Chapter Nine

"Valentine's Day"

If Lizzie and Hayden expected the hype over their Christmas figure skating performance to die down when they returned to school, they were sorely mistaken. If anything it had gotten even more popular.

Virtually everyone in the school, including the teachers had read Rena Crabapple's review of the show and from the moment the pair of them stepped into the Great Hall for breakfast on the first day back, they were being stopped by people requesting autographs and lavishing both of them with praise and admiration.

Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't stop talking about it. "How did you get so flexible?" Hermione asked Lizzie as she spread marmalade on her toast. Lizzie drank a mouthful of coffee and set her cup down. "What? You think all I do in physical therapy is learn how to walk without support?" she asked. "I stretch too, you know."

"Looks, like it's paying off," said Harry. Lizzie beamed.

But along with the admirers, also came the critics. Many of the students, including Zacharias Smith, did not believe that Lizzie had the balance to skate, and accused her of creating an illusion to make it appear that she could, and even Hayden's firm, if not aggressive affirmation that she could indeed skate, despite the fact that her form wasn't perfect, wasn't enough to convince him or others that what they had witnessed was authentic.

"So, were you put on wires or something? And did you use a Disillusionment Charm to hide them?" Smith demanded after cornering her one evening after their first D.A. meeting after coming back from the holidays. "I wasn't on wires," said Lizzie. "That was one hundred percent all me. No tricks." "No it wasn't!" snapped Smith. "Yes, it was," said Lizzie firmly. "You're crippled!" Smith shot at her. "You can't even walk without someone helping you!"

Hayden overheard this conversation while talking to Harry as he clenched his wand in his fist. When was Harry going to do something about him?

"How could you possible keep your balance on the ice?" demanded Smith. "I find your lack of faith disturbing," said Lizzie smirking. Hayden relaxed his grip around his wand. Smith didn't seem to have a comeback for this as he turned on his heel and flounced out of the room.

"Didn't miss that," said Lizzie when Smith had gone and Hayden walked up to her. "That was a nice comeback, I was about ready to jinx him," he said. "I'm glad you didn't," said Lizzie.

Since Hagrid's last inspection with Umbridge, he had since been put on probation, which greatly incensed both Hayden and Lizzie, and had since become common knowledge around the school over the next few days, but to both their indignation, hardly anyone apart from them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared upset at this news; indeed, some people, including Draco Malfoy prominent among them, seemed positively gleeful, much to Lizzie's disgust.

Malfoy had also been another person to heavily criticize her figure skating performance, and question her abilities, and yet, there were plenty of witnesses that night who saw the look of shock and some might argue, admiration on his face as she performed Waltz of the Snowflakes.

Meanwhile, ten high-security prisoners had escaped Azkaban, including one notorious Bellatrix Lestrange, and rumors abound that some had even been spotted in Hogsmeade.

Because both Lizzie and Hayden were Muggle-borns, they hadn't hear the names of the Death Eaters nearly as often as their friends who grew up in Wizarding families.

Both Lizzie and Hayden were also having trouble in D.A. meetings, because every time they were paired together to work on Stunning Spells, or anything else, their wands would never work properly.

It was eventually decided by Harry to avoid any potential mishaps or injuries that they don't pair up anymore, as odd as it was for their wands to be reacting the way they were.

This new arrangement positively delighted both Lavender and Parvati who would spend up to ten minutes at a time fighting over Hayden, something that clearly made him uncomfortable.

"Jealous, Lizzie?" Lavender sneered at her as she was paired up with Hayden to work on Stunning Spells. "No," said Lizzie. "It's not my fault our wands don't work well with each other!"

"Or is it?" asked Parvati as she and Lavender giggled. "Hey!" said Hayden sternly, glaring at the two of them as they immediately stopped giggling. "Leave her alone, or I won't pair up with either of you!"

With Voldemort's continuing rise in power, and the gathering of more and more followers, there was an atmosphere of fear and confusion around the school. Now it was becoming quite common to come across two or three teachers conversing in low urgent whispers in the corridors, breaking off their conversation, the moment they saw students approaching.

"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," said Lizzie in a low voice as she and Hayden passed Professor McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout, huddled together outside the Charms classroom one day. "Not with Umbridge there."

