A/N 1/4/2021: As you all know, I never put author notes at the top. However, if you follow this story, you might receive a notification about an update to the story, and since I'm just adding a new note, I figured it would be best for everyone to add it to the top to make it easier for everyone to find. The point of this note is to let everyone know that in rereading Empire of Dirt to prepare for chapter 32, I spotted lots of cringey dialogue, grammatical mistakes, and spotted places that I wanted to add new scenes to. Not to mention, I had a few plot lines early on in the story that I abandoned. SO, I am currently in the process of updating EoD. Every chapter is getting a revamp, some are getting a few tweaks, some are receiving major plot updates and additional scenes (some scenes have also been removed). None of these updates are live yet, they will go live along with chapter 32 to avoid any confusion. When they do go live, I would recommend rereading the story from the beginning. Thank you all, you're amazing. I hope everyone had a restful holiday season, and here's to 2021...maybe EoD will actually be complete this year? (this a/n will be removed when the updates go live)

...

"She knows," Hermione whispered into Harry's ear as they stood in the Grand Entrance. "She's got to know. But how?"

"Maybe someone told her? Someone from the meeting?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, we'd know about that for sure."

"How?" Harry asked, cocking his head to the side.

"It was Tracey's idea, actually," Hermione said. "We bewitched the parchment everyone signed so that if anybody snitches, we'll know."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course it was her idea. She's cunning that one."

"She's in Slytherin for a reason."

"By order of the High Inquisitor," Filch shouted at the students from his place atop the step ladder. "All existing clubs, teams, societies, and groups are immediately disbanded and forbidden from regrouping without the High Inquisitor's consent. Any students found breaking Educational Decree number twenty-four will be expelled immediately."

"She can't do that!" shouted several quidditch players from all four houses. Professor Umbridge, standing beside the ladder, merely smiled at them all. It took all of Harry's willpower not to fire a spell at her. Nothing dangerous. Just something to wipe that smile off her face. She infuriated him, and to be perfectly honest, it did not take much these days to set him off.

Ever since Percy's expulsion, Umbridge's intolerance had reached new levels. Dozens of students were in detention with her and no less than ten had been expelled in the short span of a week. Two of them were a couple who'd been dating since their third year at Hogwarts. Umbridge had caught them studying together in the library but since he was a Hufflepuff and she was Gryffindor, they'd been immediately expelled. Harry was desperate to see Tracey again. They'd had to stop meeting on the weekends by the lake as someone, most likely Malfoy, had mentioned to Umbridge that some people liked to go out there to break school rules. Ever since then, Filch would stand guard around the lake every weekend morning. The only solace Harry had was quidditch practice. Flying always did wonders for his mood.

"Potter," Angelina said, pushing through the crowd as everyone left for dinner. "Harry, please don't do anything to piss off the toad okay?"

"I haven't done anything to piss her off except breathe for weeks now," Harry said.

Angelina gave a small smile. "I know. I know. It's just, winning the trophy this year is important to me. We need to meet with Umbridge to get the team back together, and I don't want anything to jeopardize that."

"You have my word," Harry said, nodding.

"By the way," she said, whispering to him and Hermione. "Are we not meeting anymore? You know...for...?"

"We'll still meet," Hermione said. "I have a way to reach everyone. We're still looking for a place to meet."

Angelina nodded. "Good luck with that. Let me know when we have a place. DADA is getting worse every day."

They waved goodbye to Angelina as she hurried off, presumably to meet with Umbridge about reforming the Gryffindor quidditch team. They went into the Great Hall and took seats at their table. As of yet, Umbridge had not passed any rules about students talking during meals, but they had a feeling it was only a matter of time before she did something ridiculous like that.

"Can you believe that toad?" Ginny asked. "Angelina looked like she was going to have apoplexy when Filch announced the new rule."

"She's going to try and reform the team right now," Harry said. "I hope it works. I really don't want the team to be impacted just because Umbridge hates me."

"What about our meetings?" Ron asked before shoving an entire slice of ham into his mouth.

Harry grimaced at his friend's manners before looking at Hermione. "Hermione seems to think we'll be fine."

"Don't you see?" she said. "This is exactly why our meeting is so important. She's trying to silence us. We can't let that happen."

"So where are we meeting?" Ginny asked. "Have you tried talking to Dobby? He's down in the kitchens, I'm sure he might know where to look."

Harry's eyes widened. "Ginny, you're a genius! I'll go talk to Dobby tonight."

Hermione shook her head. "No, don't do it after curfew. We don't need a reason for you getting expelled if you get caught."

"I won't get caught," Harry protested. "I have my cloak and the map."

Last year, Harry had had the Marauder's Map confiscated by who he thought was Professor Moody but had actually been Barty Crouch Jr. in polyjuice disguise. When they'd found the real Moody and apprehended Crouch, Dumbledore had managed to sneak the map away from the aurors before they'd investigated the classroom. Crouch had been executed before he could be interrogated when Fudge had sent dementors to his cell. He had gotten some flack for his actions, but after what had happened with Sirius Black two years ago, some members of the Wizengamot praised Fudge for his quick thinking. Sirius had been caught and locked up in Hogwarts before Harry and Hermione had rescued him using Buckbeak the hippogriff. Fudge had been furious to lose the wanted man.

"You have all that stuff," Ginny said, "but it's always a risk. An unnecessary one."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Fine, okay. I'll go as soon as I finish dinner. Sound good?"

"I'll come too," Hermione offered.

"No, that's okay," Harry said. "If something happens, I'd rather it be just me."

Harry ended up scarfing down the rest of his food, knowing that he did look a bit like Ron and Ginny who were notorious Weasleys when it came to their appetite. As soon as he finished, he glanced at the clock on the wall. Being a fifth year, curfew wasn't until 11, so he still had a few hours before he had to go back to Gryffindor tower. The only problem was the new decree forbidding students from wandering around hallways needlessly. He hoped that going down to the kitchens would be enough reason to justify him being away from his common room.

