Hagrid and Chiron were both gone from Hogwarts, off on important business in the fight against Hecate and Voldemort, but their absence felt far more palpable in the wake of Dolores Umbridge's promotion to High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. In no less than one week, she had imposed 25 new rules and regulations she called Educational Decrees. Unlike previous years and rules such as the ban on Zonko's products in the halls or the use of fanged frisbees, these new rules were arbitrary and obviously set in place solely to fuel Umbridge's own sadistic pleasures. 5 students had already been expelled. Countless others had gotten detention with Umbridge. Harry had received more detentions than any other student, and now had 'I Must Not Tell Lies' permanently etched on the back of his hand.

"Blood quills are illegal, Harry," Tracey said, taking his hand gently in hers as they sat beneath an old oak tree by the Black Lake far from prying eyes. "You have to tell someone."

"Who?" Harry said bitterly. "Sirius is still wanted by the Ministry, Percy is hated by everyone almost as much as I am, and Dumbledore or Thanatos or whatever his real name is has been refusing to speak with me. Sirius told me to tell him about my dreams, but every time I try to talk to him he pushes me away."

Tracey bit her lip. "And what about Professor McGonagall? She hates Umbridge, you can clearly see that. She'll help you."

"Percy's right," Harry said. "Even if I did go to her, there's no way to prove that Umbridge has a blood quill or that it is even hers. She's just trying to break me, Trace. She wants to beat me so that I give in. I won't give her the satisfaction."

"She's torturing you!" Tracey said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I hate seeing you in pain, luv."

Harry cupped her cheek with his good hand, wiping a tear with his thumb. "I know. I don't want you to see me like this."

"You're not bloody getting rid of me, you understand that, Potter?" Tracey said, poking his chest and sniffing back her tears. "Don't go being a blood noble prat, you hear me?"

"I hear you," Harry said with a small smile. "Honestly, I'm not sure I could get rid of you even if I wanted to."

Tracey rolled her eyes and pulled him to her, kissing him tenderly. She pulled away as she ran a hand through his messy hair. "No, you couldn't. I love you, babe."

"I love you too," Harry said softly. He leaned in and kissed her, cupping her cheeks with both his hands. Tracey moaned into his lips, her hands sliding down to his chest, gripping his shirt tightly. A million thoughts crossed her mind as she kissed the boy she loved. How noble he was, how kind he was, how good of a snogger he was. His lips were almost rough against hers, but not painful. No, they felt wonderful, and he tasted sweet like treacle tart which really shouldn't be so much of a surprise as that seemed to be the only sweet treat he ever ate. Not that she complained. Especially as she ran her tongue over his lips and felt him respond in kind. They both moaned again at the wonderful sensation.

"Looky here, Daphne! I told you these two would be busy making out."

"Dammit," Daphne said, handing over a golden coin to Percy as they walked up to the kissing couple. Daphne tugged on her scarf, pulling it down from her mouth and stuck her tongue out at Tracey. "You just couldn't keep your hands off of him could you?"

"Course not," Tracey said with a grin. "He tastes delicious."

"I...what?" Harry said, his voice cracking and his cheeks burning crimson. Percy and Daphne laughed as they sat down beside the two of them. "What are you two doing out here anyways?"

"We wanted to spend some time together," Daphne said, sitting down with her back against a tree and motioning for Percy to sit down in front of her, between her legs. Percy sat down and leaned back against her as she wrapped her arms around him. "We haven't been able to spend time like this together in ages."

"I can't believe Dumbledore let Umbridge pass that bloody rule," Tracey spat. "Not letting houses intermingle. How stupid is that?"

"So stupid," Daphne nodded. "Did you hear that two seventh years got expelled? Yeah, a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff. Umbridge caught them studying together and kicked them out of school."

"And Dumbledore didn't do anything about it?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure what all he could have done," Tracey said. "She's High Inquisitor now. Her job is literally to kick people out of the school that she believes have no right to be here."

"Soon it'll be me," Percy said. Daphne smacked him and he yelped, turning to look over his shoulder at her. "I'm not joking, Daph. I mean it. She's going to kick me out of here sooner or later."

"She has no reason to kick you out," Daphne said. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Other than insulting her, talking about Voldemort and Hecate, calling himself a demigod, and spending time with a Slytherin," Harry pointed out. "She probably has more reason to kick Percy out than anybody else."

"Don't be daft," Tracey said. "She's too scared of Percy to kick him out. She's after Dumbledore, everyone knows that."

"Yeah, maybe," Percy said. "But she's still going after me. Especially since her detentions don't work on me."

"And what happens if they kick you out?" Daphne said, sadly. "What am I going to do?"

"You'll still have Tracey," Percy said. "But there are some things that I can do if I leave here. Hagrid is still working on getting the giants to ignore Voldemort's call, and Chiron is trying to meet with the centaurs here in the forest. Not to mention Thalia and the hunters are tracking down that Greyback guy."

"Fenrir Greyback?" Tracey asked, eyes wide. "The werewolf?"