"And even if they do talk, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" whispered Hayden. "Not after Decree – which one are we on again?"

For new signs had appeared on the house notice boards and in the Room of Requirement the morning after the news of the Azkaban breakout:

BY ORDER OF

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are
paid to teach

The above is in accordance with
Educational Decree Number Twenty-six.

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

This latest decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee Jordan had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule, she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class. A point that Lizzie felt was very valid.

"Exploding Snap's got nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor! That's not information related to your subject!"

The next time Lizzie saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly. Lizzie recommended essence of murtlap, and warned him not to do that again. "You'll regret it, trust me," she said as she bandaged his hand, her eyes darting toward the scar on the back of her own.

Lizzie would have thought that the breakout from Azkaban might have humbled Umbridge a little, that she might have been abashed at the catastrophe that had occurred right under her beloved Fudge's nose. It seemed, however, to have only intensified her furious desire to bring every aspect of life at Hogwarts under her personal control. She seemed determined at the very least to achieve a sacking before long, and the only question was whether it would be Professor Trelawney or Hagrid.

Every single Divination and Care of Magical Creatures lesson was now conducted in the presence of Umbridge and her clipboard. She lurked by the fire in the heavily perfumed tower room interrupting Professor Trelawney's increasingly hysterical talks with difficult questions about Ornithomancy and Heptomology, insisting that she predict the student's answers before they gave them, and demanding that she demonstrate her skill in the crystal ball, the tea leaves, and the rune stones in turn.

Lizzie thought that Professor Trelawney might soon crack under the strain, several times, she passed her in the corridors (which in and of itself was a very unusual occurrence, as she generally remained in her tower room), muttering wildly to herself, wringing her hands, and shooting terrified glances over her shoulder, all the time giving off a powerful smell of cooking sherry. If she had not been so worried about Hagrid, Lizzie might have felt sorry for her – but if one of them was to be ousted out of a job, there could only be one choice for Lizzie as to whom shall remain.

And yet, she couldn't help but think back to the prophecy had made last term, but she still had absolutely not clue as to what any of it could mean. She thought about asking Hermione about it, but was reminded that Hermione believed that Trelawney was a fraud, so naturally, she would put zero stock into it if Lizzie dared to share it with her.

Unfortunately, Lizzie could not see that Hagrid was putting up a better show than Trelawney. Though he had toned down his lesson plan and shown them nothing more dangerous than a croup, a creature indistinguishable from a Jack Russell terrier, except for its forked tail, since before Christmas, he also seemed to have lost his nerve. He was oddly distracted and jumpy in lessons, losing the thread of what he was saying while talking to the class, answering questions wrongly and glancing anxiously at Umbridge all the time.

He had also been more distant with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lizzie, and Hayden than he had ever been before expressly forbidding any of them to visit after dark.

"If she catches yeh, it'll be all o' our necks on the line," he told them flatly and with no desire to do anything that jeopardized his job further, they abstained from walking down to his but in the evenings.

It seemed to Lizzie as well as everyone else that Umbridge was steadily depriving them of everything that made their lives at Hogwarts worth living,

The only good thing that she hadn't meant to steal from Lizzie was her riding. She and Hayden continued to work on getting. Lizzie ready for the show, working on her dressage, cross-country and showjumping, as Lizzie learned more advanced movements, her times got faster and she was able to clear higher jumps.

Hayden was incredibly proud of her as he watched her ride the first Wednesday after the start of the new term. "You're looking really good after a three week break," said Hayden impressively. Lizzie beamed. "All right, so go ahead and warm up, just we always do, rising up and down as you walk, then into your half seat, then you can go ahead and pick up your…"

"Hem, hem,"

Both Hayden and Lizzie looked up to see none other than Professor Umbridge striding across the arena with her clipboard in hand, a wide smile stretched across her toadlike face.

"Oh, no," Lizzie groaned as Flicka snorted and began to paw at the ground anxiously. "What's she doing here?"

"No idea….." said Hayden slowly. "Go ahead and start your warmup. I'll take care of this," said Hayden as Lizzie nodded, turning Flicka and walked along the right long side of the arena, beginning her warmup.

