The Benefits (cont'd)

by PotterFanDam

One night of drunken sharing and Harry and Daphne think they can move on. But things are never that simple and sometimes you get more than you bargained for.

7. Meetings and Truth

I pushed the door open and made my way across the eccentric office to stand in front of Dumbledore's desk. The man was sitting behind it with his hands steepled in front of him and gazing at me curiously.

"What is it that has brought you here so late Harry? As I understood it you were supposed to be in detention with Madam Umbridge." His eyes were twinkling with amusement and I couldn't wait to watch the joy leave his eyes when I revealed what he had been letting happen to students in his school.

Without saying a word I produced the quill from my pocket and laid it on the desk in front of the headmaster. He picked it up and almost immediately a frown creased his brow. "This is a dark object Harry. Where did you happen to come by a Blood Quill?"

Blood Quill. Well at least I had a name for the vile object now. "That is what Umbridge thought I was going to write my lines for detention with. I didn't actually know what it was sir, but I figured it wasn't exactly legal. I told her I wasn't going to do it and brought the quill right to you. I also believe she has been forcing others to use this as well."

I could honestly say I don't think I've ever seen Dumbledore angrier than in the moment I told him what was going on. I swear I could even feel the air around me becoming dense, like it was crackling with magic.

"That is a very serious allegation Harry. If she was indeed using this as a punishment there will be serious repercussions. Please take a seat and help yourself to a lemon drop while I make a floo call."

I wasn't very fond of the sweets so I passed on those, but did take the offered seat and watched as Dumbledore dropped a pinch of powder into his fireplace and leaned his head in. He spoke quietly so I missed the destination he called out for.

No sooner had he finished placing his call than did the door burst open and Umbridge storm in. "DUMBLEDORE! I insist you expel this boy immediately!" She had her wand out and pointed at me, but I wasn't worried. Even Umbridge wasn't dumb enough to attack a student in front of the headmaster…right?

All the races of amusement were gone from Dumbledore's face as he addressed the toad woman. "Dolores, you do not make demands of me. Harry here has informed me of what you have been doing and I have already informed the proper authorities. I suggest you sit and wait."

I noticed Dumbledore had said 'suggest' but I definitely got the impression it was more of a command. For everything Umbridge was she at least had her sense of self preservation, and pissing off one of the strongest wizards alive didn't fit with that so she took the seat next to mine.

Not wishing to be any closer to the woman than I absolutely had to be I abandoned my chair and instead walked towards the phoenix perch where Fawkes was currently sitting. I reached out and stroked the bird's feathers as I got close.

The bird was looking worse for the wear and I assumed he was approaching his burning day. I remembered back in second year when I had first seen it happen and thought I had killed the bird. I shook my head at the absurdity of the memory.

It didn't take long for Dumbledore's floo to flash green and this time three individuals came forth. Two who I didn't recognize were dressed in dark blue robes with a red band around their arms. The one was a tall, dark skinned man. He was bald and had a single gold hoop earring. He had a confident stance and definitely looked like he would command respect. The other was a man slightly older than his counterpart and light skinned. He didn't appear to be nearly as imposing as the dark skinned man, but I knew well that looks could be deceiving.

The third person to come through the fireplace made my blood boil and I balled my hands into fists to resist the urge to curse him where he stood. Cornelius Fudge stood in all his self-proclaimed glory not even ten feet from me. He was the reason that Sirius was still on the run. He had had Crouch kissed last year by the dementors before he could be questioned.

I groaned to myself as I realized the fact that the minister was here couldn't be good. It was well known by now that the man thought Dumbledore was after his job and was doing everything in his meager power to try and circumvent all of the headmaster's influence. I was drawn from my musings as Dumbledore addressed the room.

"Well now that everyone is here, let us get right to the root of the matter. Cornelius it has been brought to my attention that this woman you assigned to teach at my school has been using dark items on students as a form of punishment."

Fudge paled at the implication and started wringing his bowler hat between his hands nervously. The two men who stood behind him, and I assumed were body guards, looked at Umbridge who was now silently fuming.

Finally Fudge seemed to find his voice. "That's simply preposterous! Madam Umbridge is a highly respected individual in the ministry and would not violate the laws of our government like that! What is your proof Dumbledore?"

I watched the events unfolding as Dumbledore reached down and picked up the Blood Quill. He then made a gesture of handing it to the minister so that he could look it over. "That was brought to me by Mr. Potter just a few moments ago after Dolores tried to make him use it to write lines at his detention. I'm sure you are well aware of what that is and that it is in fact a dark artifact."

The aurors craned their neck to get a look at what the minister was holding and both seemed to be in disbelief as they looked at each other. Fudge paled even more as he came to realize what he was holding and then looked up at Umbridge.

"Minister I can explain! Potter is lying. He obviously brought that with him so that he could frame me! Surely you know this is just a ploy to get me kicked out of the school and take away your influence!"

I couldn't believe the audacity the woman had. One look at Fudge told me he was soaking it all up and probably about to go off on some rant about me being a raging psycho and not a reliable source. Well I was about to ruin his day and probably the rest of his week. "I'll take a truth serum."

All at once, every neck in the room snapped in my direction. The expressions all had some variety of shock displayed on them. Even Dumbledore looked like he couldn't believe what I had just said.

"I know you aren't going to believe me obviously since you try and discredit me for everything, but I'll take a truth serum and answer questions regarding what happened in that detention."

I smirked as I saw Umbridge suddenly get very nervous and start fiddling with the hem of her robes. Check mate bitch. I thought viciously.

Dumbledore seemed to have other ideas though. "Harry that won't be necessary. I'm sure Minister Fudge will do what is right and remove Madam Umbridge from this school so as to not reflect poorly on the ministry when the press gets a hold of what happened."

The spluttering minister looked like he had finally had it. "I will do no such thing Dumbledore! And don't you threaten me with going to the press! You're the one who is trying to throw the world into a panic by telling lies about He-who-must-not-be-named returning."

