Charles was heading back up the path, so I ran to catch up with him. I knew how horrible a thing it was to do so I went to his dormitory to wait for him so I could apologize, but he lost it."

Once again I had no idea what to say, and she took my muteness as an indication of frustration. "I know. He'll never forgive me because he has absolutely no reason to. I've ruined everything. Can you just leave me alone, please? I want to be alone."

I sighed as I got up from her bed, and she pulled the hangings around her with such force that they nearly tore loose. I picked my bag up off of the floor and headed for the library with the intent of getting some more work done before dinner, when I bumped into Gemma, who was coming out of the kitchens.

"Sorry," I muttered, stepping backwards as quickly as I could.

She readjusted the parcels of food in her arms. "It's fine."

I remained for a beat longer, observing the dark circles beneath her eyes until I shook my head and moved past her.

"Prudence, wait!" she called.

Reluctantly I turned, waiting for an explanation. "What?"

Gemma shifted uncomfortably. "I can't tell you why but…there's a reason for the way I've been acting. A really good one. I promise."

"Well that promise doesn't really do me any good, does it? Not with you snuggling up to Pucey every night. You might as well be climbing into bed with a Death Eater. Sooner or later that's what he'll become," I said with a shrug.

Gemma's pale green eyes, perfectly outlined in black kohl, flashed. "You don't get it."

"Does Andrew 'get it?'" I retorted. It was incredibly catty of me, almost Grace-level.

Her mouth was opened in an unasked question. She seemed to change her mind several times before settling on, "were you the one who was in the Slytherin common room that night?"

My mouth set in a firm line. "Yes, to get information to help Dumbledore. As opposed to you, who seems to only be getting in his way. We're on different sides, Gemma. Face it."

And with that, I walked away. I'd never had much in me for confrontation, and I'd grown exhausted throughout our conversation. My body hated fighting, both verbally and physically.

When I entered the library I internally let out a sigh of relief. The presence of learning and the scent of books calmed me as I squeezed myself into a table towards the back, the only empty one in the room. It was unfortunately next to Martin, Terrence, and Patrick, but I simply ignored them as I dragged my Herbology textbook out of my bag.

"Yeah, Grace says she's down again," Patrick said, his voice disinterested. "But she's not at her record yet. Only been two days."

Martin glanced up at his friend over his quill. "Do you guys remember that time in fifth year when she holed herself up for a week?"

Terrence snorted. "Yeah, and we had to bring all her homework to her."

I flipped a page so it looked like I was focused on the reading, but my mind flashed back to about a month before OWLs. This would have been around the time she found out she was pregnant. She said she'd gotten the abortion over the summer… I remembered being annoyed with her, assuming she was upset over something pointless like her pair of boots that Grace accidentally ruined. I was so oblivious.

"Dude, I think she's seriously bipolar. My cousin has it, and she gets ridiculous too. Personally I think it's an attention thing, but my mom…"

Patrick's voice faded as I hurriedly gathered my things. Bipolar disorder, why hadn't I thought of it before? There were days when she was so content, just over-the-moon happy, and she laughed at every single one of Lee's jokes, even if they were aimed at her. But I had noticed times where she was moody, where nothing seemed to make her smile and she was so lost in her own thoughts that she wasn't aware of anything around her.

I stood hastily, garnering looks from them, but I passed them without a second glance to get to the small section of the library where we kept the books about Muggle diseases. I'd briefly spent some time in there in my fifth year, when I'd been trying to study so I could get the internship at my father's hospital.

After several minutes of searching, I managed to find a thick, dust-covered tome about mental diseases and disorders. I scrolled through the index, my finger creating tracks in the filth as I scanned the page.

"Got it," I whispered to myself, flipping to page 376 and nearly choking on the grime that filled my lungs.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels.

I made a face. So far, so good. This sounded like Noel; one minute she was hot and the other she was cold.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. People with this disease experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct periods called, "mood episodes." An overly joyful state is called a manic episode, and an extremely upset state is called a depressive episode.