"That's him," Percy nodded. "If anybody can track him down and kill him, it'll be the hunters. I could join them in their hunt."

Daphne squeezed him tightly. "I just don't want to lose you. These weekly trips to the lake are the only thing getting me through the week."

"Not my lovely company?" Tracey asked, trying and failing to look insulted.

"You're cute and all," Daphne laughed. "But I prefer Percy here."

Tracey frowned and grabbed her chest. "What, these bits are not good enough for you?"

They all laughed and Harry leaned over and kissed Tracey's cheek. "They're good enough for me."

"Get a room," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "We don't need to know your nasty sex life."

"Why not?" Tracey asked. "Daphne certainly tells Ginny, Hermione, and I all about yours."

"Tracey!" Daphne hissed. When Percy and Harry turned to look at her, eyes wide, she blushed and shook her head. "I never talk about anything like that."

"So you admit that you have one?" Tracey asked, narrowing her eyes at her best friend.

Percy and Daphne both blushed. Percy shook his head. "No, we've never had...I mean we've never done...umm...you know..."

"You're too easy to make blush," Tracey said, rolling her eyes. "It's almost not fun anymore."

"Percy! Percy!"

They all turned and spotted Ron and Hermione running towards them frantically. They skidded to a halt in front of them, gripping their knees as they panted for air. Ron managed to regain his breath before Hermione. "You guys need to come see this."

"What's wrong?" Percy said, getting to his feet. He offered Daphne a hand and helped her up.

"It's Umbridge," Hermione said. "She's passed more laws."

"Percy, she's made it illegal for halfbreeds to attend Hogwarts," Ron said, eyes wide.

Daphne squeezed Percy's hand tightly. He simply nodded and looked at his girlfriend before turning to Harry and the others. "Well, let's go see what the Toad wants. I have a feeling I'm about to have a perfect seven for seven record of expulsions."

...

Getting into the Great Hall proved to be rather hard. It seemed that every student at Hogwarts had congregated in the entrance to the school, watching as Filch hammered the newest Educational Decrees into the wall. Umbridge herself stood beside him, watching with her trademark, sickly-sweet smile. Already, she'd imposed new rules forbidding the use of spell check quills, sweets from 'unauthorised suppliers,' made music illegal, made flying brooms outside of Quidditch illegal, and forbidding houses from intermingling.

"Thank you, Argus," Umbridge said, turning to face the students. "I have tried to instill new rules here at Hogwarts to make your education as good as it can possibly be. Unfortunately, it seems that many of you continue to distract yourselves and ruin the integrity of this esteemed school. As such, we are now instituting more Educational Decrees. Boys and girls will no longer be allowed within six inches of each other. Failure to comply will result in immediate expulsion." There was loud hostility from the students, even from the Slytherins who, up until now, had found Umbridge to be more amusing than imposing. Still, Umbridge ignored them, and continued on. "Any and all joke products will be henceforth banned indefinitely from these grounds. Any student caught with any such product will be immediately expelled. Any items not of educational value are banned outside of dormitories. This includes reading material, cards, or other useless games. Any items found will be confiscated until the end of term. Likewise, unlawful use of magic in the halls or in class will result in the confiscation of wands." The few students who had not complained yet joined in the angry shouting. "Silence! Finally, any students found to be halfbreeds will be immediately removed from school grounds."

"What are you talking about?" asked Professor McGonagall, striding towards her. "You cannot possibly believe you have the authority to remove students from Hogwarts simply due to their blood."

"I absolutely do have the authority," said Umbridge. "The Minister himself has ordained this decree. You'd do well to listen to me, Professor McGonagall. You do not want to cross me on this." She turned to the students and smiled, clasping her hands together. "Now, off you all go! Students are no longer allowed in the hallway for any reason except to go to class or to meals. Off with you!"

"Professor?" Harry said, pushing forward to the front of the crowd. "Is this real?"

"Get to the common room, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "Professor Umbridge, I believe we must speak with the headmaster about this."

When the professors left, the students hung around for a brief moment until Filch began shouting that any student found in the hallways without any reason would be punished in the old ways. Harry and Percy only managed to give their girlfriends brief smiles before they were swept by the crowd up towards their common room. The mass of students talked loudly, their voices echoing through the halls of the castle. Everyone, from first years to seventh, prefects and even the Head Boy and Girl all talked loudly and angrily about the unjust rules being placed on the school.

"The nerve of that woman!" shouted Hermione as they stepped past the painting of the Fat Lady and into the Gryffindor common room. "Who does she think she is to come and call Percy a halfbreed."

"Technically," Percy said, "she hasn't called me a halfbreed specifically."

Hermione glared at him. "Don't act smart with me, Percy. I'm serious. She's out to get you. This is far more than just not liking you, she is actually out to destroy you."

"We knew this already, Mione," Ginny said, taking a seat by the fire before another group could take it. "She's been out for blood since the beginning of the year."