Dumbledore shook his head slowly and sadly. "Your unwillingness to believe the truth and see what is right in front of your face will be what causes many people their lives Cornelius. However that is not the topic of discussion for right now. If you will not remove Madam Umbridge from the school I cannot force your hand on the matter." He paused and Umbridge looked victorious and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "However as headmaster it is my right to decide who is fit to teach and who is not. I am exercising that right as of now and hereby firing Dolores Umbridge as defense against the ark arts professor. She will remain at the school acting as the High Inquisitor, but will be unable to assign or oversee detentions."

It was a small victory, and I honestly think we could have gotten her jail time if Dumbledore would just let me take the truth serum, but obviously the headmaster had plans of his own.

Fudge seemed at a loss for what to do before he nodded reluctantly. "Fine Dumbledore, if you don't find a professor before the students return from the holidays however Madam Umbridge will be reinstated. If that is all I believe our business here is concluded." Not even waiting for a proper dismissal the pompous man turned and marched back to the fireplace. He let his guards go first before following them into the flames and back from where ever they came.

After Fudge left Umbridge didn't hang around long. She gathered herself up with as much dignity as she could and walked out of the office, presumably to go empty the office she had been using.

I wanted to leave, but something held me back. Memories of the conversation I had had with Mrs. Figg during the summer sprang up and now was my opportunity to figure out what game Dumbledore was playing. Did I want to risk his wrath though after what had just happened?

"Harry is there something else that is bothering you?"

I looked at the headmaster when he addressed me and noticed that he wouldn't meet my eyes. It was strange as I couldn't recall him ever avoiding someone's gaze in the past. I pushed it to the back of my mind though and focused on the more serious issue.

"Actually sir there is something. Why did you leave me at the Dursleys?"

The moment I asked the question Dumbledore seemed to age right in front of me and suddenly looked all of his 150+ years old.

"Harry you have to understand that after Voldemort fell it was still dark times. His followers were searching high and low for you. They wanted revenge on the one who had defeated their master. Look at Mr. Longbottom's parents. They were tortured into insanity for information they didn't have. I didn't know where to place you. I knew Lily had a sister though and she was a muggle. How many death eaters would think to look in the muggle world for the savior of the Wizarding world? None of them. They wouldn't believe it a proper or satisfactory upbringing."

I snorted at that. "Well in this case the death eaters were right, sir. The Dursleys are vile humans and treated me like filth. I was their servant for my entire life. I lived in a cupboard and was regularly abused. How could you leave me there to rot?" I could feel myself getting angry, but I needed the answers. I had to know why he left me there.

"Harry you have to understand I didn't know you were being treated that way. If I had known what they were doing I would have moved you to a different home. When you asked me to after your first year it was already too late at that point. There are very strong wards that had been set into place around your house to prevent it from being found by anyone wishing you harm."

I couldn't believe it. Dumbledore had sat there and just tried to lie to me. I wanted to call him out on it, but I knew he might try and talk to Mrs. Figg about what had happened and she wouldn't be able to remember the meeting we had. The headmaster would know something was off and that would only bring more questions that I wasn't prepared yet to answer.

I schooled my expression as best I could and did the next best thing, lie back. "I believe you sir, I'm sorry if I interrupted your night but I just had to know. It's something that has always bothered me." Another thought crossed my mind as I was preparing to leave; it was something I had asked before, but not since my first year. "Sir, why did Voldemort come after me?"

Part of me believed that for once the headmaster might give me a straight answer as I saw him actually hesitate before opening his mouth to speak.

"That is a very complex problem Harry, and I can only speculate as to why. You're parents had defied him many times in the past, so it would be only natural for him to want to get rid of them. You see Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as we know him, wanted to be feared by all. The fact that your parents had defied him and lived only served to diminish that want, however slightly. As is often the case with dark lords no one is ever really sure of why the do the things they do, not even themselves."

I managed to keep myself from rolling my eyes. I shouldn't have been surprised that all I received was a vague answer, but I wished for once the man would tell me the truth. I had no doubt that my parents defying Voldemort played some part in his actions, but I couldn't help but feel that there was something else to it.

Knowing that I wouldn't get any more from this conversation I politely excused myself from the Headmaster's office. It was late and he offered to write me a pass in case I was caught out, but I denied saying that I was going right to my common room and wouldn't be taking any of the main passageways.

Once I was safely past the door and on the staircase outside the office I slipped my father's cloak from inside my robe where I had concealed it and through it over me. Underneath the safety of the cloak and with a quietly spoken passphrase I gazed over the map looking to make sure Umbridge wasn't waiting for me somewhere. I was relieved when I found the dot labeled with her name was in her office currently. I checked once more to see who was on patrol right now and found Draco and Pansy wandering around on the lower levels while Ron and Hermione were monitoring the corridors near Gryffindor tower.

If things had been normal then this would have made getting back into the common room ten times easier. However with the way things had gone recently I knew that if I was caught out I would undoubtedly be facing detention.

As quickly and quietly as I could I started my walk back up to the tower. I got lost in my thoughts about the events of the night and found my legs to be on almost autopilot.

I couldn't understand why Dumbledore wouldn't let me take the truth potion so that Umbridge could have been thrown out of the school. Obviously the man had plans of his own and having more heat from the ministry being thrown at him wasn't part of it. There was nothing I could do about it now unless I managed to catch her doing something else illegal, so I would just have to be content knowing she couldn't cause harm to anyone else with that blood quill.

Luck seemed to be on my side because when I reached the portrait entrance Ron and Hermione were conveniently on the floor above us. I whispered the password and threw off my cloak so that the fat woman could see me. She opened up but not before she gave me a stern warning about being out past curfew. I slipped inside and felt exhaustion start to wash over me as I made my way up the stairs to my dorm. It had been a long day and even longer night and I was exhausted physically and mentally. I knew I should practice my occlumency for at least a little bit, but I just couldn't find the energy to care. I finished tucking myself in and spelling my curtains shut rather quickly after I stripped out of my robes. I laid my head down on the pillow and let the darkness take me.

I bolted upright in my bed all traces of sleep gone from my mind as I processed something. I'd been distracted and hadn't thought about it because of what had happened last night, but after having a restful sleep for the first time in weeks I had managed to have a break through.

When I had asked Dumbledore why Voldemort had come after me I was assuming he might be the only one who would know the reason. But I had overlooked one person who was even more likely to have the answer I wanted. Sirius had been my father's best friend. If there was something important or relevant to that night then Sirius would have known it.