I frowned. The depressive episode certainly seemed to be like Noel, especially with the way she was lying about in bed, but I didn't know what they deemed to be 'overly joyful.' I would have to research it more. Carefully, I covered the title on the spine of the book with my hand as I brought it to the front desk.

Madame Pince eyed me suspiciously as she handed me a slip of parchment with the due date on it, in spite of the fact that not once in seven years had I ever been late returning a book. I waited until I was out in the corridor before putting it in my bag. I supposed I should take care in reading more of it over the next few days, especially if Noel still couldn't be roused from bed.

With a sigh, I set off for Gryffindor Tower. I'd told George that I'd come up before dinner, so I could "help" him with our Transfiguration homework, when I knew he would spend the time trying to seduce me into giving him the answers. It usually worked.

I turned the corner and stepped onto the staircase absentmindedly, still thinking about the information I'd just learned. I was halfway up when it changed course, jarring me from my thoughts as it floated in the air to deposit me on the left wing of the sixth floor. Standing there waiting for me, their arms folded across their broad chests, were Montague and Lazenby.

My stomach flipped, but I simply grasped my wand tighter and swallowed the fear that was rising in my chest. There were other students milling around. Surely they wouldn't dare harm me in the public eye.

"Hey Montague, do you know what I like to hunt?" Lazenby asked his cohort, though his black eyes rested on me.

Montague smirked. "What's that?"

My heart stopped for a moment as Lazenby's countenance morphed, his expression deadly serious. "Half-breeds," he spat hatefully.

I moved steadily to the top of the staircase, forced myself to look right at them before I shoved them apart, stepping past. Adrenaline was pounding through my veins as I remembered what had happened the last time my back was turned to Montague.

I tried to keep my pace steady, not wanting it to look like I was rushing away in fear even though I was. As soon as I rounded the corner, I paused to catch my breath, which has escaped me the moment I'd set eyes on them.

With a shake of my head, I continued on my way, walking decidedly faster than usual and not stopping until I came to Gryffindor Tower. I stated the password and, as usual, the Fat Lady eyed my robes colors suspiciously before swinging open and grudgingly allowing me entrance.

"Prudence! Over here!"

I looked over to see Ginny sitting by the fire with Neville, Seamus, Dean, and one of her roommates whose name I did not know. As I wandered over I received several other greetings from Angelina, Hermione, and even Colin Creevey, a fourth year who could usually be seen wielding a camera half the size of him.

Pleased and non-plussed, I waved upon my approach. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Dean said with a nod, glancing up from the airplane he was making out of scrap parchment. Seamus murmured a hello, frantically flipping through a textbook.

"He forgot about our Herbology essay due tomorrow," Neville said in explanation.

I made a noise of sympathy. "Did you need something, Ginny?"

The redhead shrugged. "Well, today I was in the loo on the third floor by the library when I heard a group of girls gossiping about you and George. One of them was your complete cow of a roommate, Grace, sorry if you actually like her. Anyway, one of them, some Ravenclaw bint, was saying a bunch of rude stuff about you, and another was talking about how he must not actually like you if the two of you aren't "official." And then they all argued about whether or not you were actually dating."

"Oh." I blinked, my cheeks flushed. "I didn't know I was interesting enough to be gossiped about."

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said with a wave of her hand. "I told them off and called them all dim-witted dungheads, said maybe if they focused on school work as much as they did on slander then they would actually get graded higher than a T. I just thought you should know."

We all roared with laughter. Dean wiped tears out of his eyes, and Neville and I exchanged a grin.

"Thanks for that, really. I don't like Grace, I actually despise her. Her life's purpose is to make me and Noel's lives hell." I wrinkled my nose as I thought about how she'd locked me out of the bathroom for an hour this morning, so I'd been unable to wash my face or brush my teeth before breakfast.

"She seems super uppity," Seamus commented, still flipping away. "Real snob."

I shook my head and bid them all a good night as I made my way towards George's dormitory. I didn't like to gossip, even if it was about Grace, but I secretly felt validated by the way they were judging her. Hiding a grin, I rapped on the door, waited for thirty seconds, and opened it.

