Chapter 15

Sacking the Toad, Accepting a Date, and Reforming the DA

After the article in the Prophet about Harry and Sirius, he and Hermione slowly began having slightly less awkward encounters. They would talk during meals and occasionally sit together during shared classes. One thing they immediately re-bonded over was their hatred of one Dolores Umbridge, and Harry finally snapped one morning in Defence as the pink toad went off again on her tangent about the dangers of werewolves and how their filth shouldn't be allowed in the Wizarding Community.

Hermione, Ginny, and Neville kept him as calm as possible for the rest of the day but at dinner he could no longer ignore the tug on his magic from the castle itself. Hogwarts had finally had enough of the vitriol and the continued harm of her students and was urging the Founder's Heir to forcibly remove the offending excuse for a witch on its behalf.

Once everyone was seated and enjoying their meal, Harry stood from his spot at the Gryffindor table and marched to the Head Table, stopping directly in front of Umbridge. He had changed into the same robes he'd worn on Halloween two weeks ago, showing the entire school that he was Lord Potter at this moment and not their classmate. He was unsure of what to say so he let his magic guide him.

"Dolores Umbridge, you have offended Lady Magic and the magic of the Founders of Hogwarts calls for your immediate removal." Harry sent a pulse of magic into his Lordship rings, bringing his Gryffindor and Slytherin rings into full visibility.

"You can leave of your own volition or I will forcibly evict you from the castle. What is your choice?"

Harry's voice could clearly be heard throughout the hall, and those closest to the Head Tables saw the glint of his rings and gasped.

Umbridge smiled condescendingly at the boy in front of her and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Mr. Potter, you have no right to evict me from this castle or its grounds. I was placed here by the Minister himself and only he can call for my removal."

Harry's green eyes flashed with wicked glee before he spoke.

"Force it is." He raised his voice to ensure all present could hear him.

"Dolores Umbridge, Hogwarts has called on the Heir of two of her Founders to remove you from her hallowed halls. As Lord of Gryffindor and Lord of Slytherin, I answer her call and hereby ban you from her grounds effective immediately."

Umbridge opened her mouth to protest and Harry cut her off.

"I must not tell lies, Dolores." Harry sneered with a hiss. "Get the fuck out of my castle."

She stared at him, frozen with shock for a moment before bolting from her chair and fleeing the room. After a moment the Weasley Twins stood from their spots and began cheering and clapping, and the entire school followed suit. Even the Slytherins were happy to have her gone, their value and desire for the best in terms of education superseding their shared bigotry.

Albus clapped politely while staring at Harry's back as the boy walked back to his own spot among the students.

Damn damn damn damn DAMN! He thought, and it was loud enough that Severus heard it from down the table. The idea of the old man being so ruffled made him smirk with glee, and no one noticed if he began to clap just a tad more enthusiastically.

Using his power as Heir to half the castle, Harry had installed Remus as the DADA teacher effective immediately. Remus had been the best professor in the five years Harry had been at school and he refused to take any of his pseudo Uncle's protests seriously. Once the school year ended the Headmaster could look for a more permanent replacement, unless Remus decided he wanted the job full time.

The morning following Umbridge's eviction, everyone was in high spirits. Fred and George sat down at breakfast and were immediately accosted by their eldest brother's owl. Fred untied the letter from its leg as George fed it a piece of bacon. Fred slid the letter into his pocket, not wanting to risk it being taken by one of their nosy friends. They quickly finished eating and escaped the Hall, ducking into the nearest empty classroom so they could read Bill's reply.

George, Freddy,

I'm glad you wrote to me. I've been wondering how to contact you and let you know what's happened.

Dumbledore is behind Hermione's kidnapping from the Malfoy's ten years ago. I don't know who helped him do it, because he didn't take her himself. Considering Mum's involvement since Ron started school, I'm sure she knows who it was. I'm not going to tell you who I think it may have been, because I'm praying that my gut is wrong.

It doesn't end there though. He and Mum signed an illegal betrothal contract for Ron and Hermione during their first year, probably hoping that Hermione would naturally fall for Ron. When that didn't start happening, Dumbldore ordered Mum and Ron to start dosing Hermione with Amortentia while you all were at Grimmauld Place this summer. Ron continued giving it to her when school started.

I'm trying to figure out how to approach Dad without Mum interfering. I'm probably going to have to contact him at work so I can talk to him under the guise of my job connecting with his. I doubt Percy knows anything since he hasn't been talking to any of us.

Yule is going to look very different this year if the DMLE acts quickly, so talk to Ginny and see if you three can come up with a backup plan of where to stay in case the Burrow is still being searched by the Aurors. Talk to Harry and Hermione too, they may have ideas of where you could stay.