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby shouted, popping in right in front of him as soon as Harry stepped into the kitchens. "How can Dobby help, Harry Potter, sir?"

"Hi, Dobby," Harry said, smiling at the little house elf. Dobby and Harry went way back. Just before Harry's second year, Dobby had tried to warn him about going to Hogwarts even going so far as to destroy a cake his Aunt Petunia had made for some very important guests. Then Dobby had blocked the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Crossing in the hopes that Harry wouldn't go to school. Instead, Harry and Ron had taken the Weasleys's flying car and driven it all the way to Hogwarts before crashing it into the Whomping Willow. During Harry's first quidditch match of the year, Dobby had enchanted one of the bludgers to attack him persistently. Harry had caught the snitch but not before the bludger had shattered his arm. Harry had eventually saved the school from the danger Dobby was afraid of, and had even managed to save Dobby from the Malfoys-his former family. Ever since then, Dobby had been more than enthusiastic in helping Harry in any way. "Dobby, I need your help with something."

The house elf's eyes widened in shock before giant tears formed. "Harry Potter, sir, is the greatest wizard alive! Asking Dobby for help! How can Dobby help?"

Harry looked around the kitchens. There were several house elves running around and cleaning dishes from dinner. He wasn't sure if any of these house elves were Umbridge's spies. He figured they were all loyal to Hogwarts and the headmaster first, but still. It wasn't impossible that one or two might report to the High Inquisitor as well.

"Dobby can we talk in the hall?" he asked.

Dobby snapped his fingers and the two of them appeared on the outside of the kitchens just in front of the portrait of fruit. Harry gasped, not expecting the sudden change.

"Okay, a little warning next time," he said. Dobby's ears dropped.

"Dobby is so sorry!"

"It's okay," Harry said, quickly, not wanting the little creature to start crying. "Dobby, I need help. I'm hoping to set up a study group, and we need a place to meet where no one can find us."

"Like a classroom?" Dobby asked.

Harry shook his head. "Something a little more secretive. Something where Umbridge doesn't know about and where we can meet in secret. There are several of us."

Dobby thought for a moment before his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. Harry flinched but they didn't teleport anywhere. "Harry Potter is wanting the Come and Go Room! Dobby has heard the other house elves talk about it, sir. It is known as the Come and Go Room or the Room of Requirement!"

"Where is that?" Harry asked, eagerly. "That sounds perfect!"

"It's on the seventh floor in the Hall of Hexes," Dobby said, snapping his fingers. Once again, Harry gasped as he fell onto the ground. He groaned and looked up. He was right in front of the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls how to dance. He fixed his glasses and looked around.

"Dobby, there's no door around here."

"The room is behind that wall," Dobby pointed to the wall opposite the portrait. "Harry Potter, sir, must walk back and forth three times for the room to appear."

Harry hummed thoughtfully before doing as Dobby said. He walked back and forth three times, but nothing happened.

"Harry Potter must think about what he wants for the room to appear."

"Why didn't you just say that before?" Harry grumbled under his breath. He walked back and forth three more times, each time thinking

On his third time, the wall began to morph and soon there was a single wooden door where previously had only been stone. Harry's eyes widened, and he looked over at Dobby who was jumping up and down with excitement. Harry opened the door and pushed it open revealing a brightly lit room.

Stepping inside, Harry's eyes widened even more. The room was enormous. The ceiling was not very high, but the room was easily as long as two classrooms and just as wide. A large fireplace sat at the far end, and there were several practice dummies lining the walls. Each dummy had a target on its chest. "This is perfect! Dobby, thank you."

"Harry Potter, sir, is too kind!" Dobby wailed.

Harry gave a sheepish smile. "Er...thanks, I guess. Sorry, Dobby, but I need to get back to my common room. Not supposed to be wandering the halls, you know?"

"Dobby can help Harry Potter!" Dobby said, snapping his fingers before Harry could protest. Harry fell to the ground once more, groaning.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, rushing over to him. "How did you get in here? You can't apparate in Hogwarts. How did you even learn how to apparate?"

Harry let her help him up and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I didn't apparate, Mione. Dobby teleported me here."

"Dobby?" Hermione asked, pursing her lips. She had stopped forcing SPEW on everyone, but she still was very wary of utilizing house elves in any way.

"He found us the perfect place to meet, though," Harry said quickly, hoping to distract her with the good news. "It's on the seventh floor just opposite the portrait of Barnabus the Barmy."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "I don't remember there being any room there."

"That's because it's hidden," Harry grinned. "You have to walk back and forth in front of the wall three times, thinking about what room you want, and a door appears. It's brilliant."

"We'll have to take a look at it this weekend," Hermione said. "But this is so exciting!"

"We'll just need to figure out a way to get a hold of everyone to let them know when and where."

"I already have that figured out."

"How so?"

Hermione hurried over to where her bag was on the couch by the fire and dug around in it for a little bit before pulling out two galleons. She handed one of them to Harry.

"Do you owe me money?" Harry asked, confused. "Bit off topic, don't you think?"

"Just wait, you prat," Hermione rolled her eyes. She tapped the coin in her hand with her wand, and after a moment, Harry felt his coin warm up. His eyes widened, and when he held it up, he read 'Harry is an idiot.'

"That's just rude."

"So, what do you think?"

Harry grinned. "I think this is brilliant. How did you even do this?"

"I just modified a protean charm," Hermione said. "It wasn't that difficult, really."

"Protean? That's NEWT level, Mione!"

Hermione blushed. "Honestly, it wasn't that difficult."

"You're brilliant," Harry smiled, hugging his friend. "When should we set the first meeting?"

"We shouldn't wait long. Maybe next weekend? It's a Hogsmeade weekend, so most people including the staff will be gone."

"That could work," Harry nodded. He looked around the common room. "Where are Ron and Ginny?"