Kenneth was there, organizing his socks and underwear in his trunk, but I ignored him. George took one look at me and stood, opening his arms. I folded into them and inhaled the scent of cinnamon and smoke I'd become accustomed to, enjoying how comfortable I'd gotten around him.

"What's wrong, love?" George pulled back slightly so he could look at me, his hands sliding up my back and over my shoulders until his thumbs rested on my cheekbones, stroking them.

I sighed. "Everyone."

"Everyone is wrong?" His lips twitched and I lightly elbowed him.

I moved away to settle myself on his bed. We both still ignored Kenneth, who was now smelling each set of knickers before folding and putting them away. "Noel is still lying in bed and she talked to me for all of two minutes before she kicked me out. Gemma copped some excuse as to why she started ignoring me in favor of Pucey and the other Slytherins. Grace is…well, Grace. And then Montague and Lazenby-"

"Montague and Lazenby?" George interrupted, his brown eyes going stormy. "What did they do?"

"Nothing," I assured him. "Well, physically." I proceeded to recount the episode from the stairwell, and Lazenby's threatening comment, adding in my confusion of why they'd let me pass without further incident.

George frowned. "They're probably trying to psych you out. Prudence, you need to be careful. Fred and I can sneak around with the best of them but Slytherins are on a whole new level."

I tried to bite back my retort but I was too tired to contain my fury. "I know I have to be careful. I've been tiptoeing around this bloody castle since before Christmas but I can't go everywhere with a bodyguard, and I shouldn't have to. This is Hogwarts, not Azkaban! Everyone should feel safe here. And thanks to Voldemort, we're all living in constant fear!"

The room grew silent. Fred, who had apparently been in the loo, turned off the sink. Kenneth dropped the bundle of socks he'd been holding, and one pair rolled under his bed. George was staring at me like I'd sprouted a third arm.

"…what?" I asked self-consciously, my fingers nervously twisting into the sheets of their own accord.

"You just said his name," George said in awe.

The moisture seemed to evaporate from my mouth, and suddenly, my lips felt foreign. "I-I did, didn't I?"

Kenneth scrambled after his sock, tossed everything into his trunk, and slammed it shut. "Everyone thinks they're so brave, saying his name. But you should know, most people that say it wind up dead."

And with that, he stormed from the room, leaving the smell of must and hair product in his wake.

"Don't listen to him," Fred said angrily as he entered the dormitory. "He's a cowardly little git. I have no idea how he made it into Gryffindor."

"Yeah…" I murmured, allowing George to pull me into his arms as he reclined against the headboard, though I wasn't listening. Kenneth was right, of course, just look at my mother. If I were going to join the Order after graduation and be on Dumbledore's side, my life would be in constant danger, a more serious breed than the threat I was facing right now with Montague and Lazenby. Was I ready for that?

Two hours later, after I could not feign interest in their newest products any longer, George insisted on escorting me back to my common room under the guise that he wanted to grab a snack from the kitchens. Even in the mind-wandering state I was in, I easily picked out the lie.

George being so worried about an attack should have made me worried, but for some reason the Slytherins were far from my mind. I kept replaying the moment I'd said his name over and over, recalling the way my tongue had felt as it rolled between the 'L' and the 'D.'

"And it's clear you're paying absolutely no attention whatsoever," George said, and I glanced up at him, startled.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

He sighed and shook his head, but the corners of his mouth were turned upwards. "I said, 'we're here.' It's a good thing you're so adorable, otherwise I'd totally kick your arse right now."

I managed a laugh as he bent down and swiftly pecked me on my forehead, nose, cheeks, and finally my lips. He drew the last one out, taking me by complete surprise and making my stomach swirl. "Good night, love."

"Good night, George," I responded, climbing into the tunnel happily as he wandered off down the corridor, going the opposite direction of the kitchens.

When I entered the dormitory, it was exactly as I'd left it. With a sigh, I lit a few candles and went into the bathroom to ready for bed.

"Oh, you are not still in there," I heard, and I rushed to the doorway to see Grace standing in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, looking furious.

