Umbridge, in spite of the many pranks and horrible things that seemed to happen right under her nose, delighted in throwing her weight around. And there was no one she seemed to delight in shoving under her thumb more than Amanda. The only problem was that Amanda was often prepared for this, or at least the way Severus had been treating her had numbed her to Umbridge's weak insults.

The doors to the great hall flew open with a bang, causing nearly everyone within to jump and look around with wide eyes. Professor Umbridge stood, looking triumphant, between the large oak doors, gazing up at the head table maliciously. Behind her, Filch had just dumped a suitcase in the middle of the room.

Amanda, who had previously been reading contentedly, sighed and stood up, marked her page carefully and set the book down before looking down at Umbridge, her expression one of polite interest.

"Am I to assume that those bags are mine?"

"Yes," Umbridge said, smiling sweetly, "we took the liberty of packing for you, think of it as a parting gift." Amanda nodded thoughtfully.

"That was kind of you, but unnecessary." Two cracks behind her announced the appearance of two house elves, Dobby and Matilda. Dobby's head was covered by a tall stack of colorful woolen hats, and Matilda's shawls twirled around her. Amanda knelt down to speak with them. "Would the two of you mind taking my bags back up to my rooms please?" The two elves bowed, Dobby's stack of hats wobbling dangerously, and then bounced down the hall, past the long rows of house tables and past Umbridge, whose smile never faltered, to the bags that lay in the center of the entrance hall, disappearing with a crack.

"I'm afraid you don't understand, dear, you're –"

"Sacked?" Amanda said, cutting her off. "Kicked out? Discharged? Dismissed? Fired? Yes, I thought so." She started to step around the table, the expression of calm politeness never leaving her face.

"Then why –" Amanda stopped at the top step leading up to the head table, looking down at Professor Umbridge with cool eyes.

"In your haste to get rid of me," she said, stepping down and walking slowly towards the toad-faced professor, "you didn't wait for the approval from the ministry to return, it never will. Because I worked in France, as a citizen, under their Ministry, a contract had to be signed in order for my transfer, a contract which Fudge signed, albeit grudgingly. Only the Headmaster that signed it could fire me, and since you are not him, you do not have the authority to do so until next year. So I'm afraid, you're stuck with me."

Amanda was standing right above Umbridge now, looking down at her coldly.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have more important matters to deal with." With that final word she returned to the head table and picked up her book, returning to reading as if Umbridge was nothing more then an irritating fly.

That afternoon after Charms Amanda called Harry back.

"Potter!" she called, her voice cutting through the chatter like a whip. "I'd like to have a word with you."

Considering how testy she had become lately it came as no surprise when the boy looked nervous. Ron nudged him forward and then stood by the door, waiting.

"Mr. Weasley," she called, "unless you have changed your name to Potter, I suggest you leave!" Ron ducked out of the room hurriedly, motioning to Harry that he'd meet him later.

"Professor, I've got Transfiguration next, and I really shouldn't be late –"

"I will write you a pass, I'm sure my mother will understand."

"Professor?"

"I've received a letter, Potter, from Remus," she said, eyeing him over her desk, "he asks me if you've told me the one about the grumpy Potions Professor. I daresay I haven't heard it."

Harry gulped and told her what he'd done and how he'd seen his father attack Snape in Severus's memories, and how Snape, in his rage, had called Lily a mudblood. Amanda remembered that day as well, but for different reasons.

"And then what did he do?" she prompted.

"He told me he wouldn't teach me Occlumency anymore," Harry said, shrugging.

"He what?" she hissed. Amanda leaned back in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "I will speak with him," she said, "though, I cannot promise anything."

That night after dinner Amanda walked down to the dungeons. She didn't have much hope of him actually agreeing to take Potter back on; especially not with the way he'd been acting recently. And she really doubted that she would escape the encounter with him without feeling like absolute trash afterwards. The door to his classroom was ajar and soft orange light filtered through the crack.

"Severus?" she called, pushing open the door. He scowled.

"I'm busy," he growled. Amanda walked forward anyways. "Perhaps you cannot wrap your mind around the underlying meaning of 'I'm busy,'" he said smoothly, "it means get out!"