"Ron went on up to shower, and Ginny is serving detention with Umbridge." Hermione shook her head. "She was in the library studying with her partner on her charms assignment. Her partner is in Hufflepuff. Umbridge didn't even let her explain herself, just gave her detention."

"She's a menace," Harry said bitterly. "I can't wait for this year to be over and for her to be gone."

"She might come back next year."

"I doubt it," Harry said. "We've never had a DADA professor last longer than a year, remember? I highly doubt the toad will be the first to break that curse."

"Fair enough," Hermione said. "How about we start going over what you want to teach next week?"

Harry nodded. "Might as well, I guess. All my homework is finished."

"Really?"

"You don't have to sound so suspicious. With nothing else to do, I figured I'd work ahead."

She smiled. "I'm proud of you, Harry. Hopefully when all this is over and Hogwarts goes back to normal, you'll keep this up."

"We'll see," he grinned. "We'll see."

...

Thanatos stood by the door, watching as Hecate paced about the chamber, a bubbling cauldron in the middle of the room. The goddess' eyes were bloodshot and crazed, darting around in every direction as she mumbled to herself.

"Hecate," Thanatos said. She ignored him.

"Hecate," he repeated.

"What?" she snarled. "Can't you see I'm thinking?"

"You've been 'thinking' for three hours."

Hecate stopped pacing and pointed the elder wand at him. Power radiated off of her in droves, pulsating as though it had a heart beat. "I could end you right here."

"I am still the god of death," Thanatos said. "You strike me down and you lose all control over me. I will be reborn in Tartarus where I will regain my full power."

"I can make your life a living hell."

"How about you tell me what you are planning?"

Hecate began pacing again. "Percy Jackson is no longer at Hogwarts."

"I am perfectly aware. You must be pleased."

"This is the worst possible thing to happen," Hecate snarled.

Thanatos shook his head. "That is not what you said previously. You wanted him gone from Hogwarts. Away from Potter. That's what you said."

"And now I want him back," she shouted, batting the cauldron to the ground with a wave of her hand, splashing the potion all over the floor. The potion sizzled when it hit the hardwood floor before the floor itself began to dissolve. Thanatos took a step back. "Every moment that insect is out in the world, is another one of our plans falling apart. Do you know where he is now?"

"I have not heard anything from the Order. I know he is working with some of the Order members on their missions, but I do not know which one in particular. Ever since they learned of my true identity, they've been more cautious about what they tell even Dumbledore."

"Jackson must die," Hecate said. "He is all that stands between Voldemort and Potter. If the prophecy is to come to fruition, and Voldemort to triumph, Jackson must be gone."

"And how exactly do you plan to kill him?" Thanatos asked.

"Voldemort knows the plan," Hecate said. "And you must be kept in the dark. The Order cannot know what we are going to do."

"A wise choice," he tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"And you," Hecate said. "Have you been leaving Umbridge alone?"

"I've done as you've asked," he nodded. "I have given her a wide berth and ignored most of what she has done. The school is being torn apart, and Potter is beginning to lead a rebellion against her."

Hecate tapped her nose. "Interesting. Does Umbridge know of this rebellion?"

"She's believed in a rebellion since long before it even existed."

"Perhaps this will work in our favor."

"How so?"

Hecate grinned. "The more people look up to Potter the more responsibility he will put on himself. If it comes down to it, he may even sacrifice himself for them all."

"That does seem to be his modus operandi."

"Then do what you can to keep his rebellion hidden," Hecate said, cackling. "When the time comes for it, he will sacrifice himself for his friends and we will be rid of him at last. Go. I must speak with Voldemort about our plans."

Thanatos bowed and exited the room. Hecate was becoming increasingly unstable, her plans continuously changing the longer she was disconnected from her godly source. He had seen this before with some of the minor gods. Pan himself had begun losing his mind as his domain began fading. As Thanatos arrived in the headmaster's office and morphed back into Dumbledore, he could not help but whistle softly to himself. Percy had done them a big favor when he'd blocked Hecate from the mist. It was ancient magic known only to very few. Medea had been the last of Hecate's children who had known how to control the mist to such a scale. With Hecate blocked from her source, it would drive her further and further into madness. Dumbledore had hoped that the goddess would fade from existence as Pan had, but Hecate's connection to magic was still strong. It was this duality of connection and disconnection that was splitting her mind.

Percy's expulsion from Hogwarts was both good and bad for both the Dark and the Light. Percy was the only one that could reign in Harry's rage and personal demons, and were he here, he'd be able to train this new rebellious group in more ways than just spellcraft. War is more than just magic. It takes stamina and tactical awareness which Percy could offer the students had he not been expelled. But at the same time, Dumbledore knew how important it was that Percy was out in the world again doing what he did best: kill monsters. Hagrid had already reached out to him to inform him that Percy had met up with him in Oslo. They were going to be meeting with the giants in hopes that they did not side with Voldemort in the upcoming war. Dumbledore had not heard anything since then, but he knew better than to expect frequent updates. As far as he knew, Artemis and the hunters were not faring well in their hunt for Fenrir Greyback. The werewolf knew how to cover his tracks well. Perhaps he had help from Lycaon. Dumbledore shook his head. He hoped the Roman world would not intervene in the upcoming war. Greeks and Romans never got along and to have them join forces together...it would be a disaster to put it mildly.

But no matter what was going on with the Greeks or Percy, Dumbledore's own plans were coming along quite nicely. Hecate still held the elder wand, and as far as he knew, Voldemort had locked away the resurrection stone, but so long as Harry kept the invisibility cloak, Dumbledore would still have some freedom to continue his own work. He knew, of course, the reason for Harry's rage. He had known the night Voldemort had confronted the Potters. Harry Potter was a horcrux.

