Chapter 44

One evening, Professor Snape called Calypso and Theo into his office. "You know Occlumency and Legilemncy, yes?"
They both nodded.

"Good, now remember, not a word to anyone about any of this! If there are any questions, you are helping me teach remedial potions okay?"
They both nodded, now slightly confused.

"Good" he pushed open the door to reveal Potter, equally confused and slightly angry too by the looks of the shattered glass.

"Potter. Miss Calypso and Mister Nott will be teaching you today. I have some business to attend to" and Snape swept out of the classroom.

Calypso stared at Potter and smirked, "Gosh Potter, you're hopeless, aren't you? Now where, has Snape left off?"
"I was just exploring his mind," Potter said through gritted teeth.

"Hmmm," Calypso said, slightly impressed, it was anyone who could dive into Snape's memories, he was one of the best Occulmens out there. "Well, let's try to test your Occlumency then. Theo, if you may"

Without warning, Potter gasped.

Judging by the looks on both the boy's faces, Potter was now relieving his memories.

Strangely, Theo wasn't even holding his wand, nor had he said any incantations.

A minute later, Potter was on his knees on the floor.

"That's enough", interrupted Calypso. "Theo, we're not trying to kill him alright. The Boy-Who-Lived, still needs to be around to save the day doesn't he?" she said before turning to address Potter. "Potter, that was horrible. How long have you been having these lessons for?"
"Two months" Potter bit out.

"Well you're not learning very well, are you? I'm not as good as Theo, try me now- Legilimens!"

She pointed her wand at Potter and in a flash, memories seemed to fly out of his head towards her. A dark door, a corridor, some fat kid riding a red thing with two wheels, a dog, a corridor-"
"PROTEGO!" Potter bellowed.

Suddenly, memories of her kissing Theo, telling Daphne she- no, blank mind now, she thought, and Potter staggered back.

"Are you okay?", asked Theo, pulling her up.
Calypso realized she was leaning against the wall feverishly. "Yes, fine. Potter, why in the world are you dreaming about corridors?"

"It's only been in my dreams…"
Calypso narrowed her eyes, she was sure she had seen the corridor somewhere…" Well, Potter, try using legilimency on Theo now...good luck"

Potter glared at her, took a deep breath, and pointed his wand at Theo, "Legilimency!"

"Foolish boy" Calypso snarled. "Le-Gil-i-men-ssssssss", she dragged out the 'z' sound extra long for emphasis.

"Fine" Potter grumbled, "LEGILIMENS!"
Theo just stood there looking quite bored, at Potter. "Draco did better on his first try, you have to be determined to see-"
"I AM!" Potter shouted, kicking at the rubbish bin, promptly spilling out its contents.

Theo glared at Potter and waved his wand to recollect the garbage.

Suddenly a woman shrieked from the floor above.

"What the-"
The door burst open.

"Calypso! Professor Trelawney, she's getting fired! Oh and- what are you doing here Potter?"
"Remedial potions" Theo, said promptly. "Where's Trelawney"
Daphne wrinkled her nose, "Gosh you must be horrible Potter- and Trelawney's in the Great Hall"

The screams were indeed coming from the entrance hall; they grew louder as they ran toward the stone steps leading up from the dungeons.

When they reached the top he found the entrance hall packed.

Students had come flooding out of the Great Hall, where dinner was still in progress, to see what was going on.

Others had crammed themselves onto the marble staircase.

Professor Trelawney was standing in the middle of the entrance hall with her wand in one hand and an empty sherry bottle in the other, looking utterly mad.

-as in, even more so than usual-

Her hair was sticking up on end, her glasses were lopsided so that one eye was magnified more than the other; (AHA! Calypso knew those eyes weren't natural!), her innumerable shawls and scarves were trailing haphazardly from her shoulders, giving the impression that she was falling apart at the seams. Two large trunks lay on the floor beside her, one of them upside down; it looked very much as though it had been thrown down the stairs after her.

Or maybe she had been thrown WITH hte trunk.

Now THAT, Calypso would have paid to see.

Professor Trelawney was staring, apparently terrified, at something they could not see but that seemed to be standing at the foot of the stairs.

Maybe it was the big bad grim?

"No!" she shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening. . . . It cannot . . . I refuse to accept it!"

Yup, Calypso though, definitely the grim.

"You didn't realize this was coming?" said a high girlish voice, sounding callously amused.

Nope, nevermind, not the Grim then. (Unless it was attempting to sing in falsetto)

"Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"

"You c-can't!" howled Professor Trelawney, tears streaming down her face from behind her enormous lenses, "you c-can't sack me! I've b-been here for sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"

"It was your home," said Professor Umbridge, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us."