I frowned. "Grace, you've got to give her-"

"Butt out, Prudence. You're clearly too incompetent to deal with this situation, and she's been dragging down my mood for long enough." And with that, she stalked over to Noel's bed, ripped apart the hangings, and disappeared.

Gobsmacked, I went about the rest of my nighttime routine, straining my ears to try and hear what Grace was saying to her. Not more than two minutes later, the curtains were pulled aside again, this time both Grace and a bedraggled looking Noel emerging.

"I'm going to go shower," the latter mumbled, her feet shuffling along the floor. And soon after, I heard the water running.

I blinked. "Er, thanks, Grace."

The blonde sniffed and eyed me with distaste. "I didn't do it for you, Prudence. She was messing up my aura, and honestly I was just sick of her constant attention-seeking."

"Right," I muttered, trying to hide my sarcasm. She sneered, grabbed a magazine off of her desk, and fled the room.

The next morning I found myself seated beside Noel in Charms class, against the wall in the second row. Charles Goldstein gave us an odd look, as we were occupying his usual desk, but shrugged and moved to sit beside Martin.

"You know, I've never been a fan of Skeeter, but she actually sounds like a journalist here," Noel remarked, flipping the page. She was reading Harry's interview for the first time, after she had placed a spell on it so that to a stranger's eye it appeared to be a copy of Witch Weekly.

I murmured in agreement, resting my chin in my hand as I glanced back sadly to where George was sitting. He grinned and winked at me as he, Lee, and Fred competed to see who could transfigure their quills into the most things in thirty seconds. A teacup, the Scottish flag, a giant lady bug, and an old boot were among the items on their desk.

As Flitwick entered, he waved his wand and everything disappeared, although none of them looked particularly put out. Fred grinned apologetically at the professor, who shook his head.

"An inappropriate but impressive display of magic boys, but next time save it for your leisure," he said, and the three gave him a salute. "And welcome back, Miss Dalton, I trust you're feeling better."

Noel nodded politely and folded the newspaper, slipping it into her bag. "Thank you, professor."

I hadn't spoken to George yet today, and I turned away from him reluctantly. Out of solidarity for my roommate, Noel and I had eaten breakfast in the kitchens and gone straight to class. It was completely pathetic, but I missed him, even though he was only three rows away.

As Flitwick climbed onto his stack of books to start his lecture, a slew of words appeared on the parchment in front of me.

Missed you at breakfast, it read. Lee drank your tea.

Casually sliding my left arm across it so Noel couldn't read it, I wrote back.

I missed you too. First time I had to make my own cup in weeks.

I looked over my shoulder to see him smiling down at my note.

Want to come over later, watch us test out our Zit Zapper kit?

I wish, I scrawled back, pretending to carefully take notes on the Color-Change Charm Flitwick was demonstrating. Have to keep Noel from cocooning herself back in her bed.

I tossed him a sad smile, and he winked before bending over his parchment.

Not to fear my love, all in good time.

Without a clue what he was talking about, I sighed and finally tuned in to the lecture. I needed to stop acting like a love-sick puppy or I would never pass my Healer's Entrance Exam.

The rest of the class passed slowly, as usual. For once I gave Flitwick my full attention, because usually I was trying not to laugh as Fred charmed Jennifer Mickelson's hair to do the cancan, or else I was slapping George's hand away from my knee. It was awful, but I much preferred that to sitting stoically beside Noel, who was creating a rather detailed doodle of Lee falling off the Astronomy Tower while being impaled by a flying narwhal.

After Charms, we trekked to Astronomy, another class the five of us all shared, where we once again remained segregated. We sat beside Angelina, who was scribbling down quidditch plays in between various glances through her telescope, and Alicia, who was too busy flirting with Harold Cornfoot, who, in spite of his name, was actually handsome, to do her work.

Noel didn't speak much, even though Sinistra had no rules against talking while observing the bright, afternoon sky. I'd always liked Astronomy. There was hardly any lecture. We simply gazed at the sky two afternoons a week, and met every Wednesday at midnight to chart the planets and constellations. It was all very simple, and actually enjoyable.