Harry needed to die for the horcrux within him to be destroyed, and as much as Dumbledore hated to admit it, the best course of action was to follow Hecate's plans. If Harry sacrificed himself, it would destroy the horcrux and they'd be one step closer to defeating Voldemort. But that would not happen for quite some time. Right now, the most important thing was retrieving the other two Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore was closing in on where Voldemort had stashed the resurrection stone. The trick would be recovering the elder wand.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and sighed, running a hand through his beard. "Winky." A small house elf with drooping ears appeared before him. "Get me a glass of brandy, if you do not mind." After all this time in the mortal world, Dumbledore had learned not to survive on ambrosia and nectar. However, he had a feeling that the next time he drank nectar it would taste just like brandy. Oh how the god had fallen. But soon, the god of death would be reborn and would take back his place in the underworld. Hecate's time of reckoning was coming. The only question was how long until then.

...

"Merlin, this is way more than who all showed up in Hogsmeade," Harry said, eyes wide as students poured into the Room of Requirement. Tracey reached out and took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"They all signed the contract, don't worry," she said. "They just want to learn how to protect themselves."

"Still," Harry protested. "This is a lot of responsibility on me. What if I mess up?"

Tracey kissed his cheek softly, enjoying the intimacy after what felt like months without him. "You won't. You'll do brilliantly."

"Thanks," he said, giving her a smile.

"Alright, everyone," Hermione said loudly, getting everyone's attention just as the last student entered the room. "Welcome to our first meeting. As you all know, Umbridge is getting worse every day. Especially us who have OWLs or NEWTs this year are going to have a really hard time passing the DADA exams if we don't do something about it. So, we decided to form this club so that we could actually teach ourselves how to fight and defend ourselves. But before we do any of that, I think we should pick a leader for the group."

"Isn't Harry the leader?" asked Fred.

"Well sure," Hermione said, "but we should still make it official. Everyone, raise your hand if you agree that Harry should be our leader."

Everyone raised their hand. Harry blushed slightly as everyone turned to face him. "Hi...er...okay, maybe we should come up with a name now?"

"How about the Defense Association?" asked Alicia Spinnet, one of the Gryffindor chasers.

"What about Dumbledore's Army?" George suggested. "Umbridge already thinks that's what's going on. Might as well give into it."

There was a general murmuring agreement from the group. Harry nodded. "I guess that settles it. We'll be Dumbledore's Army. Now, I think we can get started. I thought we'd begin our first meeting with going over the disarming spell."

"You're serious?" Zacharias Smith practically shouted. "We all know how to do the disarming spell. I thought we'd actually be learning new stuff. Merlin, you're just as bad as Umbridge."

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, firing the spell at Zacharias who was too slow to react. The spell slammed into him, knocking him back onto the ground and sending his wand flying into Harry's outstretched hand.

"Merlin, I didn't know that spell could do that," someone whispered. Soon everyone began murmuring, eyes wide. Harry tossed Zacharias' wand onto the ground next to him as the boy began standing up, glaring at Harry.

"Just because you know a spell doesn't mean you are good at it," Harry said. "Can you cast the spell consistently? Can you dodge it? Can you hit the target every time? Disarming someone is a powerful tool that each one of you needs to learn. It's saved my life more than once. So here's what we'll do. Everyone, line up and face up against one of the dummies on the wall."

Soon everyone was lined up in front of a dummy, and Harry had them each begin casting the disarming spell. A few students managed to hit the target on the first try, but it quickly became apparent that many were not as good at the spell as they'd thought they were. Even Hermione found it rather difficult to hit the target every time.

"What am I doing wrong?" Tracey grumbled when her sixth attempt failed. Harry walked up and stood next to her.

"Try again," he said kindly.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Your wand motion is too stiff," Harry said. He flicked his wrist and pointed at it. "See how my wrist is rather loose? You also don't want to grip your wand so tightly. Relax. The more you get frustrated the harder it'll be."

Tracey took a deep breath and nodded. She pointed her wand at the target, making sure not to grip her wand too tightly, and flicked her wrist. "Expelliarmus!"

The spell shot forward and hit the target, sending the makeshift wand towards Tracey who very nearly caught it.

"Brilliant, love," Harry said with a smile, kissing her cheek. "Keep practicing just like that. You'll get the hang of it."

"Thanks," Tracey grinned, and continued practicing. Harry had them all continue practicing on the dummies for another thirty minutes before he called for everyone to stop.

"That was great, everyone," he said. "But the enemy won't be standing still, waiting for you to hit them. I want everyone to partner up and line up across from each other. Take turns and practice disarming each other. I don't want anybody to use any spell but the disarming spell, do you understand?"

It was rather amusing, Harry had to say, watching everyone trying to disarm each other. Everyone seemed to be struggling with it, including the students who had gotten the hang of hitting the dummies. There was a difference between a dummy holding a makeshift wand, and a human actually holding onto their wand. You had to fight against someone's grip.

"Focus more on your spell than on your opponent," Harry said, walking up and down the line of students. "Landing the spell won't do anything to help you if you can't actually knock the spell out of their hand. If you're hitting your opponent but they are still holding onto their wand, try loosening your grip or refining your wand motion. Don't make it too rigid, but you don't want it to flop around. Focus is key here."

Harry helped out a few groups refine their casting, and after about an hour, mostly everyone was able to cast the spell on a stationary target. Harry clapped his hands and smiled at everyone. "That was brilliant! We still have some time, so let's move on. How many of you know the Impediment jinx?"

Fifth years and up raised their hands which made sense. The spell wasn't taught until fourth year, but with Umbridge's horrid teaching, the current fourth years wouldn't know it. At least, they wouldn't know how to cast it.

"Okay, let's all line up. Since this jinx hinders movement, we'll go one at a time against a moving dummy," Harry said. As if reading his mind, the dummies on the wall disappeared and two dummies, moving side to side, appeared in front of the fireplace. Harry grinned. "I love this room. Okay everyone, line up!"

Daphne was first in line and pointed her wand at the moving dummies.

"Remember," Harry said. "The incantation is 'impedimenta.' It's a swipe to the right with the wand. It's okay to be more rigid here as it's a single wand movement."

Daphne nodded and focused on her target. "Impedimenta!"