"Why have you stopped teaching Potter?" Severus's scowl got even darker.

"So, the boy went running to you, did he?" he snarled.

"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on his mind, it would be a lot easier if you were teaching him how to defend said mind."

"Been poking around in his head as well?"

"I don't go around poking into peoples minds," she said firmly.

"No, I forgot, you just get Dumbledore to say it's okay first, because Dumbledore makes everything okay –"

"Just teach the boy," she said firmly, cutting him off.

"Ha! Even with years of teaching and the best of teachers the boy still wouldn't be able to defend his mind from a mouse."

"He hasn't got years, he's just got you, and while that's not a very promising prospect it's the best we've got."

"Are you trying to say that I am not an adequate teacher?"

"No," she said, "I am merely suggesting that perhaps you cannot let your feelings for his father drop."

"And why should I?" Severus said, eyes deadly. "When the man made life a living hell for me at school? I would have thought even you could understand that."

"And I would have thought even you could understand that everyone deserves a second chance," she said lowly, taking a step closer. "Or maybe the reason you won't teach him is that you are afraid he will succeed and embarrass you again."

Severus's arm shot out like lightening, grabbing her hair just under the braid, at the base of her neck. His other hand grabbed hers, keeping her wand pointed straight at the ground. He tilted her head back until she was looking into his eyes, his nose inches from hers.

"Don't call me a coward," he said, in a voice that could frighten the dead.

"Then prove me wrong, teach him," she said, her own eyes hard.

Severus started walking, pulling her with him but not letting her eyes move away from his own cold dark orbs.

"I will not be goaded by a little twerp of a girl who cannot even make up her own mind. Now," he said, standing in the doorway, "get out!"

He shoved her forward, quite literally throwing her out, and slammed the door as soon as she was out of his grasp. Amanda stumbled from the force of his push and cracked her head on the stone wall. She leaned against it for a moment, dazed, and then reached up to touch her eyebrow, which was throbbing horribly. Her fingers touched something warm and wet, blood.

A click behind her told her Severus had locked the door, and experience told her that he had sealed it with magic as well. She didn't even bother to try and undo the magic; there was no point and trying to talk to him when he was like this.

The next few weeks went by in a blur. The teachers piled more and more homework on the students in an attempt at making sure they studied and Amanda was glad, it was nice to have something to bury herself into in which she didn't have to think and grading papers was just mindless enough to do the trick. The students were finding their own ways to cope; they sold brain stimulants and stayed after class, trying to get her to give something away. She told them all that if they wanted to pass then they should have thought of that and listened in class, not that she thought any of her students would fail, she'd made sure they were all paying attention.

When the night before exams rolled around she was relieved. Soon the year would be over and she could get away, maybe visit Madame Maxime and see how her replacement was coming along. Perhaps even see her god-child.

That evening the examiners arrived. Amanda saw them walk in as she was on her way to the entrance hall. They were speaking to Umbridge, who she was pleased to see looked a little nervous. Professor Marchbanks was a tiny, stooped witch, with a face so lined it looked to be draped with cobwebs. She was also speaking rather loudly considering that she was standing about a foot away from Umbridge.

"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of time before!" she said impatiently. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately!" she added, peering around as though she expected to see him pop out from behind a statue. "No idea where he is, I suppose?"

"None at all," replied Umbridge, shooting a glare at Harry and his friends, who had been trying to walk by unnoticed. "But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough…"

"I doubt it," said tiny Professor Marchbanks, "not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found! I should know… Examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s… Did things with a wand I'd never seen before…"

"Yes… well…" said Umbridge, "let me show you to the staffroom… I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey…"

On their way up the steps Professor Marchbanks spotted Amanda.

"You there!" she said, pointing with a long, boney finger. "That McGonagall girl, aren't you? You look the same, still all skin and bones and pale as a ghost! What've you been feeding her, Headmistress?" she asked Umbridge, sounding rather accusatory. Umbridge looked a little shocked and started to stammer, luckily for her Amanda came to the rescue, though it wasn't by any means to help Umbridge.

"I am quite capable of feeding myself, thank you very much!" she said, slapping the woman's bony finger away carefully.