Fred and George were taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere by placing black goop along various students' telescopes, so that when they leaned in, their eye would be rimmed in gunk. I exchanged a grin with them, but made sure to keep watch over my telescope at all times. When we were finished, Noel and I followed the flow of students to the Great Hall. She'd agreed to eat with the rest of the school, but only if we remained at our own house table.

It was certainly odd eating with the Hufflepuffs. Neither of us had sat here in quite some time, and we garnered many curious looks. Grace scoffed as she walked past, but when Martin entered and moved towards the center of the table, he told us, "welcome back."

"Do you think Lee was the right person for me?" Noel asked suddenly, the sound of her voice startling me.

"Oh," I said, blinking. "Er, I'm not sure to be quite honest with you."

She pursed her lips and let the tomato soup on her spoon fall back into the bowl. "I mean, if he was, then I mucked things up horribly. But if he's not, maybe I shouldn't be wasting my time on him."

I tried to contain the skeptical expression that was forming on my face. Noel had always been so vocally against love and 'the one' and all that, claiming it was a farce. But here she was debating whether or not she'd already found her soul mate.

"If Lee could get you thinking something as serious as that, then perhaps he was a better match for you than you thought," I said delicately, popping a bite of shepherd's pie into my mouth.

She looked forlornly down at her lunch, and I found I had nothing to say. We finished our meals in silence.

When the hour was nearly up, we both stood and grabbed our bags, about to head off to Muggle Studies. This afternoon, we had no shared classes with Lee or the twins, a fact which surely excited Noel and made me feel miserable. Noel was my friend, but right now she was acting, in my opinion, a little childishly, and I missed my other friends.

As we were about the go up the main staircase, I saw a glimpse of red hair in the crowd and looked back to see George walking casually towards the kitchens, away from the throng of students heading to class.

"You know what?" I said to Noel. "I'm actually still hungry. I'm going to run to the kitchens and get an apple or something. I'll meet you there."

Frowning but too busy brooding over her misfortune to care, Noel shrugged and continued up the stairs to the fifth floor.

Feeling rather giddy, I expertly weaved through the robes of emerald, scarlet, blue and yellow until I broke free on the other side of the hall. I didn't know where he'd gone, and I was just about to tickle the pair and see if he had actually gone into the kitchens when I was grabbed around the waist from behind.

I squealed in a very unPrudence-like way and was whirled around in the air before being pressed against the cold, stone wall.

"George," I said breathlessly, "a simple hello would have done it."

Smirking, his lips attacked my own without a warning, and my eyes fluttered shut as his right hand pulled gently at my hair until my head was tilted back enough for him to deepen the kiss. "Hello," he whispered, less than a centimeter of space between our mouths.

I gasped for air as his fingers deftly pushed aside my robe and satchel to display the skin of my collarbone, which George traced patterns on lightly with an open mouth, his tongue swiping out every so often and making me weak in the knees.

"We're going to be late," I managed, fighting for control. His hands had found their way inside my robes and were resting dangerously low on my hips. The thumb of his right hand slipped beneath my sweater and gently rubbed the bare skin of my back, the juxtaposition of his gentle touch and the roughness of the callouses on his fingertips making me shiver.

"We've got nearly fifteen minutes. I would never make you late for class. I'm not important enough for that," he said seriously, his brown eyes switching back and forth between my hazel. I smiled and grasped his hands, still occupying my waist, in my own. Even while caught up in hormones, he held respect for me and my studies, and that made me exceedingly happy.

I rubbed my lips together for a moment while I pondered it, then reached my hands out, grabbing him by the knot of his tie. "Five more minutes then."

He responded enthusiastically, flipping us so he was against the wall. I stood on my tiptoes, allowing his arm to wrap around my waist and support me while I tentatively kissed him behind his left ear. His grip tightened and my confidence grew, so I planted another one just below the lobe, and then another one in the hollow between his neck and shoulder.

"Who taught you that move?" he asked in amusement, his voice thick enough to let me know he was very clearly affected by my actions.

I laughed softly, sliding my hands over his biceps. "You did."

"Oh, that's right," George spoke enthusiastically. "If I recall it went something like this."

However, his recollection became null as all noise coming from the Entrance Hall ceased.