Hayden strode over to Professor Umbridge smiling widely. "Good evening, Mr. Chamberlain," she said sweetly. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Hayden raised his eyebrows. He had not received any note, nor had he been given any indication whatsoever that Umbridge was going to be inspecting the lesson. He wasn't even aware that extracurricular activities were being inspected. He had never seen her inspect a Quidditch match, let alone a riding lesson.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice calm with a credible imitation of politeness. "Must've slipped my mind…
Umbridge's smile widened, but her eyes were fixated directly at Lizzie who was now trotting around the arena.

"What kind of horse is that?" asked Umbridge. "Flicka?" asked Hayden turning toward Lizzie. "She's a mustang."

"A mustang," said Umbridge scribbling frantically on her clipboard. "But she's very well trained," said Hayden firmly, neglecting to mention that it was Hagrid who trained her.

"And who came up with that name? It is a most uncommon name for a horse," said Umbridge. "Lizzie came up with it," said Hayden. "It's Swedish – it means 'pretty girl'."

Umbridge made another note on her clipboard, glancing up every now and then at Lizzie.

Flicka seemed agitated as she snorted. "Settled down, girl," said Lizzie, shushing her. "You can't misbehave in front of her! You need to be a good girl…."

Umbridge was now surveying the jumps that littered the arena that were now all set to four foot one.

"I'm sorry, dear, but aren't those jumps a bit high for her?" asked Umbridge. Hayden's face flushed. He knew what she was up to. Nevertheless, he maintained his composure. "Lizzie's been riding for two years, and she's a natural!" he said proudly.

"Seems….to…..overestimate….student's…..abilities….." muttered Umbridge in a carrying whisper that echoed off the walls of the arena.

"If I didn't think she was capable, I would never ask her to jump them," said Hayden.

"Has…..unrealistic…expectations….when….it comes….to…his…student….." muttered Umbridge loudly.

Lizzie was trying very hard to block it all out, but Umbridge's muttering combined with the annoying scratching of her quill, was greatly distracting, and was agitating Flicka. "Please Flicka!" Lizzie moaned under her breath. She had to pass this inspection, or Umbridge might ban her from riding, and things would look even worse for her, if she were to fall or get bucked off of Flicka.

Then with a horrible pang in her chest and a sinking feeling in her stomach, the thought occurred to her that if Flicka misbehaved, it would give Umbridge free license to brand her a dangerous horse and have her put down, just because she was a mustang.

"And how long have you been riding, Mr. Chamberlain, dear?" asked Umbridge in her falsely sweet, girlish tones.

"Since I was ten," replied Hayden, whose face was now pink as he struggled to keep his tone even. "And you are sixteen is that correct?" asked Umbridge. "Yes, ma'am," said Hayden. Umbridge made another note on her clipboard. "I was just at the hospital wing, you know, Mr. Chamberlain, and I happened to take a look at Miss Brooks' medical file – it is my duty as High Inquisitor to know what sort of people Dumbledore allows to attend Hogwarts, you see….."

Hayden did not like the way she had said this, but he remained silent, his face blank. Umbridge flipped a piece of parchment on her clipboard. "I noticed," she said in a horribly honeyed voice. "That Miss Brooks has some very obvious….." she gave a rather nasty laugh "physical and intellectual deficits. Are you quite sure that she is able to understand your directions, given the fact that she is low functioning?"

Hayden felt a pang of anger in his chest, and his face got very hot. Umbridge was implying that because Lizzie was autistic, she was dumber than a sack of bricks, and in her eyes, barely even human. A statement that Hayden found to not only be blatantly untrue, but deeply offensive. Lizzie did not have an intellectual disability, and was exceptionally intelligent – even all of her teachers had said this. She even outpaced Hermione in some areas.

"She learns at a different pace than most, but she is not, as you put it, low functioning. Lizzie is one of the brightest most intelligent people I have ever met, and I believe that she is more than capable of jumping those heights. I think if she continues to work as hard as she has been working, she has the ability to make it to the Grand Prix or even the Olympics. I don't think there's anything she can't do," said Hayden

Umbridge was scribbling frantically on her clipboard. "Very well, Mr. Chamberlain," she said sweetly. "Would you have her, go through those jumps for me?"