"And to make things worse," Hermione said as though she hadn't heard Ginny, "she's not even teaching us properly! She comes in and makes us sit down and read the most awful of textbooks and expects us to master spellwork without practice. How does that make any sense? She wants Hogwarts to go back to 'its former glory.' How can it go back to whatever she means by that if we never use magic? Hogwarts was built to teach children how to use magic! It's part of being witches and wizards! If we don't use magic how can we call ourselves magical people? She's...she's..."

"A toad?" Ron offered. Hermione whirled and pointed at him making him flinch.

"Exactly! She's a bloody toad!"

Everyone stared at Hermione wide-eyed, even the other Gryffindors that hadn't been part of the conversation. Hermione, eyes blazing with fury, seemed to realize the audience she'd drawn and blushed, sitting down next to Ron-practically falling into his lap accidentally. Ron blushed and quickly scooted over out of the way.

"You actually cursed," Harry said, grinning at his friend. "Perfect Hermione said a bad word."

"I'm angry," Hermione said, blushing.

"I think you were brilliant," Ginny said, smiling brightly at her. "And you're not wrong. Umbridge is the worst sort of teacher imaginable. But it makes sense, yeah? The Ministry is terrified that Dumbledore is forming an army to overthrow Fudge. How better to stop this 'army' than by preventing students from learning spells necessary for battle?"

"That makes sense," Harry nodded.

"We have the advantage though, don't we?" Ron said. "We spent the summer learning with Lou Ellen. Harry, you learned faster than any of us. Weren't you taking private lessons with her?"

"A few towards the end," Harry nodded. "It wasn't much, though. She heard that I could cast the patronus and was really surprised as apparently even she can't cast a full corporeal one."

Percy leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. "You are all definitely at an advantage. Unfortunately, when Hecate and Voldemort do finally make their move, it'll take more than just the four of you...well, six including Daphne and Tracey, to stop them. More people need to learn how to fight back."

"And how exactly are they going to learn with Umbridge in charge?" Ginny asked. "It's not as if we can ask one of the professors to help us. They're all doing their best to stay out of her way."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Ginny, you're a genius!"

"What?" Ginny blinked. "What did I say?"

"We can't go to a professor for help in teaching us," Hermione said. "But that doesn't mean we can't have someone teach us."

Percy cocked his head. "What are you going on about?"

"Harry," Hermione said, turning to him. "You know more magic than any of us. You're brilliant in DADA, you're always top of our year in the practical portion. You can teach us."

"Teach?" Harry said, eyes wide. "You want me to teach you?"

"Just while we're at school," Hermione nodded. "Percy's right, we need more people prepared to fight when Voldemort makes his move. Lou Ellen can't come to teach us, and let's face it, Percy isn't the best with magic. That leaves you."

"I don't know about this," Harry said, looking around at the common room. There weren't many students in the room any more. Just a few younger years playing cards and chatting amongst themselves. "I just want to get through this year as fast as possible."

"Mate," Ron said. "We all get that. But this is more than just making it through the year. This is about saving lives."

Percy nodded. "He's right, Harry. This is more than any of us. The people here. The kids. Their lives could depend on what you can teach them."

"Are you really serious about this, Mione?" Harry said. "How would we even go about doing this?"

"We can figure that out later," Hermione said. "Right now I just want you to think about what we can learn. Not just to pass our OWLs, but to survive."

Harry sighed and waited a few minutes, thinking intently. Finally, he nodded and looked up at his friends. "Alright. I'll do it. But we'll need a room to practice in. One Umbridge can't find. And we'll need to figure out a way to keep this a secret."

Hermione grinned. "We'll figure it out. I'm proud of you, Harry."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Harry said, waving her off. "Don't go saying that until after our first lesson. I'll probably make a rubbish teacher."

"Only if you teach us archery," Ginny said with a grin. Harry rolled his eyes at her as the rest of them laughed.

...

Dolores Umbridge strode confidently into the hospital wing, clipboard in hand. Five names were on her list of possible students with less than appropriate blood status. Top of the list, however, was the infuriating monster. The one who had cheated his way into the Triwizard Tournament. The one who had attacked both Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory in the maze. The one who continued to spread lies about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's falsified return. Percy bloody Jackson. The boy had been nothing but trouble ever since Dolores had arrived at Hogwarts. The memory of his first class with her continued to boil her blood.

Dolores had hoped that when Jackson came to her for detention, she'd be able to see him in pain. He deserved it after all. It was the responsibility of upstanding witches and wizards such as herself to subjugate non-humans. Jackson claimed to be a demigod, but Dolores knew that was merely a ploy for attention. She hadn't believed he was anything but human until he had begun writing with the blood quill. His hand should have started bleeding. But nothing happened. No scars. No marks. No blood. There was no explanation for it but that he was some dark creature pretending to be human. He was a danger to the school and to the Ministry, and if Harry Potter and Dumbledore trusted him it only proved the Minister was right. Dumbledore was using dark magic to attack the Ministry. Well, Dolores Umbridge would not back down without a fight. She would protect Minister Fudge and the Ministry itself from this danger. It was her right as Undersecretary. It was her right as a witch.