"And here's another one you've got to watch out for, like Dumbledore, she was, surpassed her mother in Transfiguration and Defense against the Dark Arts, I examined both, you know… I remember a boy next to you, he managed to somehow set the room on fire, and this girl, don't know how she did it, she pulled all the fire together and transfigured it all into a little pebble…. Wasn't even hot… Don't know how she did it…"

"Yes… well…" Umbridge glared at Amanda and tried to shuffle the examiners up the stairs. "About that tea…"

The exam morning was uncomfortable, none of the fifth or seventh years were talking much, and they all just kept muttering Charms under their breaths. Amanda was a little nervous as well, the exams weren't only reflecting the skill of the students, they also reflected on the teaching ability of the teacher, and since it was her first year at Hogwarts she didn't want anything to go wrong.

During the theory part of the test Amanda wasn't allowed inside, all she could do was wait and hope they did alright. The morning dragged. After lunch Amanda followed the fifth years into a small chamber just off from the entrance hall where they would be taking the practical portion of their exam. Amanda stood by the door, pointing out free examiners to students when she called them in.

"Professor Tofty is free, Potter," she said, pointing him to what was perhaps the oldest of examiners. Beside him, Malfoy dropped the wine glass he had been levitating and Amanda sighed. It was hard to see them make foolish mistakes like that. All in all though it could have been worse; there were no massive fireballs, at least.

The next day Amanda had to sit in for her mother during the theory part of the Transfiguration exam, be request of Umbridge. The elder McGonagall had taken offense to the very idea that she would somehow help the students, but had stepped out and let Amanda watch them.

Amanda did get a good laugh though when, on Wednesday, Professor Marchbanks told her over dinner that Potter had informed her that she ought to have died last Tuesday. She'd also told her that the Weasley boy had described a very ugly man in great detail, only to realize that he was describing his examiners reflection.

That night during the Astrology exam Amanda was unable to sleep, her chest hurt and she was having trouble concentrating. Instead she stared out the window of her office, watching the lake and the trees ripple in the wind.

It was dark, peaceful, or at least it was until the doors of the entrance hall opened and light spilled across the grounds. No less then six figures marched out from the castle and into Hagrid's hut. Amanda felt her stomach drop; it seemed Hagrid would no longer be working among them this year. She kept watching Hagrid's hut as the minutes passed.

And then a roar from the cabin passed through the open window. A moment later a loud BANG echoed across the grounds. Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out she could see Hagrid roaring and brandishing his fists at the six people surrounding him, all of whom seemed to be attempting to stun him. Bright jets of red light were flying around Hagrid's cabin, bouncing off of him whenever they hit. A man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!" and Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

The tiny form of Fang could be seen jumping around, trying to defend Hagrid until a stunning spell hit him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave another roar and picked the man who had stunned Fang up and threw him ten feet into the air. The man did not get back up.

Amanda fingered her wand and turned to rush to the grounds, but a sudden light caught her eye from the grounds, someone else had left the castle. A single long black shadow rippled across the lawn.

"How dare you!" the figure shouted as she ran. "How dare you!" It was her mother. Amanda's grip tightened on her wand.

"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" said Minerva's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such –"

Screams split the night air from somewhere above. No less then four stunners had hit her mother straight in the chest. For a moment she glowed a sinister red, then was lifted off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.

Amanda raced out of the office, her long robes billowing behind her like shadows reaching up to take the next person who got in her way. Someone grabbed her around the waist, just in front of the doors and Amanda struggled.

She twisted out of their grasp and punched them as hard as she could in the face. She felt bone splinter and heard a satisfying groan. Severus landed on the ground in front of her, his hands on his nose. She could see blood spilling from under his fingers.

"Don't you ever touch me," she hissed before swirling back around and out to the grounds.

Hagrid was roaring more then ever now, trying to fight his way forward. Amanda raised her wand and a wave of water shot out ahead of her, it flew over the still form of Professor McGonagall and grew larger as it went. The wave cascaded down on Hagrid's attackers, knocking them to the ground and holding them there. Hagrid bent down and picked up Fang, moving towards Amanda.