"Of course," said Hayden as he turned to face the inside of the arena toward Lizzie. "Lizzie!" he called after her. "Yeah?' asked Lizzie, beaming, and trying not to look at Umbridge. Flicka had settled down and seemed to take Lizzie's warning seriously. "Would you mind showing Professor Umbridge what you've been working on?" asked Hayden. "Sure! Love to!" said Lizzie in a highly convicting tone of enthusiasm.

She clucked at Flicka, squeezing her sides with her legs as they trotted around the right corner and transitioned into a canter as they passed A.

Lizzie's whole focus was to pretend that Umbridge wasn't even in the room as they cantered to the mirrored end of the arena and across the long diagonal toward the first jump.

As she came upon it, she rose into a two-point as Flicka soared over the jump. Hayden looked pleased as he stole a sideways glance at Umbridge who looked momentarily stunned but regained her poise as she scribbled with fervor on her clipboard.

Lizzie cleared the final jump as she transitioned into a trot as she approached Hayden. "That was really good!" said Hayden. "You and Flicka are going to do great at the show….."

"I'm sorry, dear, the end of year horse show?" asked Umbridge, her bulging eyes narrowed. "Yes," said Hayden. "That's what all this training is for – to get her ready so she can compete."

"We shall see…" said Umbridge sleekly. Lizzie felt her heart had dropped into her stomach. What did she mean by that?

"You should ask her teachers what they think of her – ask Professor Dumbledore for that matter! See what they have to say!" said Hayden, knowing full well that all of Lizzie's teachers - with the exception of Snape - and Dumbledore would have nothing but positive things to say about Lizzie.

"Oh, I shall," said Umbridge, almost sneering now as she approached Lizzie. Her voice instantly became more little-girlish and slow as if she were addressing a toddler. She was so short that she had to look up at Lizzie to talk to her.

"Do you enjoy your lessons?" she asked slowly, as if Lizzie couldn't understand her, though Lizzie knew exactly why Umbridge was doing this, and as much as it grated her nerves, she knew better not snap or lash out at her.

"Yes, I do," said Lizzie. "And do you feel safe riding this horse?" said Umbridge slowly. "Absolutely," said Lizzie as clearly and eloquently as she could muster. "I trust Flicka with my life." "Are you not aware," said Umbridge even louder and slower still. "That the Ministry considers mustangs as wild animals?"

"Wild doesn't necessarily mean dangerous," said Lizzie. Umbridge blinked, looking slightly surprised by Lizzie's answer. Hayden smiled.

Umbridge stared at Lizzie for another moment, then smiled. "And do you find," she said, continuing with the same slow, infantilizing tones. "That you are able to understand what Mr. Chamberlain is teaching you?"

This question hit a raw nerve with Lizzie, but she didn't let Umbridge see that. Instead she put on a polite smiled, and said, "Absolutely, and if I have any questions, I ask them. I have no trouble at all understanding him."

"Student…..shows…..inability…to…..understand…or…follow…...directions…." Umbridge muttered loud enough for both Lizzie and Hayden to hear, scribbling on her clipboard.

Lizzie felt her temper flare, but she maintained a calm demeanor. Umbridge was directly contradicting everything she said.

"Very well, Miss Brooks," said. Umbridge slowly and in sickly sweet tones. "Thank you for trying to answer my questions. I am sure you did your best…"

Lizzie was shaking with rage, she almost couldn't hold the reins. Hayden looked livid as well.

"Very well, Mr. Chamberlain," said Umbridge sweetly. "I think I have everything I need. You will receive your inspection within ten days' time,"

"I look forward to it," said Hayden coldly. Umbridge smiled as she turned and started to make her way out of the arena.

"Is this necessary, Professor?" Hayden asked, feigning a tone of politeness. "Oh, yes," said Umbridge sweetly. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough and detailed repot of all courses and activities at Hogwarts to make sure that all participating students have the capabilities to understand the material being taught to them, Mr. Chamberlain. Yes, it is very necessary."

Hayden had a really bad feeling about the emphasis she put on the word 'understand', and the condescending, infantilizing way she had asked Lizzie questions, then wrote a note that contradicted her answers. He began to wonder if she was even allowed to do this at all. As far as he had seen, there had been nothing in any of the previous educational decrees that stated the High Inquisitor had the authority to inspect extracurricular activities.