"How can I help you, Professor Umbridge?" asked Madam Pomfrey, the head matron of the Hogwarts hospital. Her voice was stern, but Umbridge doubted it had anything to do with her. She was High Inquisitor of the school, after all, and the other professors all admired her.

"I need to access some of your student records," Dolores said. "Specifically, I need the information on five students."

"I'm afraid that information is confidential and only accessible by myself, parents, and the headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, carrying a tray of vials from a cabinet by the window to a small table in the center of the room. She began dividing the vials onto smaller trays, not once looking up.

"Actually," Dolores said, "the board of Governors has just accepted the Ministry's demands that the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts be allowed to view student medical records in order to maintain safety and order here within the castle." She removed a piece of parchment from her clipboard and placed it on top of the vials. Madam Pomfrey took the parchment and read it, her face never revealing any emotion.

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said after a while. "Which names do you require the information for?"

"Sophie Roper, Demelza Robins, Eloise Midgen, Kevin Entwhistle, and Percy Jackson."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes snapped up at Jackson's name, and Dolores could practically feel her adrenaline coursing through her veins. Madam Pomfrey knew something about the boy. She had him.

"Give me a few minutes," Madam Pomfrey said, slowly. She put the parchment back down on the table and disappeared into her office. Dolores looked around the room. There were two students laying in beds by the far wall, bandaged up. She sneered. Clearly this was the result of mismanaged spellwork in class. She would have to speak with the Minister about this. Clearly she needed to inspect each class to make sure the professors were performing up to the Ministry's standards.

"I do not have anything on record for Sophie Roper or Kevin Entwhistle," Madam Pomfrey said, entering the room. "Demelza Robins is clearly human as is Eloise Midgen."

Dolores looked at the stack of parchment in the head matron's hands. "And Percy Jackson." Madam Pomfrey hesitated. "Madam Pomfrey, I demand that you hand over that document."

The head matron hesitated again before handing over the stack of paper. Dolores looked through it greedily. Demelza Robins, nothing unusual save that she was a halfblood. Eloise Midgen, a pureblood, clearly had nothing wrong with her. Perseus Jackson...Dolores' eyes widened. Potions did not work on him? His blood was not human. He was something else. Something unnatural.

"He's not a dark creature," Madam Pomfrey said quickly. "I've tried his blood against every known creature, and none of them match."

"Leave the conjecture to me," Dolores said, straightening her back. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. You have done this school a great service. Jackson will no longer pose a danger to Hogwarts or its students."

...

Daphne sat in the back of the classroom next to Tracey. Professor McGonagall was discussing the theory behind the vanishing spell.

"And where do these vanished objects go?" Professor McGonagall looked around the classroom. "Mr. Jackson? Mr. Jackson?"

Everyone turned to look at Percy who was sitting next to Harry in the back of the room. Harry moved his chair a bit away from Percy who was currently sitting with his head rolled back and snoring softly. Daphne rolled her eyes. She loved him very much, but the idiot was always asleep. He could be sitting next to an active volcano and still find a way to fall asleep. It would be rather charming if he didn't currently have his mouth wide open and drool dripping down his chin.

Professor McGonagall strode forward towards Percy before slapping her hand on his desk in front of him. Percy gasped and shot up, eyes wide and looking around the room for the threat when he noticed everyone giggling at him. Daphne had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the silly look on his face, and if she didn't know any better, she'd think she saw the smallest of smiles on the stern Scottish professor's face.

"Mr. Jackson, do keep your mouth shut and pay attention," she said. "Now, where do the objects go after they've vanished?"

"Uh..." Percy said slowly, looking around the room for help. He made eye contact with Daphne and silently pleaded with her for help, but she could only grin at him. "To some magical dump?"

"Please stay awake from now on," Professor McGonagall said, turning around and returning to the front of the classroom. Percy turned and glared at Daphne, sticking his tongue out at her. Daphne merely smirked and blew him a kiss.

"Vanished objects," Professor McGonagall continued, getting everyone's attention, "go into non-being. That is to say, they become part of everything. It is also possible to prevent an object from vanishing by enchanting it. Now, I will be handing out a snail to everyone. As soon as you receive your snail, begin practicing the vanishing spell. The incantation is 'Evanesco.' Ms. Patil, help me hand out the snails."

Parvati Patil stood up and began helping Professor McGonagall hand out the snails to each person. Soon the classroom was filled with the sounds of people attempting to vanish the small creatures. Daphne managed to vanish her snail on her second try, and smiled at her best friend when Tracey managed it on her third. She looked around the room and noticed that only Hermione and Harry had managed to vanish theirs as well. Percy wasn't even trying to vanish his snail, instead it looked as if he was setting up some sort of path for it to move across.

"Perce," Daphne hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making a race course, what does it look like?" Percy grinned up at her.

"You're such an idiot," Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

Harry snorted. "Hey, you're the one dating him."