The spell hit the first target, slowing it down so that it was barely moving. Harry grinned at her. "Nicely done, Daphne. You can go to the back of the line. Who's next?"

Tracey went next and did just as well as Daphne. One by one, people took turns hitting the dummy. A few had trouble on their first try, but mostly everyone fourth year and up had managed to hit the target. Harry helped the few younger students, including Astoria—though due to her training over the summer with Lou Ellen, she didn't need much help, with the spell. It took longer than the disarming spell, but at the end of the hour, nearly everyone had gotten the hang of the Impediment jinx.

"This was a great first meeting," Harry said to everyone. "Thanks for joining us, honestly, this means a lot that so many of you trust me to teach you this stuff. Hermione and I will send out the information about the next meeting to your galleons by the end of the week. Next time we'll go over the Impediment jinx very briefly and then move onto the stunning spell. So, maybe look it up if you have time?"

"This was brilliant, Harry," Tracey said, running up to him and wrapping him in a tight hug. The rest of the DA left the Room leaving behind Harry and his friends. Hermione and Ginny were chatting excitedly with Daphne who they had not had a real conversation with in months.

"I've missed you," Harry said softly, hugging his girlfriend back, and inhaling deeply. She smelled lovely. Like vanilla.

"Have your nightmares been getting worse?" she asked, pulling back gently and reaching up to cup his face.

Harry shrugged. "They're not bad, exactly. Just strange. I keep seeing the same thing. A long hallway leading to a blue door."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"So you haven't been having the same dreams as me?" Tracey asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Harry blushed. "What kind of dreams have you been having?"

"Oh, nothing much," she said, leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Just dreaming about you. And me. At the beach at camp." She nibbled gently on his earlobe. "And you're always so deliciously undressed."

"I...umm..." Harry gulped. He could feel his cheeks burning red hot, and his heart was pounding in his chest. "I might have had some similar dreams."

"Hmm, maybe if you tell me, I might make those dreams come true."

"Oi, Davis," Daphne shouted. "Quit snogging your boyfriend. We have to head back to the dungeons."

Tracey groaned but let go of Harry. "Guess it'll have to wait for another time."

"We'll have winter break all to ourselves at camp," Harry said. "We can spend time at the beach."

"It'll be too cold," Tracey grumbled.

"Warming charms, love. Warming charms."

Tracey blushed but nodded. "I should have thought of that."

Harry just laughed and took her hand, leading her to the door as they followed their friends out of the Room. He looked around to make sure there weren't any professors or Umbridge around before kissing Tracey. They both moaned softly, desperate for each other, but Harry pulled away.

"I'll see you in class on Monday, yeah?"

"And at meals tomorrow," Tracey nodded, sadly. "I wish we could spend time together again."

"I know," he said. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you."

"Goodnight, Trace."

"Goodnight, love," she whispered before turning and heading off to the dungeons with Daphne.

"We should get back to our common room," Hermione said, tapping his shoulder. "They'll be patrolling this hallway soon."

Harry nodded and followed her and Ginny to Gryffindor tower. He wanted nothing more than to stay with Tracey. But at least they'd had tonight. The first meeting of the DA had gone very well, he had to admit. It was a strange feeling being a teacher, but Harry found that he rather liked it. Perhaps he might even think about teaching once he graduated from Hogwarts. That would have to wait, though, until after Voldemort was defeated. Until then, it was his responsibility to fight back. He just hoped that the auror department would ignore his poor grades from this year in DADA.

...

"Thank you all for joining me this evening," Dolores Umbridge said, smiling fondly at the group of students in front of her. Each one sat in a chair, drinking a cup of tea, and eyeing her with a but of suspicion. Not that she could blame them. Jackson and Potter had done Hogwarts irreparable damage with their lies, and so many upstanding students were now living in irrational fear. "I'm sure you are all curious as to why I invited you here."

"You said something about forming a group?" young Draco Malfoy said.

Dolores nodded. "Yes, that is correct, Mr. Malfoy. As High Inquisitor, the ministry has agreed to let me form a group of students here to help me maintain peace here at Hogwarts. This Inquisitorial Squad, if you will, will have the full support of the ministry in enforcing my educational decrees."

"So we'd be like prefects?" asked a girl with a rather ugly face. Dolores had not wanted to invite the girl originally, but the Parkinson family

one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and was presumably in a betrothal contract with young Draco. If Lord Lucius Malfoy accepted the girl, how could Dolores say no?

"Yes, Ms. Parkinson," Dolores said. "You'd be like prefects, except, you will have full permission to deduct house points from anyone breaking the rules."

"Are you serious?" Draco asked, eyes wide. "That's brilliant."

Dolores smiled. "So, will you all join me in preserving the legacy of this school?"

"You can count us in," Draco nodded. Dolores nodded and handed them each a silver 'I' badge.

"Perfect. Beginning tomorrow, I will announce the Inquisitorial Squad to the school and make sure that the other professors understand that they are not to interfere with your work."

Pansy Parkinson eagerly pinned her new badge on her robes and grinned. "Will we be able to assign detention?"

"No," Dolores shook her head. "That is, according to the board of governors, still a responsibility of the professors only. However, if any of you see any rule breaking, come to me immediately, and I will assign detention."

"Brilliant," they all said. They remained a few more minutes to finish their tea before Dolores sent them back to their dorms. She had hoped to have more students loyal to the ministry to bring into the squad, but eight students would have to suffice.

Making Draco Malfoy the leader of the group was a logical choice for Dolores. His father was an upstanding citizen and very close with Minister Fudge. It was only logical that his son, Draco, would be just as loyal to the ministry and just as eager to see Potter get what was coming to him. The rest of the squad was a bit more disappointing. Pansy Parkinson was a capable witch, and followed Draco blindly, but she was not the most intelligent young woman. Unfortunately, the rest of the group was not much better. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were rather incompetent, if Dolores had to say anything about them. She was lenient on them in class, giving them higher marks than they deserved, but they were eager and willing to serve. She supposed that would have to do. Millicent Bulstrode was as smart as Pansy, but she was ugly. Dolores doubted any respectable pureblood family would agree to marry her. Graham Montague was a far better choice. His marks in class were not the best, but he was a well-known quidditch player, and his father was another upstanding citizen, loyal to the ministry. Cassius Warrington was also on the Slytherin quidditch team, but he was not very smart, rivaling even Crabbe and Goyle.