Lizzie appeared to be thinking along the same lines as he was as she approached him after cooling Flicka out at the end of the lesson.

"Can she do that?" Lizzie gasped. She looked angry and scared all at once. "I don't know," said Hayden darkly. "But I'm gonna find out – count on it!"

Hayden immediately went to Professor McGonagall's office after he and Lizzie walked back up to the castle fifteen minutes later, Lizzie making her way to dinner.

Hayden knocked three times on Professor McGonagall's office door and her brisk voice rang from inside. "Enter!"

Hayden turned the door handle, and cautiously walked inside. "Mr. Chamberlain!" said Professor McGonagall. "Come in, come in! Do shut the door behind you, won't you?"

Hayden nodded as he closed the door softly behind him and walked up to Professor McGonagall who was sitting at her desk, grading papers. "Is everything all right?" asked Professor McGonagall. "Is it something to do with Miss Brooks?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Hayden. Professor McGonagall's expression immediately became concerned. "She's not harming herself again!" she said. "No, Professor," said Hayden quickly. "Then what is it?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Hayden was dancing around how he was going to ask the question. "Are there any…I mean is there…?" He sighed. "Does Professor Umbridge have the authority as High Inquisitor to inspect extracurricular activities, like Quidditch and horseback riding?" asked Hayden.

Professor McGonagall's frown became even more pronounced. "No," she said. "Why do you ask?"

Hayden told her everything about what happened in Lizzie's horseback riding lesson and how Umbridge had show up, asked Lizzie a bunch of questions, and talked to her like she didn't have any brain cells between her ears.

At the end of his story, Professor McGonagall looked positively livid. "No educational decree allows her to inspect extracurricular activities!" she said. "She also used her position as High Inquisitor to look at Lizzie's medical records in the hospital wing!" said Hayden. "She knows about her autism diagnosis and her mental illness! And given how she talked to her, I wouldn't be surprised if she would look for any good reason to at best, have Lizzie's riding privileges revoked, or at worst, expel her."

"That will never happen, Mr. Chamberlain," said Professor McGonagall valiantly. "Professor Umbridge might be High Inquisitor, but she is not above Professor Dumbledore. He will make absolutely sure Miss Brooks stays in school. Don't you worry about this. I will sort it. I will speak to the Headmaster."

"I appreciate that," said Hayden. Professor McGonagall nodded. "Just continue doing wonderful work with Miss Brooks, and get her ready for the show. How's that going?" "She's getting better all the time. I'm so proud of her. She's come a long way this year."

"Well done," said Professor McGonagall, giving him a rare smile. Hayden nodded. "After what happened with Raven, she deserves this chance," he said. "I'm sure she will do very well and make Gryffindor House and this school very proud," said Professor McGonagall as she continued to smile.

Lizzie was buried with a new pile of homework as the countdown to O.W.L.s continued, keeping her up well past midnight, secret D.A. meetings, her riding lessons, which Hayden had doubled down on in order to prepare her for the horse show in June – January seemed to be passing alarmingly fast. Before she knew it, February had arrived, bringing with it, wetter and warmer weather. Sadly, the ice on the Black Lake had begun to melt, so Lizzie was no longer able to skate on it anymore, much to her dismay.

There was however, one thing to look forward to. A Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day. Still in screaming denial over her feelings for Hayden, Lizzie didn't know if she should ask him if he wanted to go with her or not. It would be nice to get out of the castle a bit and enjoy each other's company.

Ever since he had almost kissed her over the Christmas break, she had done everything she could think of to deal with her feelings, writing them down, praying about it, talking with her mum, through letters, and none of it seemed to make it any better.

She then tried suppressing her feelings and acting like she didn't feel the way she felt, which did the exact opposite of what she had hoped. It was like the more she denied it, the stronger her feelings became.

On the morning of the fourteenth, she arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hayden, it transpired, was nowhere to be seen.

Lizzie was just helping herself to kippers when there was a tap on her shoulder and a blonde fourth year Ravenclaw girl was smiling at her, and handed her a bouquet of gardenias. "These came for you," she said, handing them to Lizzie. "Someone must really like you."