"Hagrid, go!" she shouted, raising her voice to be heard over the torrent of water, which was still pounding down on his attackers. Hagrid ran, disappearing quickly into the dark forest and Amanda ended her spell, lowering her wand slowly, no one else moved. And then she heard yelling above her and turned, the entire fifth year had been watching, including the examiners.

Professor McGonagall didn't look well. Her breathing was shallow and a small trail of blood had trickled from the corner of her mouth. Amanda levitated her and moved quickly up to the hospital wing. She passed several other teachers who had been awakened by the noise and come to see what was going on but she ignored them.

In the hospital wing Severus passed her, glaring and wiping blood from his nose. Amanda placed her mother in a bed and Severus looked over.

"Did she try to stop you making a fool of yourself as well?" he sneered.

Amanda's wand lashed out, throwing Severus high into the air and out the door, where he crashed into the wall painfully. Amanda thought she saw a flicker of pain flash through his eyes but she didn't care. She just stared at him with cold eyes. Madame Pomfrey rushed over.

"I saw what happened. Four stunners right to the chest! At her age!"

Severus's eyes flashed again, this time with understanding. Amanda realized that he must not have known her mother had gone out there but she really didn't care right now, she didn't want to talk to him.

In the end Minerva had been sent to St. Mungo's where they wouldn't let Amanda see her. Umbridge still wasn't able to fire Amanda, even though she was positive it had been Amanda who had attacked them. Instead she had left the paperwork necessary to report Hagrid's disappearance and her mother's transfer to St. Mungo's to Amanda. After having been bothered a few time by Umbridge, who was trying to 'make sure Amanda was doing it right' she'd moved to her mother's office, which was a little more private since no one expected her to be there. She needed the peace now, her heart was throbbing painfully in her chest as if she had just run a mile and she was finding it hard to catch her breath.

There was a knock on the door. Apparently someone knew she was there. She ignored them in the hopes that they would go away, they didn't. Severus walked in instead. Amanda scowled darkly but he still didn't leave, instead he moved closer, stepping right up to the desk.

"How is Professor McGonagall?"

"I don't know," she said through grated teeth.

"You should –"

"You have made it quite clear to me that you don't care," she hissed, "so why can't you just go away?"

"Me? You're the one who didn't even have the decency to tell me that you couldn't stand it."

"What?" she honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

"No, instead I had to overhear you talking to one of your little woodland creatures." He turned away then, stalking to the door.

"Voldemort," was hissed from behind him.

"What?"

"I am sick and tired of Lord VOLDEMORT!"

She was standing and shouting now, looking more furious then he had ever seen a person. It was frightening, power seemed to radiate from her very skin and every feature on her face just oozed enragement. It was an anger to rival that of Dumbledore's or even the Dark Lord's. Angry red blotches stood out on her cheeks and her fist shook with rage at her sides. Her voice was laced with cold fury.

"The thing I fear most is losing control and hurting someone. I spent three months in the mind of Voldemort, watching him torture people and killing on his behalf, and somehow you thought that wouldn't affect me? I've had nightmares about it every night since I came back except the nights when you were there."

The injustice she had been feeling the past few weeks seemed to well up inside Amanda's chest and throat, choking her.

"I am exhausted and you have the audacity to think that this is my fault? Why didn't you just speak to me?" There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes now and she shook all over. "You absolute piece of arse! How could you be so thick? You are the most infuriating pile of sh-"

The pain in her chest had doubled since she started yelling, and Amanda turned away, unable to complete her sentence. The pain stabbed at her, making it hard for her to breathe. She put a hand to her heart and the other on the desk, using it to support herself. And then she collapsed.

She felt like she was disconnected from her body, she couldn't feel the pain anymore and she couldn't move. She didn't feel Severus's hands catch her and she didn't feel the cold stone at her back when he lowered her down carefully. Everything moved in slow motion. He turned her over, he saying something but she couldn't hear him. Her head lolled back against his arm as Severus lifted her into the air, and then everything faded and she was left in darkness, once again utterly and completely alone.

Does anybody else think it's odd that the chapter that's had the most visits other than the first one is chapter 19? That wasn't even a very good chapter… Anyways, review, tell me what you think please.

Cake-ya-san, what do you mean about the department of mysteries? What were you disappointed in?