I smacked myself in the forehead for being so stupid. The answer to a question I had been wondering about since first year had been right in front of me for two almost three years now and I had never realized it.

It was still early, but this couldn't wait and Sirius would have to get over being woken up. I opened my trunk and grabbed the two way mirror he had given me. I used some basic hygiene spells to freshen up and through on a clean pair of clothes and robes before making my way out of the dorm.

I cast a tempus on my way down the stairs to the common room to see what time it was and found that it was only five thirty. I could probably have sat in the common room and been fine, but I didn't need this conversation I was about to have be interrupted.

I exited the common room and mumbled a quick good morning to the fat lady in the portrait before cutting a sharp left and heading down a deserted corridor.

There wasn't much located on the seventh floor thankfully and as such we didn't get a whole lot of visitors up here. Usually the abandoned and empty rooms were used by adventurous couples from my house or for an occasional study session if the common room became too crowded.

I made my way to the end of the hall and entered the room on the right. It was empty just like I had expected and very dimly lit. I turned and cast a locking and silencing charm at the door before moving across the room towards one of the windows. It took me two scourgifies to cut through the dust and grime and allow enough light to filter in that my godfather would be able to see me.

Once I was properly situated and sure there was enough light I called out Sirius's name. I was gripping the edges of the mirror tightly in anticipation. After a minute went by and there was no response I called out again a little louder this time while shaking the mirror slightly. Another minute gone with still no response and this time I practically hollered at the mirror. The half-awake face of my godfather finally appeared on the glass. He tried to yawn and talk to me at first, but I wasn't able to make that out so I waited until he was done before speaking.

"Sirius I know it's early, but do whatever magic you have to and wake yourself up. I need to ask you something very important and I can't have you being half asleep for this." It must have been the seriousness in my tone because almost instantly the sleep was gone from his face and Sirius had a small frown marring his features as he looked at me. It appeared that he was trying to eye me up and check for any injuries.

"What's wrong kiddo? Are you okay? Did something happen at the school?"

I felt bad for not only waking Sirius up but not making him worry something had happened to me also. My curiosity outweighed any guilt I felt though. "I'm fine Sirius, really. Nothing happened…well that's not true Umbridge got fired from teaching last night for something she tried to make me do in detention, but that's not why I called. It's not the important matter right now."

Sirius frowned deeper at me now. "Harry your safety is what's important to me. What did that woman try to do that was bad enough for Dumbledore to fire her? Is she out of the school yet?"

This conversation was quickly getting off track and not going the way I needed it to, but I recognized that Sirius was just worried about me because he cared so I decided to answer his questions before I asked mine.

"Sirius I promise you that I'm okay so you don't need to worry. And for the detentions she has been assigning she has been making students write lines with a blood quill." Sirius's frown of confusion at the words 'write lines' turned to one of pure anger when he heard the end of the sentence. "Well as you can imagine I wasn't going to let that fly. I wasn't sure what the object was at first and didn't find out until after I took it to Dumbledore, but I told that woman in no uncertain terms that I wasn't going to write. So I managed to get out of the classroom after I hit her with a disarming charm since she tried to curse me in the back. I went directly to the headmaster's office and told him what had happened. He called the minister and then a meeting commenced between the four of us. It was decided that Umbridge would retain her position as High inquisitor, but would no longer be a teacher here or allowed to assign or oversee detentions."

"I can't believe the nerve of that woman! And it's amazing she is still allowed in a school full of children after being caught with a dark object. I guess it really goes to show how far our ministry and school system has degraded that neither Dumbledore nor Fudge had the backbone to toss her in Azkaban."

I was surprised by the venom in Sirius's voice at first but then I reasoned that he had more of a right to be angry about something like this than anyone else I knew. He had been thrown in Azkaban for twelve years without so much as a trial. Umbridge basically admitted her guilt and nothing happened to her except the loss of a job. I tried to steer his mind away from the topic by reminding him that I did have a reason for calling other than this though.

"Oh right, right. Sorry Harry I just hate that I can't do anything because I'm a wanted criminal and stuck in this blasted house. It's driving me spare not being able to even go outside. The only people I have for company now are Molly and Arthur once he gets home from work. And I can only tolerate them for so long before I am forced to lock myself in the attic or my room."

I smiled sadly at my godfather wishing I had a way I could help him out. The only way I would be able to free him though was by catching Pettigrew and currently I didn't even have the faintest idea of where to begin looking for the rat of a man. "It'll get better Sirius. We'll catch Pettigrew someday and then you will be cleared and free again. In the meantime though it's only a couple of months until I will be home for the winter holidays to keep you company." Sirius seemed to brighten up at the prospect of me coming to spend the holidays with him and I deemed it a safe time to ask what I wanted to know. "Right now though I have to know something Sirius. Do you know why Voldemort came after my family and me on that night?"

Sirius went through a wide variety of emotions very fast as I watched him process what I had asked. Finally he settled on one of shock and disbelief. "Harry are you telling me you don't know why your parents were killed?" I shook my head no and frowned a little. "Dumbledore hasn't once told you why a psychopath murdered your mom and dad, my best friends, and left you as an orphan?" The question was repetitive, but I again shook my head no.

"ARGH! Why must that old man play his games with everyone?! Harry this is something you should have been told a long time ago. This is very important, so important in fact that there are people guarding this secret right now in the department of mysteries at the ministry."

My eyebrows rose so high at hearing that I thought they might have gotten lost in my hairline. "Sirius, what…what are you talking about?"

"The prophecy Harry. Keep in mind I heard all of this directly from your dad so it might not be fully accurate, but the major details are spot on. Before you were born Dumbledore had an interview with someone for the position of Divination professor. Naturally he was very skeptical and the interview wasn't going very well for her. He had been prepared to leave until she suddenly seized up and her eyes glossed over and she actually gave a real prophecy. I remember the words from it every day knowing it decided your destiny for you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was a prophecy about me and presumably Voldemort as well? Why had I never been told about this? My anger was quickly boiling to the surface again, that was something I was definitely going to have to work on. "What did the prophecy say Sirius?" I was practically grating my teeth as I spit out my question.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

I sat in shock as Sirius finished reciting the prophecy to me. Automatically I reached up and touched my scar. Marked as an equal…so that was it then? I was destined to be the one to kill snake face or destined to be the one he killed? My whole life had been decided for me before I was even born. I was brought out of my shock when Sirius started to talk again.