"You-you can't do this!" a voice trembled, and we exchanged a look. Without another word, the two of us flew back down the corridor to find ourselves completed immersed in a crowd of students, all of whom were directing their attention to a shaking woman who stood in the center, a trunk lying at her feet with several gauzy shawls poking out.

As I turned my gaze towards where the woman was pleading, I quickly assessed the situation.

"She's-she's firing Trelawney!" I whispered to George furiously.

His brows knitted as he looked to where the overly-primped Ministry worker was standing. "She can't do that, can she?"

"Please," Trelawney sobbed. "Please, Hogwarts is my home." She tried to move towards the staircase that Umbridge was standing at the top of, but tripped on a box at her feet. The sound of sherry bottles clinking together was not enough to cover up the giggles of the cluster of green that was standing off to the side and looking smug.

Several of the Divination professor's younger students stood on the outskirts of the circle, clutching each other and crying.

"Not anymore," Umbridge declared triumphantly. "If you think after that horrible assessment that I would allow you to remain here teaching our students, then you're even more deluded than I initially believed."

The Slytherins hooted with laughter. Gemma was among them, although she did not smile.

"Sixteen years," Trelawney cried, her eyes wild. "Sixteen years I've been here, you can't just-"

But Umbridge just smiled. "Actually, I can," she said sweetly as she withdrew a slip of parchment from her robes pocket. Even from down here I could see the crest of Minister Fudge upon it.

Furiously, I clenched my fists. I was no fan of the Divination professor, and as soon as I'd gotten my OWL over with I had very happily dropped the course from the schedule, but the way that Umbridge was treating her made me so angry that I swore I was seeing red. No one was superior to anyone else. Not a single being. All these Slytherins breeded such hatred that they were destroying the wizarding world, starting right here at our school-

My thoughts put on hold as a hush came over the crowd. The sea of students who had gotten caught on the staircase between Umbridge and Trelawney parted to reveal Dumbledore, who walked down the steps very calmly as though he wasn't currently the focus of the entire school.

"Yes!" I whispered victoriously, and George planted a kiss on the top of my head affectionately.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Headmaster asked. Though his movements were controlled, his voice sounded stormy and echoed off of the walls to make him seem even more powerful.

Umbridge licked her lips eagerly and handed him the slip of parchment. "See for yourself."

Slowly, Dumbledore unraveled the scroll and scanned it, before serenely folding it and handing it back to her. "I see. The Minister of Magic has signed an appeal to have Professor Trelawney fired."

"That's right Dumbledore, and she'll be gone before-"

He cut the goading woman off, just a hint of anger evident behind his half-moon spectacles. "You have permission to dismiss my staff members from teaching," he started, "but you no more have the right to banish her from the grounds than I do to rule the country."

The smirk dropped from her face and was replaced with an ugly scowl. "But you can't-"

"The power to send a staff member or student off of the grounds of Hogwarts remains solely with the Headmaster of the school," was all he said.

Slowly, Umbridge processed the information. Then a smile spread slowly across her jowl-like cheeks. "For now."

And with that, she swept from the hall, her heels clacking against the stone flooring.

"Professor McGonagall, if you could escort Sybill back to her sleeping quarters," Dumbledore spoke, and then he too was gone, lost in the crowd of students who had resumed their gossip in tenfold, no one seeming very eager to head to class.

McGonagall stepped forth from the mob to wrap an arm around the shaking woman, and the two set off for the Divination Tower. Flitwick followed behind, her belongings floating through the air and causing several students to scramble out of the way.

George turned to me. "Well," he started. "I guess I have a free period now."

A/N: Hello everyone, thanks so much for reading, and thank you so much for EIGHTEEN THOUSAND READS! It's crazy to me that something from my own mind has been viewed all over the world, you guys are honestly the best3 What did you think of Noel's explanation? The confrontation between Montague, Lazenby, and Prudence? Were you all totally in love with George, or was that just me? Let me know!

UP NEXT: The DA cuts and runs, Prudence's worst nightmares are confirmed, and Lee and Noel get serious...ly pissed off. Stay tuned!