Give Ginny a squeeze from me, Hermione too when you see her. And give Ron hell. Little shit deserves it.

-Bill

Fred and George looked at each other in silence, each contemplating the best way to ensure their younger brother would pay dearly for harming their adopted sister. Hell, she was one of the only people who could tell them apart! Fred finally broke the silence, his face red with anger.

"What are we going to do about this George? We can't go home if Mum is still there."

"No, we can't." George agreed, his mind whirling as it tried to come up with solutions to this new and very dangerous problem.

"Right now, Mum thinks the two of us and Ginny don't know anything. We need to keep it that way. The more pressing question for us is how to deal with Ron while he's still in the castle."

Fred nodded at this, wondering just how bad they needed to make it on their brother. He now understood why Ginny had said Ron was dead to her.

"From here on out our loyalty is to Bill as head of the family until we know if Dad's involved, and to Harry and Hermione. Agreed?" Fred asked.

"Agreed." George said. "Let's head to class. See if we can get any ideas from lessons on what to use against Ronald."

They smirked at each other and ducked back into the hallway, ready to find the best possible revenge they could in honour of Hermione.

Meanwhile, Hermione had chosen to sit next to Theo at breakfast, trying to be a little more bold in showing him she actively wanted to spend time with him alone. She made sure Draco and Daphne were across the table before sliding onto the bench next to her friend.

"Good morning Theo." She smiled brightly at his sleepy state, knowing the mug in his hands held strong black coffee. Theo wasn't exactly what one could call an early bird and she found it rather adorable.

The last two weeks she had been a bit more flirtatious during their study sessions and it had been driving him spare. Some days he wanted to kiss her so badly it hurt, but she hadn't outright told him she wanted more from their friendship so he kept his lips to himself. He slowly turned his head towards her, cocking an eyebrow at her more than chipper morning attitude.

"Good morning, Hermione." He purred, delighting in how her eyes dilated just slightly as her name rolled off his tongue. She adjusted on the bench and settled closer to him, putting some toast, bacon, and eggs onto her plate.

"Since we're both so far ahead in class, I thought we could skip studying tonight and just talk instead." She bit her lip and glanced at him before adding, "As long as that's alright with you."

At this request Theo's brain snapped fully awake and he stared at her momentarily before replying.

"I don't see why not, you know I'd love nothing more than spending some time to… get to know you better."

She suppressed a shudder at his obvious double entendre, unconsciously licking her lips at the thoughts his words brought to mind. She looked up and into his face, locking eyes with him and nearly drowning in their blue depths before taking a deep breath and replying, "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better too."

Daphne caught this last statement from her new friend and grinned to herself. She would unashamedly be cornering Ada later to get all the details of whatever was happening between her and Theo.

The couple broke eye contact to go back to eating breakfast, and Daphne took the opening to engage Adhara in a conversation about their upcoming trip to Hogsmeade next week. The girls were going shopping and Daphne couldn't wait.

The rest of breakfast went by quickly, and after Draco jumped into the conversation the four friends made plans to meet up for a late lunch at the Three Broomsticks before going back to the castle.

Fred and George cornered Ron that night before he reached the common room, starting their revenge by stoking his paranoia into high gear.

They dragged him into the nearest classroom and threw him down into a chair, Fred binding him with a strong Incarcerous as George silenced him. Ron looked more than a little terrified at the menacing faces of his twin brothers. They weren't nicknamed the Twin Terrors for nothing.

"Ronnikins." George said in a sickly sweet voice.

"We're here to warn you." Fred continued with a hiss, his blood boiling as he thought of everything Bill had told them.

"We know what you and mum have done. You're a disgrace to the name of wizard and the House of Weasley." George twirled his wand between his fingers as he spoke with a snarl, his utter disgust and loathing clear with every word he spoke.

"You think you're such a big boy, don't you little brother. Think that forcing a girl to marry you makes you a man?" Fred slowly circled the chair where Ron was bound until he was standing behind it. He leaned down and spoke his next words directly into Ron's ear so he knew that every word was crystal clear

"We're coming for you Ronald. We'll hit you with everything we can for what you did to our 'Mione. I hope whatever you were promised was worth it."

Fred released the spell binding Ron to the chair and hauled him up, dragging him to the classroom door and throwing him into the hallway. The Twins may look wiry but their size belied their strength. Ron tumbled to the floor. Before George released the silencing spell, he leaned over the younger boy who was now sprawled on the floor, fisting the front of Ron's robes and lifting him so their faces nearly touched.

"Just to make sure you don't go and say anything to Molly and Dumbledore, I've added a little something to the silencing spell you've been under. Any attempt at writing to her or physically speaking to the Headmaster about our knowledge will keep your pathetic prick limp for a good long while."