Only a few others managed to vanish their snails by the time Professor McGonagall ended the class. Daphne lingered behind as everyone packed up their things and left the classroom. With Umbridge's decrees, spending time with her boyfriend during the week was practically impossible. All she had were these brief moments after class before they stepped back out into the hallway. The professors, it seemed, did not care much if students broke most of the decrees. Umbridge had few allies in the school.

"You know, it might help if you actually tried to do school work," Daphne told Percy as they slowly walked to the hallway.

"It's just so boring," Percy said. "Plus, you and I both know that it's only a matter of time before Umbridge kicks me out of here."

"How can you be so blasé about it?"

"Things like this happen, Daphne," he said. "I don't want to leave you, but we both know it's going to happen so instead of worrying about 'if,' I'm choosing to figure out what will happen when it happens."

Daphne frowned but nodded. "I get that. I do. I'm just going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Percy said. "But I'll be just an IM away."

"Not the same as being with you."

Percy sighed. "I know."

They reached the hallway and, as though walking through a barrier, stopped talking. Neither wished to spend any more time with Umbridge in detention. As it was lunch, they headed downstairs together. When they reached the Grand Entrance, they found a large group of students.

"More educational decrees?" Percy whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I don't think so," Daphne whispered back.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Percy said. He discreetly reached out and bumped her shoulder gently before disappearing in the crowd. Daphne spotted Tracey and walked over to her.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Tracey shrugged. "No idea. Umbridge started pacing back and forth and people just stopped to watch."

"That's not a good sign."

"I think she's finally lost her mind," Tracey said. Umbridge looked up and smiled at the crowd of students.

"Ah!" she said. "Mr. Jackson! Please step forward."

Daphne's eyes widened and she shared a look with Tracey.

"Woah, is that my stuff?" Percy asked, stepping through the crowd. Sure enough, his duffle bag was on the ground by Umbridge. "Am I going somewhere?"

"By the order of Educational Decree number nineteen," Umbridge said, "I hereby expel you, Percy Jackson, from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The crowd of students began talking loudly amongst themselves. Daphne wanted to push through the crowd to get to Percy, but Professor McGonagall pushed past her and strode towards the ugly toad.

"What is the meaning of this, Dolores?"

"As High Inquisitor it is my responsibility to rid this school of filth and danger," Umbridge said confidently. "Educational Decree number nineteen clearly states that any halfbreed is forbidden from attending this school."

"I was led to believe that you did not agree with Mr. Jackson's claims of being a demigod," McGonagall said.

"He is nothing but a filthy liar," Umbridge sneered. "He is a halfbreed yes, but the gods are not real. He is a dark creature, and as such, has no business here in this school."

"When Albus hears about this—"

Umbridge held up a hand. "The Minister has made it very clear that as High Inquisitor I have final say in the expulsion of a student."

"I believe that it takes a unanimous consensus from the board of governors to expel a student from Hogwarts," said Dumbledore, stepping into the crowd. "Isn't that right, Professor?"

"You are quite right," Umbridge smiled. She held out a document to the headmaster. "I have here a written agreement from the board of governors. They have unanimously agreed to expel Mr. Jackson based on his medical report."

The entire time, Percy was merely standing by his duffel bag, hands in his pockets and rocking softly. Everyone turned to him and he merely shrugged. "Hey, if I'm expelled, I'm expelled. Gotta say I'm really not that surprised. This is probably for the best to be honest. Me and school don't really mix."

Everyone who had had a class with Percy chuckled.

"You cannot allow this to happen, Albus," McGonagall said.

"I'm afraid that this is out of my hands," Dumbledore said, handing the written document back to Dolores. "Mr. Jackson, I am afraid you are no longer a student here at Hogwarts. Please take your bags and head outside. Hagrid will take you down to Hogsmeade where you will be sent home."

"Is it okay if I say goodbye to my friends?" Percy asked.

"Absolutely not!" Umbridge sneered.

"Of course you can," Dumbledore said, ignoring Umbridge.

"My word is law," Umbridge shouted, stomping her foot. Daphne could not help but roll her eyes. The pink toad was little more than a petulant child.

"You may be able to impose new rules," Dumbledore said, "but as I am still headmaster as of yet, I have the final say when a student is banished from the school grounds. Mr. Jackson, you may say goodbye to your friends. Everyone else, I believe that lunch is almost over. I suggest you head inside and eat before your next classes begin."

The crowd of students groaned, clearly upset at being dismissed, but made their way into the Grand Hall for lunch. Daphne and Tracey stayed behind as did their Gryffindor friends. Umbridge glared at them both, but said nothing as they walked up to Percy.

"I'll miss you guys," Percy said, hugging the Gryffindors. "Although I can't say I'm too sad about leaving school. I'm more than ready to get back to the outside world. It's just too nice outside to be kept up inside."

"It's bloody freezing outside, mate," Ron said.

Hermione cuffed him on the back of the head. "Language, Ron."

"It won't be the same without you here," Tracey said, stepping forward and hugging Percy.

"I know. I certainly add a certain level of pizzazz to the school, don't I?"