"That's not everything though Harry. The prophecy didn't just refer to you. It could have been another person as well. It could have been Neville actually. Both of you were born as the seventh month died; both of your parents had defied Voldemort three times. Somehow Voldemort heard part of the prophecy and decided you were the best fit. That is the reason your family was attacked. I'm sorry you haven't been told this before Harry. Honestly I never brought it up because I figured you already knew and had decided to ignore it or made peace with it. You can't let this dictate your life though Harry."

I lost my cool at that moment. "How can it not dictate my life Sirius?! I have to be the one to kill that monster. If I fail then there is no one else who can. If I fail thousands of people are going to die because of me. I should have known about this years ago. I should have been getting lessons or training or anything to help prepare me! I asked Dumbledore about this last night and he refused to answer me. Instead he gave me some half assed answer and then a dismissal. You know what that tells me? That he doesn't really care what happens to me. All I am is some sacrificial lamb or something. So yes I am going to let this prophecy dictate my life Sirius, but I'm damn well going to make sure I come out on top. Not for Dumbledore, not for the ministry, hell not even for the rest of magical Britain, but I'm going to come out on top for my kid. I promised myself I would be there to support my child and raise them in a proper family so they could have what I never did. I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon." Before Sirius could protest I ended the connection and pocketed the mirror. I could feel it warming up in my pocket, but I adamantly ignored it.

I was too pissed off to talk anymore. I wasn't hungry either so I decided to skip breakfast altogether and instead opted to find a room to practice my spell work in.

My next few days didn't help my mood at all. I pretended like everything was okay and I was fine when I was around Neville or in class. Truthfully I found the things we were doing in class to be ridiculously easy now and only had to give a partial effort to earn top marks. This left me with a lot of free time and I made the most of it. I had dedicated at least two hours a day to improving my occlumency and the rest of my free time was spent practicing spells from the books Sirius had sent me.

As of Thursday afternoon I had destroyed, and by destroyed I mean reduced nearly to rubble, seven abandoned classrooms. I was working on my eighth one when a loud 'pop' behind me drew my attention. I spun faster than I thought possible and leveled my wand in the direction of the intruder.

It was comical to watch Dobby's already bug eyes nearly pop out of his skull as the tip of my wand glowed and aimed at him. "WAIT GREAT MR. HARRY POTTER SIR IT IS ONLY BEING DOBBY THE HOUSE ELF!"

I was thankful I had put up silencing spells on the room as the elf had me covering my ears from his high pitch scream. I lowered my arm and holstered my wand before addressing the now shaking house elf. "Sorry Dobby, you caught me off guard is all. Didn't mean to frighten you there." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. This was honestly the best mood I had been in all week and I was going to enjoy it while I could.

Dobby peaked out from behind his tiny hands which were placed in front of his large head trying to act as a shield once I addressed him. Seeing that there was no immediate danger anymore I watched as he visibly sighed in relief before his hyper attitude returned. "Oh Mr. Harry Potter sir! You is not needing to apologize to Dobby! You are too kind!"

I rolled my eyes at the elf's dramatics. When given the choice between Kreacher and Dobby I somehow found myself more inclined to pick Kreacher, if only to avoid these types of antics. "Really Dobby it is nothing. Now can you tell me why you are here sneaking up on me?"

Dobby nodded his head at me before looking around at all the damage I had caused. "Dobby has been put in charge of finding out who was wrecking rooms Mr. Harry Potter sir. The other house elves were too busy cooking and Dobby is not a very good cook so they sent me to do this. Now that I is knowing it is the great Harry Potter though Dobby does not mind cleaning up the mess." As if to prove to me that he really didn't mind Dobby ran past me and began to reassemble some of the desks and chairs I had destroyed.

I couldn't help myself and felt bad knowing I was causing more work for the house elf. "Don't worry Dobby, I'll just find somewhere else to practice from now on so I don't create such a mess for you." I started casting a few reparos to help the elf put the room back together despite his protests. It only took us a few minutes to fix it better than when I had started. I grabbed my things and prepared to leave when suddenly Dobby called out for me.

"Harry Potter sir. Dobby thinks he be knowing a room that you could use which won't cause a mess."

That caught my attention and I turned and told him to continue on.

"We house elves know it as the Come-and-Go room, but Dobby has also heard it called the Room of Requirement. It can be anything you want and when you're done it simply disappears."

For the second time this week I had found myself shocked with surprise, only this time it was good news. "Where is this room Dobby? How come I've never heard of it or found it before?"

Dobby looked around nervously. "It is very well hidden Harry Potter sir. Dobby can show you how to get in. Meet Dobby tonight after dinner on the seventh floor. Stand in front of the painting with the dancing trolls."

I wanted to ask more but Dobby popped away and I was left in the classroom on my own. I checked the time and found that I had thirty minutes before Herbology. That left me just enough time to make it down to the Great Hall and grab a sandwich on my way to the greenhouses.

I opted to take a secret passageway or two since I knew how the staircases could be when someone had to get somewhere. I reached the Great Hall in only five minutes and quickly put together two sandwiches from what was on the table. I pocketed one after I wrapped it up and hungrily munched on the second as I walked out onto the grounds. When I entered the courtyard in front of the gate I was surprised to see a large crowd formed.

As I got closer to it my curiosity peaked; I was able to hear someone practically yelling in the center of the mob.

I was able to get a look into the center and see the form of Umbridge who was smiling viciously at a near-tear Professor Trelawney.

I frowned and paid closer attention to what was being said.

"…never in my years have I seen a bigger fraud. You are a disgrace to this institute and everything it stands for. As such you are hereby removed from your position of employment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I couldn't believe the nerve of Umbridge. How could she stand there and call someone else a disgrace when she herself had been fired for using illegal objects on students just a few days prior.

"You will have until the end of the day to gather your belongings and vacate the premises of the castle, never to return." My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Did Umbridge really have the power to ban someone for life from Hogwarts?

