October 1995

"We need to talk." Ginny reiterated, glaring at Hermione. "Somewhere that's not here."

"What about?" Hermione asked.

"Let's start with why we're here. In this bathroom." Ginny said snippily. "I didn't want to believe the signs, and yet here we are."

"Typically, when the signs says 'witches,' it does mean the ladies." Hermione dodged.

"The other signs, Hermione." Ginny snapped. "The skipping meals, the leaving right after finishing a big breakfast, the puffy cheeks. You're skirts need to be taken in, don't think I haven't noticed. Your shirts are baggy. Oh, and then there's the missing Puking Pastilles. Fred and George have no clue what you've done with them. And now they're not going to believe me when I tell them."

"They wouldn't believe you anyway. They haven't noticed anything. Not even the fact that the only people who buy the bulk packs of Puking Pastilles are females." Hermione said, grabbing a potion from a Hufflepuff Ginny didn't recognize.

"What's that for?" Ginny asked.

"Tooth enamel. Restores it." Hermione replied, taking a swig and swishing it.

"That's disgusting. And I know disgusting, I have six brothers!" Ginny replied. "That's it, we're getting you out of here."

"Not so fast, Weasley," Pansy said, coming to Hermione's rescue. "That's not how it works in here."

"I don't care about your code, Parkinson. No one does." Ginny said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, you should," Daphne suggested.

"Oh, and why is that?" Ginny asked, laughing at the girls.

"How's Draco? Or is Harry today?" Pansy asked, crossing her arms.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ginny asked.

"I would. I have a hundred galleons on Longbottom coming out of nowhere." A Hufflepuff said from the back, coming in to save Hermione.

"When did this become all about me?" Ginny asked.

"When is it never all about you?" Pansy commented, buffing her nails.

"Pansy, I'll assume you're not this big of a bitch and it's just the jealousy and bulimia talking." Ginny shot back.

"Well, you would be wrong. Because she is." Tracy rolled her eyes.

"Look, Hermione, I'm here for you. I'm here to help you. I'll give you till Christmas to figure how stupid and inferior you're acting. After that, I'm going to Tonks." Ginny said. Then, being a smart Gryffindor, she beat a hasty retreat.

"I don't know how this makes you inferior," Pansy commented. "I mean, you're in here with us, not out there with the muggleborns."

Hermione just stared at her in outraged confusion, but was quickly caught off guard by Daphne saying, "Now I know why Astoria's girl crush is Ginny Weasley."


November 1995

"Professor Umbridge's interference." Madam Hooch explained.

"But no one will be there." Angelina raged.

"Once again, the plebeians don't understand what athletics does for a school. She scheduled it first, solely to antagonize Gryffindor House." Madam Hooch informed Angelina.

"I still hate it." Angelina groused.

"I still hate that I'll have to run flying classes and the entire Quidditch program for less than half of what I usually do because this game is too early in the year. Anticipation is everything in sports." Madam Hooch shot back. "But, we'll all have to live with it."

"What can you tell me about my team?" Angelina said, holding out a piece of parchment. "Can she really suspend them? Can she do that! All because she hates us?"

"Right now Ms. Johnson," Madam Hooch sighed, "she can do whatever she wants."

Angelina walked out of her office like a storm was chasing her. She didn't care that it was in the middle of the day or that classes were going on. She stormed right into fifth year Charms and pulled Harry from his desk and into the hallway.

"You're off the team." She said coldly.

"Come again," Harry said, folding his arms.

"Umbridge has control over all activities. That means the team and it is either you are off the team or we don't have one for the next three years!" Angelina shouted. "You knew that opening your mouth would do something like this! You are off the team and the Twins are on a game by game basis depending on their behavior in class!"

"That's it then?" Harry snapped. "I'm off your precious team? Fine!" Harry said walking away from her.

"Go to class!" She yelled at him.

"You aren't my Captain, I have no team and detentions for the rest of the semester! What else can Umbridge do to me?" He said, walking down the hall, away from it all.


"So, here's a new batch of the Puking Pastilles. Are you sure you want to run the quality control tests?" Fred asked, handing Hermione a bag full. "I mean, you have time and everything?"

"I have time. I'll fit it in, I promise." Hermione smiled at him, tucking the bag away before Ginny had the opportunity to see it. She'd already promised herself she'd quit this before too long, so Ginny's threat was a moot point. She just wanted to lose a few more pounds first. That's all.

"Are you sure? You have such a full schedule already. I mean, you haven't been in lunch all year. I just don't want to stress you or anything." Fred explained.

"Oh, Fred. I haven't eaten lunch since I was seven. That's when I found out that a good breakfast and a nice supper will give me enough nutrients without disrupting brain flow throughout the day." Hermione replied sweetly.