Dolores sighed as she finalized the list of students in the squad and sealed the letter. She would have to send the list to Minister Fudge first thing in the morning. He was most eager to hear how many students were loyal to the ministry. She hoped he would not be too disappointed in the lack of students. Perhaps she could offer involvement for extra credit. It would require another educational decree, but that would not be difficult. If Dumbledore were gone it would be much easier. She was certain that most students were too terrified of the headmaster to show their loyalty to the ministry. Perhaps she should have waited until after they removed him from his position to implement the Inquisitorial Squad. Dolores shook her head. No. It had to be done, and it had to be done as soon as possible. Perhaps this group would be the ones to uncover Dumbledore's misdeeds and finally get him out of Hogwarts. Dolores could not help but laugh to herself. She was so close to rooting out the evil infecting the school. Soon Dumbledore would be gone, and then it was only a matter of time before she'd have Potter in her grasp. She'd have him locked away in Azkaban for his lies by the end of the year. Yes, things were going exactly according to plan.

...

"It's going to be okay, mate," Harry said, patting Ron's shoulder. "You'll do just fine." It was the first match of the quidditch season, and they were playing Slytherin. It was also the first time Ron would be playing a real game. With Oliver Wood gone, the Gryffindor team had needed to find a replacement keeper. Harry hadn't realized Ron was even trying out for the team, having missed the tryouts due to his detentions, and had been pleasantly surprised to find Ron on the team at their last practice. He was a very good keeper, but it seemed that his nerves were getting the better of him.

"I'm going to fail, I just know it," Ron said, grabbing his hair.

"Well, if you keep talking like that you definitely will. You just need to relax and take it one play at a time."

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "One play at a time. I can do that."

Harry patted him again and they finished eating. It was clear that Ron was still nervous as he did not eat his normal breakfast. Sure, he still ate three times as much as Harry did, but typically Ron ate nearly twice that amount. Harry was actually rather glad. A large breakfast would make it more likely for Ron to puke.

"Oi, you two ready?" asked Fred, sitting down next to Ron.

"Ron, you look green," George said, sitting down across from his brother. "Which, with that hair, does not look very good."

"He's just nervous," Harry said.

"It's just Slytherin," George said, grinning. "We always beat them. Malfoy is absolute trash and their chasers don't know how to dodge bludgers."

"Weasleys! Potter! Get off your asses and hurry up!" Angelina shouted from the end of the table.

"Like a whip, that one is," Fred said. "Merlin, she's hot."

"Keep it in your pants," George said.

"I'd rather be in her pants."

Ron managed to crack a grin at his brothers' antics and stood up, his face noticeably less green. Harry stood up as well and pushed Ron towards the door. "Come on, mate, we don't want Angelina yelling at us."

"She's worse than Wood was," George agreed.

"What was that?" Angelina hissed, poking her head around the door to glare at George.

George blushed. "Er... Harry said you're worse than Wood."

Harry's eyes widened. "I said no such thing!"

"Mmhmm," Angelina said, glaring at Harry. "Now quit standing around. We have a game to win."

"I hate you," Harry said, punching Fred in the shoulder.

"Oi! That wasn't me!" Fred said. "That was George!"

"I thought I was Fred?" George asked.

Fred cocked his head. "Maybe. Does that make me George?"

"Aye it does," George nodded. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you lot. Let's not make Angelina any angrier than she already is."

They hurried out of the castle and down to the quidditch pitch. There were already a few students in the stands, all eager to see the first quidditch match of the year. Harry and the Weasleys made it into the locker room and got into their uniform.

"Alright everyone," Angelina said, getting everyone's attention. "We have a big game today. We shouldn't have any trouble scoring, but we'll need to make sure our defense is on point."

Ron gulped next to Harry. Harry gave him what he hoped was a comforting smile. "I think I'm ready."

"You'll do great," Harry said. "You've been brilliant in practice all week."

The team lined up at the exit to the pitch. Harry was ready and eager to get back into the air. All year he'd been anticipating this first match against Slytherin. The real question was what sort of shit the Slytherins would pull. They were notorious for cheating and doing whatever they possibly could to get the upper hand. Usually, Harry didn't worry as much, but with Umbridge essentially giving Slytherin free reign of the school through her Inquisitorial Squad, he was less certain today. But, of course, he didn't say anything out loud. It wouldn't help Ron's nerves in the slightest.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first quidditch match of the season!" shouted Lee Jordan. "Today we have a bitter rivalry between the mighty Gryffindor team and the significantly lesser Slytherin team."

"Lee!" shouted Professor McGonagall. Harry grinned. It was nice to see that some things never changed.

"You got this, Ronnikins," said Fred, patting Ron's shoulder as Lee announced the Slytherin team.

"Just focus on protecting the rings while Harry catches the snitch," George nodded.

Ron rolled his eyes. "I know, I know."

"And Malfoy," Lee said, announcing the Slytherin seeker with hardly any enthusiasm. "And now for the Gryffindor team! Captain Johnson! Bell! Spinnet! Weasley! Weasley! Weasley! And Potter!"

The team flew out of the locker room onto the pitch to the roaring adoration of the school. Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he looked around. He spotted Tracey down in the stands next to Daphne, clapping and cheering. She was wearing a green jumper, but had Harry's Gryffindor scarf around her neck. It made his heart soar to see her cheer for him. This was his first time playing quidditch with his girlfriend watching.

"I want a clean match," said Madam Hooch, the referee. She mainly eyed the Slytherin captain who merely sneered in Angelina's direction. A few moments later, Madam Hooch unlocked the balls and the game began.