I got my answer in the form of Dumbledore appearing in a ball of fire. Fawkes flew off back towards the castle towers and trilled a magnificent note that seemed to resonate hope.

"Madam Umbridge. While I agreed to let you stay at this castle despite you being removed as a teacher, you do not have the power to ban my teachers from the premise."

Umbridge rounded on Dumbledore with her all too common smirk. "Actually Dumbledore as Hogwarts High Inquisitor I do have the power to evaluate your teachers and fire them if they are deemed unfit."

Dumbledore wavered not even slightly though and brushed off the comment. "Yes, you would be correct that you have the authority to fire teachers." Umbridge seemed to practically glow in victory. "You do not have the power to force them to leave however; as such Ms. Trelawney will be staying in the castle until such time when she is reinstated or able to find a place to stay on her own. Sybill please bring your bags back to your room."

Having said what he needed to Dumbledore turned and walked back into the castle leaving no more room for argument on Umbridge's part. While I may not be the biggest fan of the man at the moment I could envy his ability to end any discussion on his terms.

I didn't think much else was going to come of this gathering at the moment so I started to extricate myself from the crowd and move in the direction of the greenhouses. I'd always thought Herbology was one of the more straightforward classes. In a way it was similar to muggle gardening which I had become well acquainted with.

The greenhouses were laid out in a straight row gradually growing in size to accommodate bigger and most likely more dangerous plants. There were eight in total; one for each year of education and one that was Professor Sprout's personal greenhouse as well as used for students wishing to go further than the basic seven year knowledge.

I made my way to the medium sized greenhouse with the number five magically spelled onto the glass pane of the door and opened it. Walking into a greenhouse was always interesting due to the sudden temperature change. While outside the weather was brisk with a slight breeze and moderate amount of sun, inside was a different story altogether. The environment was purposely kept humid and full of moisture to facilitate better growth and development among the majority of the plants. There was also some charm on the glass panes to let more sunlight in for certain plants causing it to be much brighter inside than out.

I picked a table somewhere towards the middle of the make shift class room area near the door and shrugged off my heavier outer robe. Most people were already present for the class and I was one of the last few to trickle in. Professor Sprout was a good teacher and always kept her lessons interactive, but I found I couldn't focus for most of the class period because I was concentrated on thoughts of the room Dobby had described to me. As an end result I wound up with some nasty bite marks from a rogue plant I had wandered to close to.

Honestly I was just glad the thing hadn't been poisonous and told Professor Sprout that there was no need to bother Madam Pompfrey this early in the year for something so small. It would just serve as a reminder for me to be more careful in the future. She looked me over once more and then nodded her head in agreement before telling the class to start cleaning up.

Dinner seemed to drag on but eventually I found myself making some excuse to Neville so that I could slip away and meet up with Dobby. I got a strange look from him, but he didn't say anything else on the subject except that he would see me later then. I was going to have to come up with some better excuses if I wanted to seem less suspicious to Neville I decided. Quidditch starting again in a week or two would go a long way in helping me with that. I could probably get away with saying I was going to go practice on my own or something most nights.

It took me a little longer than normal to reach the seventh floor because I kept stopping and checking the map to make sure I wasn't being followed. I didn't think Neville was the type to do something like that, but a little bit of paranoia never hurt anyone.

"Great…now I'm sounding like Moody talking about being paranoid." I muttered to myself as I walked down the hall that housed the painting Dobby had been talking about. He wasn't there yet when I reached it, or at the very least I couldn't see him, so I took a minute and looked around to see if I could find the entrance to this mysterious room.

I gave up after five minutes of searching and not finding anything that looked like a handle, lever, or something I would speak a password to. Thankfully Dobby showed up only a few minutes later. I wasted no time in grilling the elf.

"Well Dobby, where is this room you were talking about? I've looked all around here and haven't found anything."

Dobby shook his head at me. "Mr. Harry Potter sir is just looking too hard." Dobby smacked his hands over his mouth after what he said registered with him. He looked like he was about to bash his head into the wall, but I decided to put a stop to that before it happened.

"What do you mean I'm looking too hard Dobby?"

"The entrance is right here sir." He pointed at the painting and I wasn't sure I understood. "To find the room one must walk by the painting three times while concentrating very hard on what they need."

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it honestly, but I decided to give it a try. I focused on needing a room to practice magic in while walking back and forth the portrait three times. On my third pass I stopped as the portrait morphed into a wooden door.

I looked at Dobby who was practically bouncing in anticipation. Having nothing to lose I cautiously opened the door not sure exactly what would be on the other side. When I got my first look in though my jaw nearly hit the floor. It was a giant chamber, but not just any chamber. I was standing in what could only be described as a dueling chamber. On the far left wall there were dummies and targets floating and placed in odd positions, including some that were tucked behind what I could only assume was cover. In the middle there was a single table with a chair at it. That would be the perfect place to leave my books so that I could walk back and study them if I needed it.

There wasn't too much else in the room, but honestly I wouldn't need much more than this for practicing. Although a couch would have been nice to relax on once I was done casting. I thought to myself.

I nearly fell over as I saw the room suddenly produce a dark red sofa just like the ones located in Gryffindor common room.

"Dobby this room is excellent! Can it really produce anything I would need?" I was interested in the limitations of the room.

Dobby dropped his head. "Unfortunately not Harry Potter sir. The Come-and-Go room cannot make food for you and nothing that it makes can leave the room."

I nodded my head a little put out that I wouldn't be able to bring things out with me, but that also made me wonder what would happen if I accidentally left something here. "Dobby what happens to items that are left in the room?"

Dobby perked up when I mentioned this. "OH! Those things is being taken to the room of lost things." I was going to ask what that was until suddenly the whole room around me shuttered and began to morph. When it stopped no longer were we in the dueling chamber, but instead we were standing in a room easily three times the size of a Gringotts vault with mountains of items.

"Whenever we house elves is finding something lying around the castle or grounds we bring it here. All broken or old furniture is also being taken here Harry Potter sir."