George dropped his hold on the robes and let Ron fall, his head cracking on the stone floor as he and Fred walked into the common room. The twins knew they would have to act fast to get him back before the DMLE came and arrested his sorry arse.

Hermione was waiting at their usual back table in the library when Theo walked in. She looked up at him and gave him a brilliant smile.

"Not that I don't love such a warm welcome, but I'm curious as to why you asked for no studying today." Theo said as he slid into the seat next to her. They'd stopped working across the table from each other in the past few weeks, and he much preferred this new arrangement. She turned to face him and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Theo, I… You promised me that you wouldn't push me about the contract unless I told you I was open to exploring a more intimate level of our relationship."

"Yes, I did promise that. And I'll hold to it."

"What if I want you to push me now?" Hermione practically whispered the question, immediately biting her lip when she finished asking it.

Theo stared at her, his brain misfiring for a moment.

"Hermione, are you absolutely sure? You only broke up with Harry a month ago. I want more than anything to show you that I can be who you deserve in a partner and future husband, but I want you to be one hundred percent certain this is what you want. Once I start courting you I'm in it for the long haul, so this can't be a rebound for you."

Hermione was stunned at the depth of feeling in Theo's eyes, the honesty and determination there stealing her breath. She swallowed hard and gathered her courage, as she intended to be just as honest with Theo as he had been with her just now.

"Theo I promise this isn't a rebound. I would never want to hurt you like that. Part of the reason I broke up with Harry was because I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I knew that was unfair to him. I can't promise that this will be easy. I still don't fully know who I am or who I'm supposed to be. But I know I can only stay grounded as long as you're next to me. You've kept my sanity intact over the last month. I want to at least try and see what can develop between us."

Theo took her hands in his and rubbed his thumbs across her knuckles, stopping on her left ring finger and tapping it gently.

"I intend to put a ring on this finger, witch." He brought her hands to his lips and kissed the back of each one before letting them go.

"However, before we get there, the first thing I need to do is take you on a date. So, Adhara Hermione Narcissa Granger-Malfoy, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to Hogsmeade in December?"

Hermione nodded as she grinned at him.

"It would be my pleasure, Heir Nott."

Theo's face lit up, and he pulled her almost onto his lap with the hug he gave her. The next hour was filled with the two teenagers basking in the glow of their newfound relationship and discussing how Hermione was both dreading and looking forward to the shopping trip with Daphne that was in two days.

The twins always had experiments going in their dorm, so a bubbling cauldron between their beds wasn't an abnormal sight for the other boys in the room. After putting the fear of Merlin into Ron, the twins had immediately checked on the love potion they had brewing and added the final ingredients, the very last of which was a picture of their Great Aunt Tessie. They had taken the standard love potion and tweaked it. Ron didn't deserve to enjoy sex for a good long while, and the potion had the added bonus of giving the git a true taste of his own medicine.

Fred dumped the potion into Ron's drink while the gluttonous boy was mindlessly shoveling food into his mouth the next morning at breakfast, rolling his eyes and shuddering in disgust at his brother. Of all seven children only Ronald had seemed to miss every lesson their mother had taught them as far as decent public behaviour. He quickly sat down again next to George and continued to finish his meal. The two boys shared an evil smirk. Between Ron's thick skull and Lavender's incessant gossiping habit, the whole of Hogwarts would soon know that Ron just loved his Great Aunt Tessie.

The rest of Friday passed almost without incident. The DA met that night to continue lessons, this time overseen by Professor Lupin as an official club of the school.

"Right you lot." Harry said, the chatter of the group dying so they could listen to him. "We need to change the name of the group. Since you're all sworn to secrecy already thanks to the parchment you signed when you joined, I have no problems telling you that Dumbledore is the one behind Hermione's kidnapping. He's also the one who went expressly against my parent's wishes and had me grow up with my horrible Aunt and Uncle. Anyone with an idea for a new name come see me, Hermione, or Professor Lupin before the end of our lesson."

"Next order of business is to let you know that I have a list of Slytherin students who will be joining us starting the next time we meet." Hermione said, and the grumbling started immediately.

"How are we supposed to trust those slimy snakes?" Seamus shouted. "They're all Junior Death Eaters anyway."

Hermione's eyes flashed as she zeroed in on the Irish pyromaniac. "Have you ever actually asked them what they think Seamus? Or are you being as thick as Ronald and assuming that they can't think for themselves and will blindly follow their parents? Do you think I'm going to join up with Voldemort now that I know I'm a Malfoy?"

Seamus shrank back from her glare as he spluttered a pathetic "Well… I mean…. No I haven't…. I don't think you…"

"Shut up." She cut him off, and Harry spoke up.