Calypso silently agreed. If she was a foreign student and just walked into see a drunk teacher crying, she would NOT be impressed. Nor would she be to see a small stour woman dressed in WAY too many bows and frills.

At least the hat matched.

Then she heard footsteps.

Professor McGonagall had broken away from the spectators, marched straight up to Professor Trelawney and patting her firmly on the back while withdrawing a large handkerchief from within her robes. "There, there, Sibyll . . . Calm down. . . . Blow your nose on this. . . . It's not as bad as you think, now. . . . You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts. . . ."

"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" said Umbridge in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is . . . ?"

"On her pet cats-" Daphne started.

"That would be mine," said a deep voice. The oak front doors had swung open. Students beside them scuttled out of the way as Dumbledore appeared in the entrance.

"You guessed right!" Calypso joked, whispering to Daphne.

Leaving the doors wide behind him, Dumbledore strode forward with as much confidence as the Queen of England, through the circle of onlookers toward the place where Professor Trelawney sat, tearstained and trembling, upon her trunk, Professor McGonagall alongside her.

"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" said Umbridge with a singularly unpleasant little laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here" — she pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes — "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she — that is to say, I — feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her."

To everyone's very great surprise, Dumbledore continued to smile.

With his bright robes, one would think he was the Queen.

"All he needs now are a few corgis", thought Calypso, giggling silently.

Dumbledore looked down at Professor Trelawney, who was still sobbing and choking on her trunk and said, "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor, you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continues to stay at Hogwarts."

At this, Professor Trelawney gave a wild little laugh in which a hiccup was barely hidden. "No — no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore! I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere —"

"Nobody, not even your mother would hire you" whispered, shaking her head.

"No," said Dumbledore sharply. "It is my wish that you remain, Sibyll."

Calypso had no clue why that was, if she was the headmaster, she would have taken any opportunity she got to kick Trelawney out. Perhaps Dumbledore thought Trelwaney's predictions were true?

Or he was just too kind...though she doubted that.

Soon, Professor Sprout came hurrying forward out of the crowd and grabbed Professor Trelawney's other arm. Together they guided her past Umbridge and up the marble stairs.

Professor Flitwick went scurrying after them, his wand held out before him; he squeaked, "Locomotor trunks!" and Professor Trelawney's luggage rose into the air and proceeded up the staircase after her, Professor Flitwick bringing up the rear.

Professor Umbridge was standing stock-still, staring at Dumbledore, who continued to smile benignly.

"And what," she said in a whisper that nevertheless carried all around the entrance hall, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."

"You've found — ?" said Umbridge shrilly. "You've found-? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twentytwo —"

"— The Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if — and only if — the headmaster is unable to find one," said Dumbledore. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"

He turned to face the open front doors, through which night mist was now drifting. They heard hooves. There was a shocked murmur around the hall and those nearest the doors hastily moved even farther backward, some of them tripping over in their haste to clear a path for the newcomer. Through the outside mist of the grounds came white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes, the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse.

"This is Firenze," said Dumbledore happily to a thunderstruck Umbridge. "I think you'll find him suitable."

"Oh great, another half-breed just what we need" she muttered. "There's Snape who's part vampire, McGonagall who's part owl, Flitwick who's part goblin-" she joked.

Daphne laughed loudly earning them a few glares. Laughing while a professor was being sacked was certainly not giving them the best reputation amongst their fellow students.

The next few weeks passed without much interest, since there was still an absence of a well-needed thunderstorm, every sunrise and sunset Calypso and Daphne performed the animagus spell.

Then one evening, Umbridge came marching into the Slytherin dungeons with a Ravenclaw girl in hand. "Everyone loyal to the Ministry, come with m!"
Calypso shrugged, she wasn't exactly loyal to anyone but she needed to be on Umbridge's good side…

Umbridge led the group of them to the seventh floor, right in front of a tapestry with a few trolls clubbing some human to death.

Suddenly, a door appeared and students started pelting out. The very same students which she had seen in Hog's head.

"50 POINTS IF YOU GET POTTER!" Umbridge shrieked. "25 POINTS FOR ANYONE ELSE!"

Calypso ran left and ducked behind a suit of armor, carefully stunning the next student that ran past.

"Stupefy!"

A sixth-year boy with blonde hair fell to the ground. His green robes- wait what?"
Calypso carefully stepped out from behind the suit of armor, looking around to make sure nobody was around.

"Rennervate"
The boy stirred and gasped at the sight of Calypso.

"What are you doing?" she hissed at him.

"I- just turn me in, aren't you?"
"No! Why are you running around with Potter?!"

The boy sighed, his eyes swimming in tears. "Revenge...You-know-who killed Cassius…a pureblood" he muttered inconsistently.

Calypso breathed through her nose sharply and listened to footsteps just around the corner, "GO!"
He looked at her, full of surprise before running off.