I couldn't believe the amount of…stuff…that was piled around me. Literally there were piles of items that soared thirty feet or so into the air. The possibilities for what I could find in here were endless. I was definitely going to be coming back to the room and looking through this. Dobby had said I couldn't take anything out of the room that it made, but these were fair game.

As I looked around the room though I had an uneasy feeling settle in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't unpleasant exactly, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable. There was something off about the room and I couldn't place it. I wished I had more time tonight, but it was already getting late and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible before my meeting with Daphne tomorrow night. I had a feeling that it was going to be very interesting.

Promising myself that I would return here over the weekend to look around I turned and thanked Dobby for showing the room to me. I had no idea something like this could have even existed.

"Dobby who made this room? Has it been here since the beginning or was this built afterwards?"

"Dobby is sorry Harry Potter sir, but he is not knowing. You should be asking the ghosts though! They have been here much longer than Dobby sir."

I thanked Dobby for his suggestion and told him I would do that. I really was curious about the room and I wanted to learn as much about it as possible. We walked towards the door that led back out into the hall together. Dobby said goodbye and then popped away.

I checked the map to make sure there was no one close by who would see me coming out from the room and once I was sure it was clear I tucked the map away and opened the door. I turned around once I was outside to find the door gone and the painting returned to its normal self.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I walked back to Gryffindor common room. Neville gave me a questioning glance and asked what I was so happy about, but I chose not to answer and instead just shook my head and said I'd tell him some other time. This was a secret I was going to keep to myself for at least a little while. Something about that room of lost items had me intrigued and the less people messing around in it for now the better.

I told Neville I was tired and going to bed when he asked if I wanted to work on our charms assignment. I had until next Tuesday to have it done and much more pressing matters to attend to before then that would require me to be well rested.

I groaned as I watched the clock for the last few minutes of history on Friday afternoon. Somehow I had managed to stay awake for the entire class, but now it seemed like it just wouldn't end. The morning had gone quickly thanks to our defense against the dark arts class being turned into a self-study until a teacher was found to replace Umbridge. I was nervous, excited, and worried about how tonight was going to go. It would really be the building ground for any sort of relationship, whether romantic or just platonic, between Daphne and me. We would need to be able to work together or at the very least be friendly towards each other for the sake of our child.

I was willing to do it, but I didn't know if she would be. I had been pretty rude with her when she had come to the bank the first time. I hoped I hadn't done too much damage. The few times I had interacted with her around school she hadn't seemed to upset so I was taking that as a promising thing. But if there was one thing I had learned about Daphne it was that you never really knew where she stood or what her end goal was until she wanted you to.

Finally Binns said the class was over and I found myself packing my things up faster than ever before. I saw Daphne look at me for the quickest of seconds and then she was gone. I didn't know why I was in a rush, we weren't seeing each other for another few hours, so I decided to let my legs carry me wherever they thought it was I should be. I was moving on autopilot and found myself wandering in the direction of the library only to have my attention caught when a saw Nearly-Headless Nick float through one of the walls at the far end of the hall.

"Hey Nick! Do you have a minute?" I remembered Dobby telling me to ask the ghosts about the room and figured this was as good a time as any.

"Certainly Mr. Potter! What can I do for you today? It has been some time since we've had a chance to talk."

I nodded sheepishly. I really hadn't paid too much attention to our house ghost after second year when he had been petrified. Did ghosts have feeling I wondered? "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to talk much Nick. My years haven't exactly left me with a whole lot of free time. I was hoping you could answer a question for me though. I was wandering around the other night and came across a room." I lowered my voice and leaned in to make sure no one would over here. "What can you tell me about the Come-and-Go room?"

Nick scratched his head thoughtfully for a minute before shrugging, an action which caused his head to roll of to the side of his shoulder. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much Mr. Potter. However if you were to ask The Gray Lady nicely I'm sure she could tell you more. It was one of her ancestors who helped make the room after all."

I thanked Nick for the information and filed it away to use later. I had no idea where the Gray Lady would be at this time so I decided to not try and pursue her for now. I didn't want to get caught up in the chase and accidentally miss my meeting with Daphne. It was for that same reason that I avoided the Room of Requirement all together despite my growing curiosity.

Thankfully dinner came and went fast than history had and soon enough I found myself slipping out of the Gryffindor common room to meet with Daphne. I hadn't had a chance to actually locate the room, but in a sudden spout of intelligence I realized I wouldn't have to. I pulled the map from my pocket and used it to locate Daphne. I followed the map for fifteen minutes or so before I found myself standing in front of a door that was all too familiar to me.

I twisted the handle and walked in. I looked in and didn't see Daphne at first, but then I felt the wand in side of my ribs and turned my head to see a slightly smirking girl right next to me.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. "How did you get there? I would have seen you when I walked in."

Daphne let out a laugh as she dropped her wand and gracefully walked to the couch and slid into it. I turned and cast some charms at the door to make sure we would have privacy for this before moving across the room and sitting in the chair across from the couch.

"Are you going to answer my question or just leave me wondering?" I hated being caught off guard like that and while there were numerous ways she could have done it I wanted to know which one she had used.

She laughed a little more at me now. "Magic Harry."

I just sighed knowing I wouldn't be getting an answer right now. "Damn sneaky witch."

"I would have thought you learned that about me last time we were here Harry. Although I have to admit I'm hurt you didn't come sit on the couch with me. We had such a nice time last year when you did." I could hear the teasing tone in her voice and I couldn't stop the little shutter of excitement that ran through me at the thought of what had happened. It was too much to hope Daphne hadn't seen it, so I quickly spoke up before she could get another word in.

"Well anyway, when I wrote you it was just me trying to find a way for us to, I don't know work together or something. But I've been thinking about it and well if we're going to raise this child, together I mean, then I think we need to be able to trust each other. So I thought maybe we could start this by telling each other a little bit about how we grew up."

It had been something I had been debating on for a while, but I figured that if we were ever going to trust each other then we would have to understand each other's motivation for things. Obviously Daphne had cared enough about her family to get pregnant just to keep them from a war so they were important to her so I wanted to know about them. It also wouldn't hurt to have a little background on the people who were currently occupying my family manor.

