A/N: I did say it wouldn't be so long this time, although I can't guarantee it for next time! Anyway, thanks goes to Moon Lantern for reviewing the last chapter and also to all those who favourited/followed! :)

There was a shocked silence as everyone looked at Dumbledore in astonishment.

"You?" Fudge whispered incredulously, his eyes widening. "It was you; you recruited these students for your army?"

"I did."

"You… you've been plotting against me all this time!" he continued, his voice raising higher and higher as it occurred to him that all his suspicions had been correct.

"That's right!" Dumbledore continued.

Ariella wasn't sure what the Headmaster had in mind, but she didn't dare interrupt what was going on in fear of the blond haired boy stood opposite her.

"No, Professor! No!" Harry shouted suddenly, startling the young witch and Professor McGonagall, who immediately put a firm hand on his shoulder to tell him to stop.

"If you don't be quiet, Harry, I will have to send you out of my office," Dumbledore added when Harry opened his mouth again.

"Yes, be quiet Potter!" Fudge seemed to have pulled out of his shock and was now nearly bouncing up and down with glee. "I thought I'd come here to expel Potter, but now–"

"Now you can arrest me," Dumbledore finished.

"Yes, and the papers will be full of how the Hogwarts Headmaster is imprisoned in Azkaban, awaiting trial." Fudge was acting arrogantly now he thought he had everything the way he wanted it, but it was the slight twinkle in the Headmaster's eye that made Ariella think that there was something Dumbledore had up his sleeve.

"I do see a little snag in your reasoning, Cornelius."

"A snag?" The Minister's expression switched to that of bemusement.

"Yes, a snag, Cornelius. You seem to be insinuating that I'll… what's the phrase?... come quietly. I can assure you that I have no intention in going to Azkaban when frankly, there are many other things I would rather be doing."

Umbridge and Fudge stared at Dumbledore as though he had suddenly sprouted a second head. Suddenly, the pudgy woman dived into her pocket for her wand.

"I sincerely hope I do not have to use force on you, Dolores. If I recall, you only managed to get that O in your NEWTS due to your talent in casting a reducto at the examiner's grade sheet when she told you that you had only got an P and reducing it to dust before her eyes," Dumbledore warned her.

Ariella risked a glance at Harry, but immediately regretted it when she met his amused gaze and had the sudden inclination to laugh. Looking away, she bit her lip in an attempt to stop the giggles that threatened to spill. However, the laughter died in her throat at the Minister's next command.

"Take him!" he roared to Kingsley and Umbridge, suddenly brandishing his own wand. The young witch saw the old man roll his eyes before there was suddenly a huge streak of silver and Ariella was pulled to the ground by the scruff of her robe.

The young girl winced as a crash sounded above them and the air filled with a thick grey dust, obscuring everything from sight. Ariella stayed curled up on the floor as chaos reigned above until the air became still once more.

Tentatively raising her head, she realised that it had been Professor McGonagall who had pushed her and Harry out of harm's way and looking up even further, through the gently falling dust, she saw a tall figure moving towards them.

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up and dragging Ariella and Harry with her.

The dust was clearing and the wreckage of the office loomed into view. Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all of the spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silver instruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Draco and Kingsley lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.

"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would have looked very suspicious," said Dumbledore sadly. "They will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate. You must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember –"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"

"Oh no," the Headmaster replied with a grim smile. "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you."

"Professor Dumbledore …" Harry began, but Dumbledore immediately cut him off.

"Listen to me, Harry," he said urgently. "You must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practise it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams - you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me–"

Ariella spotted Fudge stirring and it seems Dumbledore did too for he seized Harry's wrist.

"Remember - close your mind, you will understand," whispered Dumbledore before Fawkes circled the office once more and then swooped low over him. The Headmaster released Harry, raised his hands and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them were gone.

"Where is he?' yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the floor and startling Ariella. "Where is he?"

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

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't do it from inside this school–"

"The stairs!' cried Kingsley, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open and disappeared, followed closely by Umbridge. Fudge hesitated and then got slowly to his feet, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence.

"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirt sleeve. "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.

Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures.

"You'd better get those two off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nod towards Harry and Ariella.

Professor McGonagall said nothing, but marched the two students to the door. As it swung closed behind them, Ariella heard one of the portraits' voice.

"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts… but you cannot deny he's got style..."