Fred didn't know what had gotten into her, but he really needed to figure it out. Now.


Harry stared at the material in front of him. He didn't really want to do this, but it had to be done. He had to teach this ridiculous extra class. He was fifteen and was about to teach an extra class. Quite frankly, he was going to learn a lot from this experience, like what it took to be a teacher at Hogwarts because he wasn't going to screw this up. Unlike almost every other teacher he'd had in Defence.

"Harry, it's okay. I'll help you with this bit, you just have a stronger magical core than I do. And you're famous. If I wanted to do this by myself, no one would show up. Except Ravenclaw. All the Ravenclaws would show up. Maybe I should have let the Hat put me in Ravenclaw." Hermione trailed off at the end, thinking.

"Mione, what?" Harry asked, confused. "Why would you want to be in Ravenclaw?"

"That's where the hat originally wanted me. Didn't you know that?" Hermione asked.

"I just, I never thought about anyone wanting to be anywhere but Gryffindor. Even Draco made a shot for it. But still, Ravenclaw?" Harry asked as he shuddered just a bit.

"What's that about?" Hermione giggled a little.

"Well… It's just- I mean- Well, it's Ravenclaw. At least Slytherin has that big snake on everything they own. You know they're snakes in the grass. Ravenclaw has that eagle to make you think they're wise and powerful when really they're just Slytherin Light." Harry argued.

Hermione sniffed at that but had to concede that Harry was right. It was, at the end of the day, Slytherin Light.

"Anyway, I'll help you through all of this. So will Luna and Ginny." Hermione reassured him.

"Are you sure Luna's going to have time? What with her busy schedule of snogging Draco when Ginny isn't around?" Harry asked snarkily.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

"How do you not know this?" Harry asked. Then, he thought about his statement, and added, "Of course you don't know about this. You've been super stressed all year. Luna and Draco have been sneaking around like prats behind everyone's backs. I've seen it on the Map."

"No, it can't be. Does Ginny know?" Hermione asked.

"I'm afraid to ask. She went to Hogsmeade with him. I can't believe she knows." Harry shook his head.

"Wow. Draco and Luna." Hermione stared in wonderment. "I'll get to the bottom of this and report my findings to you. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful. It would really help." Harry smiled, a real smile of gratitude. Hermione returned it, not sure how else to show her joy in his progress.


Finally, the day came the big one. The first meeting of the …. Harry didn't know what it was called, but it was something.

"What do you mean Slytherin isn't invited?" Draco exploded.

"Look, some of your housemates would rather kill us than look at us. So, we'll be executing this without Slytherin house." Hermione said carefully.

"Look, don't punish all of us for the small majority." Draco continued.

"I hadn't planned on it." Hermione scoffed. "Here are the notes you'll need to conduct this with your house."

"What?" Draco asked, staring at the pile of papers in his hand in confusion.

"I said, those are the notes you'll need if you want to have the same education as we'll get in this extra Defense class. We can't trust you will the location, but we can give you the materials." Hermione said slowly as if she were talking to a child. "Or, you know, you could get Luna to teach you. Since you two are having a torrid affair behind Ginny's back."

"What the-" Draco spluttered. "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"Well, that's what Harry theorizes is happening, what with you two having late night meet-ups in abandon classrooms." Hermione shrugged. "Now, I have to be going. Harry has the Map and won't hesitate to hex you silly if you try to figure out where we're holding the meetings. Consider this your friendly warning. The next one won't be so friendly."

After that, Hermione walked away and went to the seventh floor. She almost kissed Dobby when he found them a meeting place. Almost. She saw the door and walked through it, prepared for what she would see. She took a seat on a cushion next to Ginny. Ginny glared at her a little but didn't make her move, so Hermione thought that was an improvement. When the time came, Harry stood up.

"Okay, everyone. Um… Let's get started, I guess." Harry stuttered awkwardly. Hermione's hand shot into the air. "Yes, Hermione?"

"I think we should elect a leader." Hermione smiled at him.

"Harry's the leader." Cho Chang pointed out.

"Yes, I agree. But we should vote on it so everyone feels like they had a chance to have their say." Hermione elaborated.

Harry rolled his eyes and asked that was okay with everyone. When it was, he rolled his eyes and said, "Now that that's settled, let's move on to- Yes, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled at him again, and he face-palmed. "I think we should give it a name. Th group, I mean."

"Like what?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Down with Umbridge?"

"Too obvious." Ginny scoffed. "It has to be something like Defence Association."

"The DA. That's ambiguous enough that no one could figure it out." Luna agreed.