Daphne rolled her eyes and walked up to her boyfriend. "This ego of yours is rather unbecoming."

"Ah, but you still love me," he grinned. Daphne smiled back and hugged him tightly. Her heart fluttered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He pulled back slightly, and his smile faded. "Make sure you wear that bracelet at all times, alright? I might not be around in person, but that band will protect you."

"Is it charmed?" Daphne asked.

Percy grinned and shook his head. "No. You'll just have to figure it out for yourself."

"I'll miss you, Kelpie."

"I'll miss you more."

Daphne smiled and reached up on her toes to kiss him gently. When she pulled away, she stroked his cheek gently. "Tell my family hello for me?"

"Of course," he nodded before stepping away and grabbing his duffle bag. He slung it over his shoulder and looked at Umbridge. "Well, I guess I'm out of here then. Thanks for the memories, Ummy. Class was fun. So was that detention with you. Too bad that quill of yours didn't work right, huh?"

Umbridge's smile faded briefly before she regained her composure. "Get out, Mr. Jackson. You are no longer wanted here."

Percy saluted and winked at his friends. "I'll see you all at Christmas then."

"Bye Percy," they all said. Umbridge smirked and once the doors closed behind him, turned around and went into the Grand Hall. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore shared a look and left, heading up the grand staircase talking in hushed tones.

"She's going to pay for this," Harry said, his voice grim. "Her stupidity is going to get people killed."

...

Percy had prepared them all for him being expelled. In fact, he had found the entire situation laughable which did seem to help his friends. None of them were really shocked by his expulsion, though Harry had landed in detention twice with Professor McGonagall for shouting in the halls with other students who seemed to agree with Professor Umbridge about Percy being a danger to the school. Daphne had actually taken his absence quite well, focusing entirely on receiving top marks in all of her classes. She had, however, received her first ever detention with Professor Umbridge when the toad had made the snide remark that Percy's absence was a blessing as her grades were improving. Daphne had responded that if they had a competent teacher for DADA then her grades would never have dropped to begin with.

Detention had not been as awful as Daphne had expected, but being a pureblood, it wasn't a complete surprise. Using a blood quill on any pureblood was a risk that Umbridge was certainly not stupid enough to make. Especially not on Daphne, the heiress to one of the Sacred Twenty Eight families of magical Britain. Instead of writing lines, Daphne had to sit and listen as Umbridge droned on and on about the importance of associating with the 'right' sort of people.

"As a prominent heiress to such an important family," Umbridge had said, "it is your responsibility to carry on the Greengrass legacy! I'm sure that the thrill of consorting with...certain individuals...appealed to your adolescent mind, but you must start to think about your future. You will bear many children one day and bring glory to the Greengrass family. I'm sure your parents would not want you associating yourself with someone such as that monster Jackson."

"My future is Percy," Daphne had said before she could stop herself. "And I'm his future. You have no right to tell me what is best for my family."

Umbridge had been irate, but thankfully had kept her mouth shut. Daphne had been forced to spend the rest of her detention with Filch cleaning the trophy room along with a few younger Ravenclaw students who had been caught with dungbombs. If Umbridge had thought that removing Percy from Hogwarts would actually make things better, she was sorely mistaken. The Weasley twins had taken it upon themselves to avenge him, giving away some of their new prank products for free to anyone willing to use them against the toad. It had started out rather small. One day her voice had been changed to sound like an actual frog. Another day, all of her pink had been changed to green and brown. But as she continued to impose new Educational Decrees and tightened her grip on the school, the pranks became harsher and more elaborate. On Friday, before breakfast was even over, Umbridge had come in screaming. Her office had apparently been transfigured into a bog with a sign in front with the words 'Toad's Lair' written in bold font. Professor McGonagall had eventually helped transfigure the office back, but had taken her time. She had classes to teach, after all.

Harry had been worried that Umbridge would cancel the Hogsmeade weekend due to the prank the previous day, but she hadn't. So, with snow blanketing the ground, he and his friends made their way down into Hogsmeade. They spent a few hours going into shops and enjoying their first sweets in months. Tracey and Daphne had joined them as well once they'd reached the village as the Educational Decree forbidding interhouse mingling had conveniently forgotten to mention Hogsmeade visits. Harry and Tracey had gotten caught a few times hiding behind racks of clothes snogging as though their lives depended on it. After the third time, Daphne had simply doused them with ice cold water. That seemed to put a stop to their horniness.

"Are you ready for this?" Tracey asked as they left the final store. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "It's just a few people right?"

"I think so," Tracey nodded. "Hermione mentioned she might invite a few others, but she didn't say how many."

"It's just a few others," Hermione said with a small smile, falling into step beside them.

"How many others?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at his best friend.

Hermione sighed. "Look, it's important right? You agreed that this is important. Especially now that Percy isn't around. He isn't here to teach anything. This is up to you."

"I just don't like not knowing," Harry said, angrily. "Why can't you just tell me how many?"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic, Potter. You'll do fine no matter how many people show up."