A second later Draco appeared. "Come on-"

"What?"
"I'm waiting for for-"
Calypso sighed, "You can't be-", she finished the question herself. He was waiting for Potter.

"There- cadere!"
Calypso cast a trip jinx, aimed a few inches away from Potter's feet, and he ran right into the jinx as it flew, tripping him onto the ground in the process.

Draco jumped up and down happily.

"Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor — PROFESSOR! I've got one!"

Umbridge came bustling around the far corner, breathless but wearing a delighted smile.

"It's him!" she said jubilantly at the sight of Potter on the floor. "Excellent, Calypso, excellent, oh, very good — fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take him from here. . . . Stand up, Potter! And Draco to- 50 more points to Slytherin!"
She seized Potter's arm in a vice-like grip and turned, beaming broadly, to them. "You hop along and see if you can round up any more of them, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library — anybody out of breath — check the bathrooms, and you-" she directed towards Potter, "Come with me"
"Wait- er Professor?"
"Oh, I suppose you can come along too" Umbridge sighed.

Calypso grinned and followed Umbridge to two rather ugly gargoyles.

"Fizzing Whizbee," sang Umbridge, and the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and they ascended the moving stone staircase.

They reached the polished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge did not bother to knock, and she strode straight inside.

The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was rocking backward and forward on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation. There were also two Aurors and an excited Weasley.

"Potter- and who is she?"
"I'm Calypso, I helped capture Potter here", she poked Potter with her wand.

Cornelius Fudge nodded and glared at Potter with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face. "Well," he said. "Well, well, well . . ."

"He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. "The Malfoy boy and Calypso cornered him."

"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. And your parent's little girl?"

Calypso eyed him fiercely and lied, "They're dead"
"Sorry to hear that," but Fudge looked not the least sympathetic. "Well, Potter . . . I expect you know why you are here?"

"Ye-No" Potter responded defiantly.

Calypso stared around the room. Dumbledore was watching them with twinkling eyes, McGonagall looked severely angry, and two Aurors. Dawlish and whatever the other guy's name was...there had to be someone who caused Potter to change his answer, perhaps the unnamed auror?

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"No," said Potter, firmly. "You don't know why you are here?"

"No, I don't," said Potter.

Fudge looked incredulously from Potter to Professor Umbridge.

"So you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"

"School rules?" said Potter. "No."

"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge angrily. "Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly.

"So it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?"

"Yes, it is," said Potter, hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise onto his face.

"If I may Minister," Calypso interrupted, "We would do better progress to fetch our informant." then she glanced pointedly at Umbridge, hopefully, the Ravenclaw girl was the informant, or Calypso might as well just die of embarrassment right now.

"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.

There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then the door opened.

Umbridge moved past Potter into the room, gripping Ravenclaw girl by her hand.

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office — she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to — galloping gargoyles!"

Calypso stared at the girl's transfigured face, which was littered in purple pustules to form out the word 'SNEAK'

"Er-" Calypso started. "This is a jinx of some sort...right?"
The girl gave a wail and nodded.

"Have you tried finite incantantem?"
"Yes," Umbridge snapped, "First thing we tried. Minister, do you have any sort of countercurse so she can talk more freely?"
"I- I don't" stuttered Fudge, busy trying to put out the fire at the hem of his robes from when we tactfully jumped into the fireplace to avoid the girl's face.

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister —"

But the girl gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically. "Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back onto her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at the girl's concealed face, "came into operation, and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Miss Edgecomb with a kind and fatherly look. "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

But Edgecomb would not speak. She merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful. "Haven't we got a counter jinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, but Calypso was thinking hard.

"Professor- try ulceratio"
"Ulceratio!"

Nothing happened.

"Well it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here. You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met several fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade —"

"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.

"I have testimony from Calypso here, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. She was there with a friend-"
"Daphne Greengrass"
"Yes yes," said Umbridge smugly. "They heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me —"

"But-", Potter protested.

"Silence you silly boy"

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for students their age-"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose. "Miss Lestrange-"
Fudge gasped but quickly hid his surprise.

"-and her friend did not here. Potter merely was trying to organize a group to study potions that day"
"Professor!" Calypso interrupted angrily. "And I did research mind you- when Granger tried to lie about potions, another kid they invited, Zacharias Smith, interrupted, claiming that they were going to learn Defense from Potter. Then Granger promptly turned red and told everyone to meet her in the library"
"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Miss-"
"Calypso"
"Miss Calypso has all the evidence, but yes, let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on — the two were lying, were they? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"

Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

Calypso smiled tightly.

"Cornelius, I do not deny — and nor, I am sure, does Harry — that he was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that he was trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

"So now you admit he was recruiting students and not some potions group?" Calypso interrupted.