"Oh, thank you," said Lizzie as she took them and read the card that was attached to the paper the flowers were wrapped in:

I love everything about you.

Your amazing heart,

How your mind works,

How you live,

And especially, how you love,

Your secret admirer xoxox

Lizzie stared in utter bewilderment at the note, then held the flowers and inhaled the wonderful scent. Who would possibly take time out of their day to write something so kind and meaningful?

Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed equally perplexed. "Lizzie's got a secret admirer?" Ron muttered to Harry. "I wonder who it could be?"

"Well, that's obvious isn't it?" asked Hermione, who was grinning. "It's Hayden, of course!" Harry and Ron exchanged glances then the two of them began sniggering. "Of course! Who else would it be?" asked Harry. "I've seen how he looks at her during D.A. meetings! He's mad about her!"

"Why hasn't he said anything?" asked Ron, "He has his reasons," said Harry. "I tried encouraging him to ask her out during our last D.A. meeting, and he said he couldn't."

"Why?" asked Ron curiously. "He wouldn't say," said Harry. "I asked him if he was seeing someone else, he said he wasn't, and I asked him again why he couldn't ask Lizzie out. He gave me this really odd look and just….walked away….."

"Maybe he's afraid of being rejected?" asked Hermione. "Well, if he is, it's a pretty rubbish excuse because Lizzie likes him too. You're not the only one who's noticed how she acts around him," said Ron to Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I've noticed that too," she said. "She get so shy and awkward around him when she's not that way with anyone else. Plus those looks Hayden gives her, and the fact that they spend all their free time together…"

Lizzie had been so enamored with the idea that someone in the school liked her enough to send her flowers, that she had been totally oblivious to the conversation that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were having right beside her, until she heard her name being mentioned.

"I just wish Lizzie would admit that she likes him, this act she's putting on, pretending he's just a friend is getting really old…"

"Hey!" said Lizzie as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat up and stared at her. "I'm right here, you know" said Lizzie somewhat bitterly. "You wanna talk about me, talk to me, thank you very much!" She was still incensed by the way Umbridge had talked to her during her inspection of her riding lesson, which, by now, Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew all about, and they were just as angry as she was.

"Lizzie," said Hermione quickly. "We weren't…..We didn't meant to…." "Forget it," said Lizzie, returning to her food, suddenly finding herself not very hungry, and merely picking at it with her fork. "It can't have been Hayden who sent me those flowers," she said. "Why not?" asked Harry. "Because he doesn't like me like that," said Lizzie. "We're just friends."

"Here she goes again," muttered Ron. Hermione nudged him hard, glaring at him.

"You do spend a lot of time together," said Hermione. "Don't you think he might like you a bit more than just as a friend? And he did give you that beautiful necklace for Christmas," she said, nodding at the gold figure skate necklace around Lizzie's neck.

"We get each other, definitely," said Lizzie, clearly dodging. "And we're together a lot, just not in a together sort of way."

"A guy doesn't just give a girl a gold necklace with real diamonds if he only likes her as a friend!" said Hermione. "For heaven's sake, Lizzie! When are you going to wake up, and realize that Hayden has feelings for you?" "Because he doesn't," said Lizzie "How do you know that?" asked Hermione. Lizzie said nothing. "Seriously, Lizzie, how?" asked Hermione. "Because," said Lizzie. "I'm not good enough for him, that's why!"

Ron scoffed. Lizzie ignored him. "Look at me! I'm crippled, I'm autistic, I have mental health problems, and I'm ugly – there's nothing good about me, and Hayden's normal! He deserves better than me!"

"That is Malfoy talking!" Hermione snapped. "Hermione's right, Liz," said Harry. Lizzie glared at him, as if personally betrayed that he would take Hermione's side over hers.

"Just hear me out for a minute, Liz," said Harry. "Look I get it. The stuff Malfoy has said and done to you over the past five years would put anyone's self esteem in the loo. Okay, it's true, you do have some challenges, but who among us doesn't?"

"You sound just like my mum," said Lizzie. "She said the same thing." "I've never met your mum, but it sounds like she's right," said Harry. "Hayden has cared for you from the moment he met you in the corridor the first day of term, and the two of you have gotten closer since."