"That's what you think," Harry grumbled. Tracey giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Oh hush," she said. "If you stop complaining I'll do that thing I did on your birthday again."

Harry blushed and the others all stopped and turned towards them.

"I'm sorry," Daphne said, rubbing her ear with her mitten as though cleaning it out. "What exactly did you do on his birthday?"

"I don't think I want to hear this," Ron said, covering his ears and hurrying up ahead.

"Nothing!" Harry shouted when Tracey opened her mouth to respond to her friend. "It was nothing much, okay? How about we drop it? Oh! Look! It's the Hog's Head! We made it!"

"I'm going to find out eventually," Daphne said, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'll just wait till we're back in our dorms."

Harry blushed. "Please don't tell her, Trace."

"It's our deal," Tracey said, grinning at her boyfriend. "I tell her what I do to you, and she tells me what she does to Percy."

"I haven't done anything," Daphne said quickly when Ginny and Hermione turned to her, eyes wide.

"You haven't done anything yet," Tracey smirked. "I bet during Christmas you two won't ever leave his cabin."

Hermione scrunched up her nose. "Do you really have to be so vulgar?"

Tracey simply giggled as Daphne punched her in the shoulder, her cheeks burning crimson. They stepped inside of the Hog's Head, and they each recoiled slightly. Unlike the Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head smelled of mold and spoiled butterbeer. However, it was practically empty except for a single individual sitting at the bar wrapped in bandages.

"Anybody want a butterbeer?" Harry asked as they removed their coats and found a spot at a table in the back corner. They each nodded, and a few moments later he returned with butterbeers for everyone. "When is everyone coming?"

No sooner had he asked did the door open and a rather large group of students began filing into the dingy bar. Harry's eyes widened as he recognized Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors of almost all years. The entire Gryffindor quidditch team was there along with a few members of the Hufflepuff team and the Ravenclaw team. They all chatted rather excitedly as they each took spots in the bar. Hermione coughed and stood up.

"Hi, thank you all for coming," she said, getting their attention. "I'm sure you are all aware of why we are meeting here. Professor Umbridge is destroying our school. She's not teaching us anything, and if her expelling Percy is any indication, she's intent on putting us all in danger."

"Jackson was a danger to this school," said one of the Hufflepuffs in the back. Harry recognized him as a quidditch player but didn't remember his name. "Him and Potter both."

"They're no more a danger than any one of us," Ginny said angrily. "Percy and Harry both fought Voldemort last summer after they were abducted."

"So they say," the Hufflepuff said. "Where's the proof?"

Harry frowned and stood up. "What's your name?"

"Zacharias Smith."

"Smith, if you're only here to hear what actually happened last summer you might as well leave. I'm not about to spend time and explain to you all one of the most terrifying nights of my life. This is all life and death. We're all here because we want to learn how to defend ourselves," Harry said.

"This is crucial," Daphne said. "We're talking about learning to defend ourselves against Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Harry looked at her rather impressed. None of his friends had flinched, actually, at the name. Most of the people in the pub did, but Harry knew not to expect much more.

"And you expect us to just learn from Potter? How is he any more qualified than...than Justin there," said one of the Ravenclaws.

"Harry helped rescue the philosopher's stone from Quirrell our first year," Ron said.

"And he defeated a basilisk in his second year," said Ginny.

People began to whisper.

"A basilisk?" asked Susan Bones. "Really?"

Justin Finch-Fletchley nodded. "He did! One of the portraits by the headmaster's office said so. I had to meet with him once last year and the portrait was talking about the sword of Gryffindor in his office. It said that Harry used it to kill a basilisk."

"And let's not forget about the dementors two years ago," Hermione said. "Harry can cast a fully corporeal patronus."

"Blimey!" said one of the Weasley twins. "You're serious? A fully corporeal patronus? That's NEWT level work, Harry."

Harry punched the table, silencing the whispers. "Look, yes, it all sounds good and exciting when you list it all out like that, but I was never alone for any of that! I had friends to help me!"

"Not with the stone," Hermione countered.

Ron nodded. "And I never actually made it into the Chamber of Secrets, mate. That was all you."

"And the dementors?" Hermione continued. "I can't even begin to cast a patronus."

"Even if you did have help," Tracey said, standing up and taking Harry's hand, "that only further shows why this is so important. We don't do any of this on our own. We have to work together to fight back."

"I'm in," said Angelina Johnson, the current Gryffindor quidditch captain. "Your girlfriend is right, Harry. We have to work together to fight the Death Eaters, and the only way we can do that is if we actually know what we're doing."

"So are we all in agreement that this needs to be done?" Hermione said, pulling out a piece of parchment from her bag. There were some whispers at first but eventually everyone agreed. "Terrific! Now, we are going to have everyone sign their names on this piece of parchment."

"That's mad!" said Ernie MacMillan. "What if someone finds that?"

"She's not going to leave it lying about," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Mione's not an idiot."

Hermione blushed slightly at his praise and nodded. "Thanks, Ron. He's right though, I won't let this parchment go missing."