Dumbledore ignored her and continued on a roll.

When he finished, everyone was in shock.

Umbridge recovered first. "That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?" As Dumbledore spoke, Calypso heard a rustle behind him and rather thought one of the Aurors whispered something. She could have sworn too that he felt something brush against his side, a gentle something like a draft or bird wings, but looking down he saw nothing there.

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toadlike smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

Calypso narrowed her eyes at the tall black auror before making up her mind, "Professor?"
Umbridge glanced at her, "What is it now?"
"That auror over there-"
"Kingsley Shackelbolt?" Fudge asked.

"Yes him, he just cast some sort of spell at Miss Edgecomb?"
"Nonsense! He's on our side why would he-"
"With all due respect, please check his wand for the last spell he cast?"

Umbridge breathed loudly, "Fine- Kingsley, give me your wand?"

The black Auror eyed Umbridge politely and why should I do that?"
"I am a ministry official!" Umbridge shrieked, attempting to snatch the wand away from Shaklebolt but she was too short.

"Hand over your wand Kingsley!" Fudge demanded furiously.

"Nevermind that-" Calypso shouted, " Accio Kingsley Shaklebolt's wand!"

A long brown stick with intricate carvings fell into Calypso's hand. "Thank you! Now, Priori Incantantem!"

Silvery mist flew out of the wand, and a dazed Edgecomb.

"AHA!" Fudge shouted, "You've been caught red-handed trying to corrupt the ministry! You're fired!"

"Dolores," continue Fudge after he'd calmed down, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight — the one we know definitely happened —"

"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes . . . well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind. . . . We needed evidence and the room provided . . ."

And then to Calypso's delight, she withdrew from her pocket a list of names and handed it to Fudge. "The moment I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.

"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face. "Excellent, Dolores. And . . . by thunder . . ."

He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still sitting nice and calm at his desk, "See what they've named themselves?" said Fudge quietly. "Dumbledore's Army. "

Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the heading and for a moment seemed unable to speak.

Then he looked up, smiling. "Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius — or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

Calypso gaped at him, so it was him? No that couldn't be. Such an 'im so talented' type of wizard-like Dumbledore wouldn't let himself be caught so easily, much less let Potter and a mudblood run a top-secret meeting that could get them expelled. No, he would lead it himself obviously.

"Minister-" Calypso started.

Umbridge looked at her and put a finger to her lips indicating for Calypso to shut up.

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What — I don't — ?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army. "

"But-but —"

Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He took a horrified step backward, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again. "You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smoldering cloak.

"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"You organized this?"

"I did," said Dumbledore.

"You recruited these students for — for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course." Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore, his chest swelling. "Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.

"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"MINISTER!" Calypso shouted, "It's not possible that Dumbledore created this! Zacharias Smith SPECIFICALLY said that it was POTTER who would be teaching them defense!"

Dumbledore looked at her, "I'm going to have to ask you not to shout, or leave my office"

"Yes, shut up, girl!" barked Fudge, who was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. "Well, well, well — I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and instead —"

"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking. "The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.

"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee. "Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!"

Percy dashed from the room and slammed the door behind him.

Calypso huffed angrily, so they were just going to forget about Potter?!

"Professor-"

"Professor Umbridge!" she shouted, trying again. "And what are we going to do with Potter?"

Umbridge smiled widely. "Oh yes, I think another month of detention for Potter, and everyone else on this list"

Fudge waved his hand impatiently, "Yes, yes. You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial Dumbledore!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh really?"

"Well — it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to — what is the phrase? 'Come quietly' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course — but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder, she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley and Dawlish. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, away from the wall. Calypso saw his hand drift, almost casually, toward his pocket.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to — er — 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you."

Dawlish blinked, looking rather foolish. He looked toward Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.

"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."

"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.

"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"

"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Take him!"

A streak of silver light flashed around the room. There was a bang like a gunshot, and the floor trembled.

"PROTEGO!" Calypso shouted, and a silver bubble erupted around her— several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched, and a cloud of dust filled the air. Coughing in the dust, Calypso saw a dark figure fall to the ground with a crash in front of him.

There was a shriek and a thud and somebody cried, "No!" Then the sound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, a groan — and silence.

Calypso quickly undid her shield and looked around, McGonagall, Potter, and Edgecomb were all crouched on the floor while everyone else was knocked out.

Slowly, everyone began to stir. "Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the ground. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Dawlish, also leaping to his feet.

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't inside this school —"

"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closely by Umbridge.

Fudge hesitated, then got to his feet slowly, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence. "Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirtsleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully. Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures. "You'd better get those three off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nod toward Potter, Edgecomb, and Calypso.

McGonagall said nothing but marched them to the door.

A/N: yayyy we have officially reached 150,000 words and almost 900 reads! thank uuuuu