"And Johnson catches the quaffle right off the bat," Lee commented. "It's an impressive formation these Gryffindor chasers are implementing with Johnson flying down the middle and Bell and Spinnet on the wings. They pass between the three of them with flawless precision! Johnson, Spinnet, Johnson, Bell who takes aim...fires...she scores! Gryffindor 10, Slytherin 0!"

The match went on for several minutes. The Gryffindor chasers were far superior to Slytherin's and managed to raise the score to 100 to 30. But that was when the Slytherins in the stands began singing altogether, with the exception of Tracey, Daphne, and Astoria.

Malfoy grinned at Harry. "Like our song, Potter?"

"Doesn't make much sense now does it?" Harry said, rolling his eyes. "We're beating you by a lot."

"And Slytherin scores! Those bloody Slytherins are getting to Weasleys head!"

"Language, Lee!" shouted McGonagall.

Harry frowned and looked at the score. It was now 120-70. He looked over at their end. Ron looked absolutely miserable and no longer himself. Harry could practically see his broom shaking with nerves as the Slytherins continued to sing their filthy song. He had to find the snitch, and he needed to find it now before the Slytherins managed to close the gap. He looked around the pitch, ignoring Malfoy who was now joining in on the singing. There, he spotted the snitch by the base of the stands below Lee and McGonagall. He shot off, not caring to trick Malfoy. He was desperate for the game to end.

Malfoy shot off right after him. Both had the same Firebolt broom, but Harry was still the better flyer of the two of them. He had the lead, but only barely as he raced after the snitch which had seemed to realize it was being chased. It flew off into the sky forcing Harry to pull up. Unfortunately, it also put Harry directly in Malfoy's path who reached out and grabbed onto his broom, yanking back. It took all of Harry's concentration to hold on and kick back to knock Malfoy away, but by then he was now much further away from the snitch.

"You blood cheat," Harry shouted over his shoulder.

"You're the cheater!" Malfoy shouted back. "You kicked me in the face!"

"You tried to kill me!"

Harry ignored whatever Malfoy said next, looking up at the snitch. He leaned forward onto his broom, trying to reduce wind resistance, and sped up towards the small, gold ball.

"And Slytherin scores again," Lee said, morosely. "They now lead 140-130. Come on Gryffindor!"

"Come on, come on," Harry whispered to himself, urging his broom faster and faster. The snitch took a dive, flying straight down, and Harry followed directly behind it, rolling out of the way of Malfoy's outstretched hand. The snitch didn't diverge this time, perhaps hoping that whoever was chasing it would break off from the dive, but Harry didn't care. He needed this. He reached out with his hand, his fingers lightly grazing the fluttering wings of the snitch. Almost there. Almost there. He caught it! But he had no time to celebrate or pull off as Malfoy slammed into him from the side throwing him completely off his broom.

"Fuck!" Harry shouted just before he crashed into the ground with a sickening crunch. He weakly held out his hand to reveal the snitch just as Madam Hooch blew her whistle for the foul.

"And Harry catches the snitch!" Lee shouted. "Gryffindor wins 300-160!" The crowd went crazy as Harry's team landed all around him.

"Blood hell, Harry, are you okay?" shouted Angelina, running over towards him. Harry groaned as he pulled himself up from the ground.

"I think I broke my arm, to be honest," he said. His left arm hurt like crazy much as his arm had hurt after the bludger had broken it in second year. However, with the long sleeves, he'd have to wait until he got to the hospital wing to know for sure.

"You did it, mate, you did it!" George said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry hissed in pain but grinned at his team. He then turned to Ron who was looking somewhere between guilty and excited.

"Hey," Harry said. "Ron, it's okay. They were all being complete assholes."

The rest of the team nodded, and Fred and George put their arms around his shoulders. "We're almost proud of you! We're almost willing to call you our brother, you know. That was some good saving until they started singing that song."

"Thanks," Ron said softly.

"Oi, Potter!" Malfoy snarled, marching over towards him. He had blood pouring from his nose, presumably from when Harry had kicked him away from his broom. "You're a filthy cheat!"

Harry scoffed. "I'm a cheater? What did I do? You're the one that tried to pull my broom out from beneath me, and then you knocked me off at the end!"

"You kicked my face!" Malfoy shouted. "For no reason!"

"Fuck off, Malfoy," Ron spat. "You lost fair and square."

"No one asked you, Weaslebee," Malfoy said. "You should be glad Potter cheated otherwise you'd be crying between the goals still. Really, we should be thanking you. We wouldn't have scored as many goals if it weren't for your amazing talents."

Harry stepped between Ron and Malfoy and pushed Malfoy away. "Back off, Malfoy. You're disgusting."

"I'm disgusting am I?" Malfoy sneered. "At least my family isn't a bunch of dirt eating shits like the Weasels. I wouldn't be caught dead having such an ugly whale for a mother."

"You shit!" shouted the Weasley twins. Harry growled at Malfoy and shoved him back just as the twins tried to punch him.

"Impedimenta!" Umbridge shouted, hurrying over to them. "What an absolute disgrace!"

"They tried to attack me!" Malfoy shouted, clutching his nose. "Potter broke my nose!"

Umbridge glared at Harry. "What a disgusting show of unsportsmanship, Potter. I should have known it was a mistake to let this team reform."

"Please, Professor," said Angelina, pushing forward and trying to hold Fred back from attacking Malfoy again. "Malfoy started it. He fouled Harry several times during the game and then insulted Mrs. Weasley."

Malfoy scoffed. "I did no such thing. They're all liars and cheats who can't win a single game without cheating."

"We never cheated!" Harry shouted.

"Enough!" Umbridge said. "This was the most unprofessional game of quidditch I have ever seen. Mr. Potter, Mr. and Mr. Weasley, I am ashamed of you three. Mr. Malfoy is right, your performance is unacceptable. The only choice I have now is to place the three of you on lifetime bans from quidditch."