"Could you change it to Dumbledore's Army, though? I mean, I know the Weasley/Potter/Black families don't trust him and all, but I've spent enough time with her while she was approving the quidditch team to understand her. The thing she fears above everything else is that Dumbledore is building his own personal army." Angelina suggested.

Everyone thought that was a wonderful idea and agreed to it. It added an extra level of illegality that the whole group seemed to lack. Hermione scrawled 'Dumbledore's Army' across the top of the signed parchment and stuck it to the wall.

"Any last requests before we go one, Hermione?" Harry asked as Hermione blushed.

"Yeah, just one last thing. I made these fake galleons so that we can communicate meeting times. Harry will have the master and all of these will heat up when he sets the next date and time. It'll be hard to schedule them to fit everyone's needs, but we'll do our best." Hermione said, passing out a basket of charmed galleons.

"How the bloody hell did you do this?" Terry Boot asked in wonderment.

"Oh. Protean Charm. I knew what I needed, so I looked it up in the library." Hermione blushed and ducked her head. Fred suddenly saw his vision go red.

"That's brilliant! That's a NEWT level charm! How are you not a Ravenclaw?" Terry almost sighed, and George had to hold Fred back.

"My heart. My heart belongs to Gryffindor." Hermione answered as she passed out the last charm. "Okay, Harry. It's all you."

"Uh, sure," Harry said. "I thought we'd start with Expelliarmus. I know it's a simple, basic charm, but we've got younger years in here and it's really where I started."

"Excuse you." Zacharias Smith cut it. "When is that every going to be useful?"

"Excuse you." Harry sassed back. "It's how I defeated Voldemort last summer in the maze, dumbass. Stop interrupting or start leaving. If you're going to question me, you're going to get out."

"Yeah," Hannah Abbot sneered. "And you'll be an outcast."

"And you know that means something coming from your own house, dillweed." Susan Bones agreed. "Now, listen to Harry and stop being a cock."

Harry stared at the two girls in wonder before nodding his head and starting the class again. It was hard work, and some of the younger years were having trouble catching on. He started pairing the older students with younger ones, feeling that they would learn best by teaching.

The only major issue he had all meeting was with the Weasley twins. Specifically, with the two of them hexing Terry Boot every chance they got.

"I can't let you two continue doing that." Harry shook his head at the pair.

"Why not? He hit on Mione. It's my right." Fred scoffed at Harry's attitude.

"No, it's not. You haven't apologized. She's not your girlfriend anymore." Harry reminded him.

"Thanks a lot, Harry." Fred groused.

"He's not wrong, mate." George shrugged. "You'll have to realize that sooner or later."

"That's it. I'm going to do something about it." Fred vowed.

Harry nodded his head at the twins and continued. After the group had practiced for over an hour, he sent them all on their way by using the Map and letting people go in twos and threes. It was a good system that allowed everyone to make it back to their common rooms safely. And, for a moment, all was well.


The Gryffindor common room was packed with students, all ready for the Weasley twins to announce their newest products, or so they had told them. The first years all moved to the front, ready for whatever they might get their hands on.

The moment they walked down the steps of the boy's dormitory, the room became silent. Hermione was sitting by the fire next to Ginny, who was eyeing her brother. Fred nodded at Ginny as he stood on the table closest to the door.

"Attention Gryffindors...and the three Hufflepuffs who are trying to hide in the back," Fred said looking around the room.

"While we have new products, we will be doing testing a little differently. When we say differently we mean that we won't be using first years." George said.

"And well, we have no control over the rules, so if you're going to break them, then you have to answer to the people who are really in charge. The Prefects." Fred said, looking at Hermione. "Yes, you heard us right. We might be seventh years, but we don't have the power, the people with the badges do."

Ginny cleared her throat.

"That being said, I've been an idiot," Fred said, looking at Hermione as the whole room erupted in applause. "I'm sorry Hermione, and you were right and if anyone has a problem with listening to her about the rules or following them, then you can take it up with her, because outside of our relationship, she holds all the power."

Fred stepped off the table and walked over to Hermione, pulling her out of her chair and taking her hands. "Will you forgive me?


"Hem, hem. All students wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad will receive extra house points at the end of each term for every student they turn in for breaking the Educational Decrees." Umbridge smirked and the entire Great Hall groaned.


Gabs: Oh, that Umbridge. Horrible woman.

Kat: Poor Harry...It isn't going to get better for him anytime soon.

Gabs: That was the plot of Order of the Phoenix, wasn't it?

Kat: Pretty much! Sorry, we didn't post yesterday, that's my bad, it slipped my mind.

Gabs: Thanks to all of our reviewers and followers.

Kat: We own nothing!

XOXO

Gabs & Kat