She just gazed at me for a minute before raising her wand and giving it a flick. I watched as nothing seemed to happen at first, but then I noticed her appearance had changed. Where before she had looked exactly the same as last year when I met her, now she had a slight bump in her stomach. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but she was three months along in the pregnancy.

"Well if you insist Harry. Although I'm sure my life wasn't nearly as lavish as yours has been if the stories Draco tells are anything to go by." I wanted to interrupt her and tell her that Draco had no idea the hell I had endured growing up, but I didn't want her to stop talking either and find myself at the disadvantage so I sat quietly and listened.

"Well I'm the oldest child in my family so there for I am the heiress to the Greengrass estate. My mother and father are both purebloods and our family has been for generations. I have one sister who is a few years younger than us; her name is Astoria and she can be a right pain sometimes but I love her anyway. I've never had a real want for anything before in my life as we have money and my parents spared no expense on us growing up so I guess you could say I'm slightly spoiled. However that doesn't mean that I don't understand or sympathize with the people who weren't as lucky. My friend Tracey Davis isn't as fortunate as I am, but that doesn't make her any less capable of a witch."

I could tell she was getting slightly off topic now so I asked a question to direct the conversation back to the way I wanted it to go. "What do your parents do? You said your family is well of, but do they work or just live off the money they have?"

"Well before they moved into Potter Manor both of my parents worked. This is actually quite uncommon in the pureblood society because most of the time the wives will stay at home and take care of the estate and children. My mother, Abigail, was never the stay at home type though and she still isn't which is why staying cooped up inside your manor is driving her spare. She worked in the ministry in the Office of Transportation. She had a relatively easy job of monitoring who came and went using the international portkeys."

"My father on the other hand doesn't mind being stuck in one place as much because that's what he did before all of this anyway. He worked in the Records Department at the ministry and was in charge of making sure all historical documents were properly logged, filed, and preserved. This meant most of his time was spent behind a desk in a cozy office. My parents met for the first time at the ministry when they were on lunch one day. They had gone to Hogwarts at the same time, but my dad is four years older than my mother and therefor they didn't have any classes together."

Daphne looked she was going to continue for a second, but then stopped as if second guessing herself. "Actually I think I've shared enough for the moment Harry, why don't you share a little bit and even the score up? I wouldn't want you running out on me after I share all this information with you."

I couldn't help it; I smirked at that last sentence. "Funny I seem to remember you saying something similar last year, but then it was you who tried to run out on me." Daphne laughed at that and I continued on. "However I guess your right in that we should do this equally. Despite what Draco has said, and I'm sure it's not accurate, my life growing up was far from lavish or even good."

Daphne looked like she didn't believe but I continued anyway. "It's true. I grew up in the muggle world with my mother's sister, Petunia, and her husband and son, Vernon and Dudley. They were the worst sort of people imaginable. My aunt has always been jealous of my mom apparently and she transferred that spite onto me."

I hesitated not knowing how in depth I should go. On one hand I felt that Daphne had a right to know, but on the other I still wasn't sure if I could trust her with all the details. In the end I chose to go with a middle ground. "From the time I was old enough, I was performing all the chores around the house. Everything from cooking, cleaning, gardening, and even painting the house. I was nothing more than a house elf to them and I didn't even get addressed by my own name. As I got older it only got worse for me though. If I did badly in school I was punished but if I did better than Dudley I was also punished. I never had friends growing up because Dudley would scare them off and my relatives told everyone who would listen that I was criminally incurable. When I turned eleven and received my first letter my Uncle got so mad that he moved our entire family to some shack on an island thinking he would be safe. Thankfully Hagrid showed up and got me. It was then that I found out I was a wizard."

As I finished sharing I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I hadn't ever told anyone that much about my life before Hogwarts before and it actually felt good. I looked across to see Daphne staring at me with something akin to shock and disbelief on her face. But her eyes held the most shocking emotion for me, sadness. It wasn't pity though. I had received looks of pity too often and knew how to recognize them. No Daphne didn't pity me she merely felt sorrow at what I had endured.

Neither of us said anything for a few minutes as what I had revealed to her sunk in. When she finally spoke it wasn't the question I had been expecting. "You said they didn't address you by your name, but what did they call you then?"

"Freak or boy." I hadn't meant to say it so casually but years of having it said to me just made it seem natural and I'm become desensitized to it. Daphne flinched as if she'd been struck and subconsciously laid a hand on her stomach protectively.

"How could they do that to a child? You weren't even old enough to…and they didn't tell you you were a wizard at all?" I shook my head suddenly feeling embarrassed about what I had revealed. I probably should have glossed over it more.

I spoke up trying to change the topic. I think it went left unsaid that we had shared enough about the past for tonight. I wanted to know more about Daphne's actual childhood but I could find that out some other time. "So let's talk about names then? That is the main reason we're both here after all."

I noticed Daphne still hadn't taken her hand off her stomach and smiled slightly at the clear sign of maternal instincts kicking in. The book Sirius had sent me during the summer had briefly talked about emotions each parent would feel towards their child and how some were stronger in mothers and some were stronger in fathers. Surprisingly it had been the mothers to show more protectiveness.

"Yes you are right." Daphne sighed and I got the feeling she was still slightly distracted. "Let's talk about girls names first and then we'll decide on boys. The girls' names are always the hardest to decide on anyway."

I went along with that since I was happy to talk about anything that wasn't my home life. "Sure, so umm…what names do you like?"

Daphne rolled her eyes at me and I figured I'd messed up somewhere already. "Honestly Harry, let's start with origins. Personally I like Latin or Greek names as they usually have more meaning and sound prettier. What about you? Do you have a preference towards name origin?"

I'd never thought about it like that before and honestly I wasn't sure I did, so for arguments sake I decided to agree. "No I think Latin or Greek will work. So what do you think of the name Athena then?" It was the first name I could recall having read something at some point about a Greek Goddess with the same name.

Daphne appeared to think about it for a second. "It's a nice name; Athena was the goddess of knowledge so as long as our child inherits my brains it would be fitting." Although she insulted me I could hear the teasing and mocking tone to it and knew it held no real malice. "However, I think we should keep trying. Athena is just fairly common and I think we might be able to come up with some other ideas. But it is not ruled out just yet. If we're going the goddess route there is also Aphrodite who was the goddess of love and desire."