Harry's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I am," Umbridge nodded, smiling now. "The three of you attacked poor Mr. Malfoy here for no reason. I will not tolerate such hostility here at Hogwarts. Your brooms will be confiscated until the summer, and you will no longer be allowed on the Gryffindor team."

"What's going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall, marching over towards them.

"Professor, she's given Harry, Fred, and George lifetime bans on quidditch!" Angelina said, close to tears.

Professor McGonagall turned towards Umbridge, clearly confused. "Lifetime bans? Whatever for?"

"These three showed open hostility in attacking Mr. Malfoy," Umbridge said, holding her head up high. "Not to mention the multiple flagrant fouls Mr. Potter made throughout the match."

"Flagrant fouls?" Professor McGonagall was clearly confused now. "The only fouls I saw were made by Mr. Malfoy on Mr. Potter. In fact, this was one of the cleanest quidditch matches I've ever seen."

Umbridge's eyes widened and she glared at the Gryffindor team. "Cleanest? This is a disgrace and utterly unacceptable! I should never have let this team reform. From now on, the Gryffindor team is disbanded! Get off the pitch now before I hand you all detentions." With that, the toad hobbled off the pitch. Malfoy gave Harry a wide grin before turning and following Umbridge out.

"Professor," Angelina pleaded. "She can't be serious!"

"I'll speak with Professor Umbridge," McGonagall promised. "She can't ban the entire team."

"What about us?" asked Fred. "We did nothing wrong!"

"I'll do what I can, Mr. Weasley," she said. "Go to the locker room and get cleaned up. Dinner is in an hour."

"What a blood mess," Ron grumbled.

...

In the end, Professor McGonagall had managed to get Umbridge to rescind her disbanding of the Gryffindor team. However, Harry, Fred, and George were still banned for life and their brooms were locked up in Umbridge's office. Angelina had broken down in tears and skipped dinner. Malfoy had spent the entire meal taunting and laughing, leading the Slytherin table in another round of 'Weasley Is Our King.' Harry had ignored them all, but had been too upset to really eat dinner. Tracey had given him a sad look, clearly wanting to give him a hug, and Harry could only curse Umbridge again. He needed Tracey now, but of course he couldn't be with her. Not without getting expelled too.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione said softly. "This is so unfair to you."

"It's whatever," Harry grumbled, scooping up a spoonful of potatoes before letting it drop back onto the plate. He pushed his food away and shook his head. "I'm not hungry anymore to be honest."

"This is all my fault," Ron said sadly. "I should have concentrated more."

Ginny smacked his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Ron. That song was mean and uncalled for. Plus, Fred told me what Malfoy said about mum. You should have kicked him between the legs for that."

"I wanted to, but Harry got in the way," Ron said.

Harry shrugged. "He was trying to get a rise out of you. It wouldn't help anything if you got banned for life too. Then Angelina would have to find a keeper as well as beaters and a seeker."

"Do you know who can replace you guys?" Ginny asked.

"Well," Ron said. "Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper tried out for beaters this year and they were alright. I think Angelina will bring them on."

"That just leaves a seeker," Harry said.

"Ginny could do it," Hermione said.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Me?"

"She's right," Ron said with a smile. "You're very good, Gin."

"But I play chaser," she said.

"Still," Harry said. "You're small and fast. You're also a good flyer. I've seen you at the Burrow. You'd make a good seeker."

"You serious?"

Harry nodded. "Sure. I'll talk to Angelina about it."

"Well...thanks, Harry," Ginny grinned. "I'd love to play."

"Brilliant," Ron smiled before shoving an entire roll in his mouth.

Hermione scrunched up her nose. "That's disgusting, Ron."

"Wha-?"

"Nothing," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Harry," Neville said, scooting down the table to sit in front of Harry.

Harry looked up and smiled. "What's up, Nev?"

"I was helping Professor Sprout harvest some plants from down by the lake today, and guess who I saw?"

"Who?"

"Hagrid!" Neville grinned. "He said he wanted to see you as soon as possible."

Harry and his friends shared a wide smile. If Hagrid was back, maybe he'd have information about Percy. Harry turned back to Neville and grinned at him. "Thanks, Nev. I appreciate it."

Neville nodded and moved back to where he'd been sitting before. Harry turned to the others and nudged his head to the door.

"Let's go. We have a few hours before curfew, and I'm not sure about you guys, but I really want to know what happened with his mission."

They all nodded and stood up, though Ron did manage to scarf down another chunk of roast beef. He chewed twice and then swallowed, nodding his head. "Okay, let's go now."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione sighed. "You need to work on your manners."

"What did I do?"

A/N: Admit it. You didn't expect another update for at least 7 months did you? Well here you go, chapter 31. Thank you every for favoriting, following, and reviewing! I've been really excited to see so many of you eagerly jumping back into the story. I'm not sure when the next update will come. I'll definitely start working on it, so maybe next week. However, this November I am actually going to do NaNoWriMo, so my main focus will be on my own story not fanfic. I'll still make sure to take time to work on EoD as I'm really excited about this story, so we'll just wait and see. Anyways, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all next time!

Disclaimer: Weasley Is Our King song taken from Order of the Phoenix and J.K. Rowling. I did not create it, obviously.

A/N updated 1/4/2021: The point of this note is to let everyone know that in rereading Empire of Dirt to prepare for chapter 32, I spotted lots of cringey dialogue, grammatical mistakes, and spotted places that I wanted to add new scenes to. Not to mention, I had a few plot lines early on in the story that I abandoned. SO, I am currently in the process of updating EoD. Every chapter is getting a revamp, some are getting a few tweaks, some are receiving major plot updates and additional scenes (some scenes have also been removed). None of these updates are live yet, they will go live along with chapter 32 to avoid any confusion. When they do go live, I would recommend rereading the story from the beginning. Thank you all, you're amazing. I hope everyone had a restful holiday season, and here's to 2021...maybe EoD will actually be complete this year? (this a/n will be removed when the updates go live)