"The list is short and each person on it has been vetted by Professor Lupin. We're informing you now that Slytherin students will be invited to join our group so you can get over whatever prejudices and assumptions you have about them just because of their House. At the end of the day, we all have something to fight for. Outside these walls it doesn't matter whether you were Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Voldemort doesn't care and neither should we. They deserve to know how to defend themselves and each other just as much as we do."

Harry's tone dared anyone to argue with him. Lupin chuckled in the background.

"You can shoot this down, but if you're going to have all four houses involved then perhaps the group should be called the Defenders of Hogwarts." Remus said, speaking for the first time since they'd all arrived in the Room of Requirement. Hermione beamed at the man.

"That is a wonderful idea Professor. Harry, what do you think?"

"I think it's perfect. Anyone have any objections to the name?" He asked the group.

No one spoke against it, and the name was officially changed.

"Now, why don't you continue working on whatever you had planned for today and I'll jump in to help." Remus said.

"Right, everyone pair up and keep working on your Patronus charm or the Stunning spell. Those who can cast it already find a partner who hasn't done it yet. We'll finish today with some mock duels so we can show the Professor what we've been working on the last couple months." Hermione instructed.

Remus's eyes widened as he watched everyone pair off and a series of Patroni be cast into existence. This group of kids is incredible, he thought to himself. He walked around and observed the students teaching each other, only stepping in a handful of times with minor corrections. The duels at the end were just as impressive, and the fourth years who ended up sparring with sixth and seventh years held their own remarkably well.

Remus took Harry and Hermione aside as everyone was filing out at the end.

"You two have done a brilliant job of teaching your friends. I couldn't be more proud of both of you." He hugged them both tightly, chuckling at the awkward look on Harry's face. The boy still doubted himself but Remus knew that once he gained more confidence he would be a force to be reckoned with both magically and politically. He bid them goodnight and headed to his quarters, running a mental checklist of the best possible spells to teach them in the coming months.

Draco, Daphne, and Theo were all strong wizards in their own right, and Remus was looking forward to the perspective they would bring to the group. Currently they were the only three Slytherins that everyone knew could be fully trusted, but Draco was adding names to the list weekly of students who didn't want to be caught up in their parents bigoted ideology.

I need to speak to Severus, Remus thought. He would have some relevant insight on the best way to prepare these kids for a fight.

The lycanthrope quickly turned and headed towards the dungeons, hoping to catch the Potions Master before he finished working for the night. He rapped on Snape's office door and it swung open almost immediately.

"Come in, Lupin."

"Severus." Remus walked into the office and closed the door behind him before taking a seat. "I know it's late but I'm hoping to run something by you. Has Hermione told you about the club she and Harry are running?"

"Dumbledore's Army?" Severus sneered, the name tasting sour as it rolled off his tongue.

Remus growled softly at the name before replying, "Formerly Dumbledore's Army. It was officially changed tonight to the Defenders of Hogwarts."

"Thank Salazar. But why are you here talking to me about it?" Severus asked.

"Truthfully, because I think you would be a good co-supervising Professor. And I think the Slytherins that we're trying to bring in will feel more comfortable if you're there. If there's one thing you've never failed to do it's have the best interest of your snakes at the forefront of your actions."

"Who are you bringing in at first? Draco and Theo?"

"And Daphne Greengrass as well." Remus added.

Severus sat silently for a moment as he mulled over the werewolf's request. The idea had merit, and he could directly train them in counterspells for many of the nastier curses that the Death Eaters used regularly.

"What exactly do you want from me, Remus?"

"Oversee their training with me. Something I think they need to see is what a duel for your life may actually look like, and I would want you to demonstrate that for them with me. These kids all believe Harry that Voldemort has returned, at least to some degree. Hermione made sure that anyone who joined up initially would suffer the consequences of ratting out their little group. Before you ask, I don't know what the punishment is. I doubt Harry knows."

"When is your next meeting? I'm not promising to help you run their little club, but I want to see if they're doing as well as you seem to think they are."

"They'll be meeting every Friday night. Draco, Theo, and Daphne already know about next week's meeting." Remus said, grateful that Severus was even considering his proposal.

Severus nodded slowly before responding.

"Alright wolf, I'll be there next week. But strictly as an observer to make sure no one tries to hex my snakes in the back." Severus snapped, his tone irritable.

Remus couldn't tell if he was more irritated at the request or his choice to agree to observe one of their lessons. Regardless, Remus took that as his cue to leave and rose from his chair.

"I'll leave you to finish your work Severus. Goodnight." And he turned and walked out the door.

Severus sat at his desk with his fingers rubbing slow circles on his temples. He hoped to Merlin that he hadn't just put all those students in danger, but if anyone could fool two egomaniacs it was Severus Snape. He'd been doing so successfully for twenty years, and that wasn't going to change now.