I liked the name, but the implications behind it just didn't settle right with me. "No I don't think we'll be naming our child after a nymph. What about Helen?"

"I don't know I don't quite like that as a first name. It's a good choice for a middle name though. We'll keep it as a possibility for that."

I agreed not particularly caring for the name but I wasn't the most proficient at coming up with names out of the blue. Especially not when those names had to have Greek origins. I racked my brain hard to come up with another suggestion, but found myself drawing a blank. Thankfully I was saved when Daphne kept talking.

"I've put some thought into it before this obviously and I came up with a few ideas I really like, but I can't seem to narrow it down. What do you think of Anastasia? It's of Greek origins and is commonly associated with resurrection or new life."

I nodded as I thought about the name. It was very fitting and had a nice sound to it. It was definitely something I could see us choosing if the child was a girl and told Daphne as much.

"I thought so to. Some of the other names I was thinking about are Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Alexandra."

"Actually I really like Cassiopeia and we could always call her Cassi for short. What does it mean?"

Daphne shrugged. "There isn't a real meaning to it. Cassiopeia was supposed to have been a woman who was the mother of Andromeda in Greek mythology. When she died they said she was turned into a star and placed in the sky."

"Interesting. So we're down to two or three names we really like then. Anastasia, Cassiopeia, and Athena as a possible right?" I asked mostly to keep my list straight.

"Yes that sounds about right; I do like the idea of Cassi now that you've mentioned it. We don't have to make a final choice just yet, but I think that I'm leaning towards that one out of the three. What do you say we work on some boys' names now?"

"Sure, I don't honestly know too many Latin names but one I've heard before is Marcello. If I remember right it means something about being a warrior or a brave spirit." I'd seen the name once or twice while reading through various books and it had kind of stuck with me so I figured it couldn't hurt to suggest.

"I don't know. It sounds too aristocratic I think and while it would suit some families I don't think we're headed in that direction do you?" I shook my head no as I couldn't see us becoming anything like the Malfoys who were the prime example of aristocrats. "What about Apollo or Troy then? Both have similar meanings to Marcello but lack the extra posh."

"Well I don't know about Apollo, but I suppose Troy isn't so bad. We could always go with something common too. Aren't most of the boys names like Mark, John, Tim, etc. all based off of Greek?"

Daphne nodded. "They are, but do we really want our child to just be like everyone else with a name that lacks creativity?"

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Jeez it was just a suggestion woman don't bite my head off. So no common name then. How about Damian or Damon?"

"Damian…I like it. I think that is definitely the winner for boy names, but we'll keep some of the others in mind. I do have one other one I want to run by you though. What do you think of the name Severus?"

I was out of my seat so fast I almost missed the smirk on Daphne's face. "If you think for one second we'll be naming my child after that greasy-haired…"

Daphne laughed lightly and raised an eyebrow at me. "So it's just your child now Harry? I wasn't aware you were the one who was pregnant. "

I moved around the small table that was between our seats and gently sat myself next to her on the couch. I needed to get her back for trying to scare me when I got to the room and now this. She eyed me curiously as I inched toward her and lifted her legs from their curled position so that they were now stretched out across my lap and I could put my arm around her shoulders.

"Just what do you think you're doing Potter?"

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "So we're back to last name basis now Daphne? We're going to be seeing a lot of each other in the future so I think we should really move past that. As to what I'm doing…" I leaned in close to her ear like I was going to tell her something, but instead chose to take the moment to use my free hand to lightly tickle her. I didn't want to hurt the baby by being too rough after all, but this was payback. She was now trapped between me and the couch with nowhere to go as I tickled her and she squirmed in my grasp.

I pulled back my head so that she wouldn't accidentally head butt me while she was trying to get away. "Potter….Harry…stop this…stop please…can't breathe." Was all I could hear after about a minute of my payback. I was getting ready to stop when Daphne took me by surprise and gained control of herself long enough to press her lips to mine.

I am a lot of things. Half the time I'm just a kid in school. The other half I'm a hero to the Wizarding world famous for something I barely remember. Hell sometimes I'm a crazy lunatic who makes up stories about Voldemort returning. Most importantly though I'm a teenage boy with hormones and when an attractive girl kisses me I'm obviously going to kiss her back.

My hands immediately seized their tickling and that it turns out was exactly what Daphne was hoping for. The next thing I knew Daphne had pulled herself up and was no straddling my lap. She leaned into kiss me again and I closed my eyes. That was my dumb mistake, trusting a Slytherin girl who I knew to be very sneaky.

"Daphne…Daphne…cmon…I'm going to die….can't..breathe…air…Daphne!" I was gasping for air as she relentlessly tickled me back. Some part of my mind was rationalizing that I deserved this and wasn't too upset about the position I was in either, but the other part was begging me desperately to remember how to breathe. After what felt like forever it finally stopped and Daphne got off my lap. I bent over and gasped for air. When I looked up I found she had reapplied whatever glamour charm she was using to hide her body change and straightened her robes.

"Well as much fun as this has been Harry, I did only tell my dorm mates I was getting transfiguration help this evening and it's been almost four hours now. I'm sure the rumors have already started that I'm off gallivanting with some boy in a boy closet. I'll need to get back and squash those; I can't have them tarnishing my reputation after all." She turned to leave and I stayed seated on the couch.

As she reached the door I couldn't resist one last parting comment. "Are you sure you don't want to stay the night Daphne? It brings back fond memories being in here doesn't it?"

She didn't turn around but I knew she was smiling a little as she left the room. I sat back and waited for some time to pass before leaving in case there were patrols out. It wouldn't do any good to get caught leaving the same room as Daphne already. Overall everything had gone better than I could have hoped for and for once it looked like things were going my way. Maybe just maybe Sirius had been right when he said Daphne and I could find something else other than mutual benefits in this.

A/N So little bit longer chapter than I have been putting out. Hope you all enjoyed it. Turns out I have a long weekend which means two more days with internet and I have nothing but free time for them, so who knows maybe I will be able to put out one more chapter, but definitely no promises on that. Please leave me a review letting me know what you think so far. I love hearing what you have to say positive or negative and I respond to about 85% of my reviews. Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!