Lizzie's mind flashed back to the day Hayden had risked being late for Charms on his first day just to help her. And not just that, but when he found out she was autistic and mentally ill, he didn't judge her for that either, and had even stood up for her on multiple occasions. If anything he was far more understanding than anyone in the school had been.

And the two of them had indeed gotten close over the course of the year, and Hayden had tried to kiss her. He wouldn't have done that if she liked her as just a friend. Would he?

But even as she thought about it, denial clung to her heart like the tendrils of Devils Snare. There was still a part of her that still didn't want to believe it.

Harry seemed to know exactly what to say to put the matter at rest. "Lizzie, listen to me," he said gently, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "A horse can have perfect conformation, but it takes more than that to be champion, right? It takes it all. And that is exactly what you have!"

"You reckon?" asked Lizzie. Harry smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said. "But no one's gonna see it until you start seeing it in yourself."

Lizzie smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said. "Thanks, I feel a lot better now." "What are best friends for?" asked Harry. Lizzie smiled. "So are you going to Hogsmeade?" "Yeah," said Harry. Hermione nodded. "Can't," said Ron. "Quidditch practice. "Ah," said Lizzie. "I should go….put these in some…..some water…" she said as she held up her bouquet of flowers and got up from the table and walked out of the Great Hall.

She went up to Gryffindor Tower and put her flowers in a vase on her beside table, smiling as she grabbed her cloak and heading out of the dormitory, across the common room and out the portrait hole.

She ran into Hayden in the entrance hall, who immediately noticed the look on her face.

Despite receiving her favorite flowers from an anonymous stranger, she was still feeling down, and very conflicted and confused about her feelings toward Hayden. She was tired of fighting it, but was also afraid of making the first move. She didn't want him to think that she was desperate.

"Hey," said Hayden as Lizzie walked up to him. "Hi," said Lizzie. "I would say 'Happy Valentine's Day, but….." said Hayden who had gone slightly pink and was staring at his shoes. "That would be kinda awkward," said Lizzie, fumbling anxiously with the figure skate necklace around her neck. "Yeah," said Hayden. "Interesting thing happened at breakfast though," said Lizzie. "What's that?" asked Hayden. "I got a bouquet of gardenias from someone," said Lizzie. "Oh? Who?" asked Hayden.

Lizzie shrugged. "No idea," said Lizzie. "There was a note, but no signature." She neglected to mention that she thought she had recognized the handwriting, but she couldn't place it…

"Whoever it was, must really like you," said Hayden, smiling. "So, you going to Hogsmeade?" he added. "Mm-hmm," said Lizzie. "You?" "Yeah," said Hayden. "Lavender and Parvati asked me to go with them, but…." They both laughed. "What is it with those two?"

"I told you they've always been boy crazy," said Lizzie. "We could…go to Hogsmeade together," Hayden suggested. Lizzie stared at him. "We could….keep each other company….That is, if you….if you…want to."

A moment later, Lizzie smiled. "Sure," she said. "That sounds really nice." "Great!" said Hayden, smiling back. "Shall we?" he asked. Lizzie nodded as Hayden wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the castle together.

"Everyone is still talking about the figure skating show we did," said Lizzie. "Yeah," said Hayden. "Molly Cobb was gushing to me about it the other day. It was really fun to do. You did a good job with the choreography," "And I'm impressed with how fast you learned," Lizzie commented. "Remember when it started snowing just as you were about to do the Waltz of the Snowflakes?" asked Hayden. "Oh, my gosh! Talk about perfect timing!" said Lizzie. "It really set the mood, didn't it?" asked Hayden.

The subject of their Christmas figure skating show carried them all the way down the drive and out through the gates. Lizzie could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to him – granted, he had always been easy to talk to, but as the two of them began to develop stronger feelings for each other, there was more awkward silences between them. This was thankfully, not one of those times.

It was no more difficult talking to him, in fact, than talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and she felt herself becoming more confident and cheerful, when suddenly a large gang of Slytherin girls lead by Pansy Parkinson passed them.