Daphne and Tracey immediately walked over and signed their names. One by one, everyone in the pub signed their names on the sheet. When they were all done, Harry stared at the list in shock. At least twenty names were on the sheet.

"So where are we going to meet?" asked Katie Bell. "We can't exactly use a classroom."

"We're still figuring that out, but this is a great start," Hermione said. "As soon as we find a place, we'll start to spread the word."

Everyone began filing out of the pub, each excited to be part of the secret group. Harry dropped into his seat and ran his hands through his hair.

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this," he groaned.

"Cheer up, babe," Tracey said. "You're going to do great. You're the strongest wizard I know."

Ginny nodded. "It really won't be all that bad. You don't even have to start with anything that big. It's just defensive spells. You know lots of those."

"Like the disarming spell," Harry said, nodding. "Yeah, okay, I think I can do that."

"And don't forget," Tracey said, wiggling her eyebrows. "You'll get your birthday present again."

Harry blushed. "You don't need to shout it."

Tracey merely cackled.

...

Hecate screamed in anger, forcing Voldemort to cower beneath her feet. "He's gone! He's fucking gone!"

"This was not our doing," Voldemort said. "We had no idea he'd be kicked out of school."

"Do you understand what has happened? With Jackson gone, he has free reign to disrupt our plans. At least at Hogwarts he was contained."

"What will you have us do about it?"

"We need to draw him back," Hecate sneered. "Get him and Potter together. If we kill them both there will be nothing to stop us from taking over the world."

"Our plans are still coming together," Voldemort said. "I will get Potter to the Hall of Prophecies as you asked and then we will kill him. I'm sure we can arrange for Jackson to go as well."

"See to it that you do not fail," Hecate said. The air grew cold and Voldemort felt dread in his heart. Never before had he been impacted by dementors, but now he understood why so many feared the dark creatures.

Voldemort shook his head. "I will not fail. We will have their heads."

...

"Who goes ther'?"

"It's me, Hagrid," Percy said, stepping into the light of the fire. Hagrid frowned and stood up.

"What are ye doin' 'ere, Percy? You should be at Hogwarts!"

Percy shrugged. "I got expelled. No biggy, I'm here to help you."

"Expelled?" Hagrid practically shouted. "What for?"

"For being a 'halfbreed,'" Percy said. "There's a new defense teacher who is from the Ministry. She has it out for me and Harry."

"How is he?" Hagrid asked, sitting back down.

"He's managing," Percy said. "But that won't matter much if we don't take care of this."

"How'd ye even find me?"

Percy grinned. "I've gotten some good tracking lessons from a friend of mine. It wasn't that hard to track you down after leaving Oslo. I really like this country, actually. Gorgeous."

"Do ya even know what I'm doin' out 'ere?" Hagrid asked.

"Yeah, you're looking for the giants," Percy said. "That's why I'm here. I think between the two of us we'll be able to prevent them from joining Voldemort."

"Don't say his name," Hagrid hissed.

"It's just a name," Percy said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't know half of it," Hagrid said.

Percy leaned forward, pressing his palms towards the fire. "I promise you I do. Fear is a weapon, Hagrid. Either we let it strike us, or we learn to deflect it."

Hagrid was silent for a moment before nodding. "I'm glad to have some help, I admit. It hasn't been easy bein' out 'ere on my own."

"I'm sure," Percy nodded. "How close are we to the giants?"

The ground shook violently. Hagrid stood up and motioned for Percy to join him. "From the sound of it...I'd say they're comin' 'ere."

The trees rustled and snapped and five large figures stepped into the light of the fire. Percy narrowed his eyes to look through the falling snow.

"Hagrid?" asked one of the giants.

"Aye, that'd be me," Hagrid said, stepping forward.

"Hagrid ask question?"

Hagrid nodded. "I have an important question to ask you."

"Hagrid come with Baby Cakes."

Percy's eyes widened.

"Holy shit!" he hissed.

"Hagrid bring Baby Cakes food?" Baby Cakes the giant asked, clapping his hands excitedly.

Hagrid shook his head and waved his arms. "No, no, this is Percy Jackson. He's a friend."

"Percy Jackson!" the giant roared. "We have rematch! Then Baby Cakes eat your bones!"

A/N: Well...I'm sure this update comes as a surprise to many of you! But I am back. If you received a notification yesterday about the story being updated, it was because I went through and did some editing of each chapter. But here's chapter 30! I've been blown away with the number of people asking for updates. Thank you so much to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. We're half way to 2000 favorites and follows. That just blows my mind. I will do my absolute best to be more consistent with updates from now on. The reason it has taken so long for this chapter is for a few reasons. I got married, COVID has been kicking my butt since I work in tech and have been working extra hard from home to help other people in my company who are not tech savvy, and I moved homes. Plus, I had to reread this story to really get back into what I wanted from it, and reading my own work can be hard at times! But, with the edits I made I'm much happier with EoD. Long author's note, but to be fair, it has been about 6 months since my last update. Anyways, thank you all for sticking with this story. Until next time!