"Brooks and Chamberlain!" screeched Pansy to a chorus of snide giggles. "Urgh! Chamberlain, I don't think much of your taste – Out of all the girls in the school, why did you pick the ugliest one to ask out?"

They sped up, taking and shrieking in a pointed fashion with many exaggerated glances back at Lizzie and Hayden, leaving an embarrassing silence in their wake. Hayden looked over at Lizzie and noticed the devastated look on her face. It wasn't the first time that she had been called 'ugly' to her face, but it still hurt. A lot.

"You okay?" he asked, pulling Lizzie closer to him. She nodded. "Don't listen to them!" said Hayden. "This is how it's always been since I arrived here," said Lizzie. "Maybe Mum was right; maybe I should never have come here….."

"If you hadn't we wouldn't have become friends," said Hayden. Lizzie laughed. She had to admit to herself that he had a very valid point. "That's true," she said "So, where do you want to go first?" asked Hayden as they entered Hogsmeade. The High Street was full of students from both Hogwarts and the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry in their navy bleu cloaks with the Canadian flag emblazoned on them, ambling up and down, peering into shop windows and messing about together on the pavements.

The ten escaped Death Eaters were staring out of every shop window Lizzie and Hayden passed. It had started to rain as they passed Scrivenshaft's Quill shop; cold heavy drops of water kept hitting Lizzie's face and flecking the lenses of her glasses, making it difficult to see.

"Um, do you want to get a coffee?" Hayden suggested, as the rain began to fall more heavily. "Yeah, all right," said Lizzie. "Where?" "Oh, there's a really nice place that I passed plenty of times but never actually tried out. It's right up here…" said Hayden.

He led her up a side road into a small tea shop called Madame Puddifoot's. In all the times that Lizzie had gone down to Hogsmeade, it occurred to her that she had never seen this place before. It was a cramped, steamy little place where everything seemed to have been decorated with frills or bows, and Lizzie was unpleasantly reminded of Umbridge's office. Hayden was cringing too.

The shop was full of couples sitting at tables holding hands or kissing as a number of golden cherubs hovered over each of the small tables, occasionally throwing pink confetti over the occupants.

"We can – can go to the Three Broomsticks instead, if you…..if you want?" Hayden offered awkwardly, noticing Lizzie's uncomfortable expression.

"No, no! This – this'll be all right," she said untruthfully.

They sat down at the last remaining table, which was situated in the steamy window. Lizzie looked over Hayden's shoulder and saw Harry with Cho Chang, and sitting a foot and a half away from them was Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, sitting with a pretty blonde girl as they held hands.

The sight made Lizzie uncomfortable, particularly when, looking around the tea shop, she saw that it was full of nothing but couples, all of them holding hands. Maybe Hayden would expect her to hold his hand. Or he could hold hers…

Almost as if he could read her mind, she suddenly felt his hand slip into hers as she looked up at him. "You okay? You look uncomfortable," he observed. "It's nothing," said Lizzie. "It's just…"

"What can I get you, m'dears?" asked Madame Puddifoot, a very stout woman with a shiny black bun squeezing between their table and Roger Davies' with great difficulty.

"Erm, two coffees, please," said Lizzie awkwardly.

In the time it took for their coffees to arrive, Roger Davies and his girlfriend started kissing over their sugar bowl. Lizzie wished that they wouldn't, it was uncomfortable enough to be sitting in the little shop with all these couples surrounding them, combined with her own insecurities about how she felt for Hayden. And yet, here he was, sitting across from her, giving her his undivided attention.

It was only after a few painful moments that Hayden mentioned Umbridge. Lizzie seized on the subject with relief and the passed a few happy moment abusing her, but the subject had already been so thoroughly canvassed during D.A. meetings, it didn't not last very long. Silence fell again.

Lizzie was very conscious of the slurping noises coming from the table next door and cast wildly around for something to say, but Hayden beat her to the punch.

"How's homework?" he asked. Lizzie stared at him. Of all the things to talk about, Hayden was talking about homework.

"Brutal," said Lizzie. "I haven't slept much the past few nights because I've been up so late."

"Do you need some help?" asked Hayden. He had made this offer many times before, and Lizzie was so buried that she couldn't say 'no' even if she wanted to. "I might have to take you up on that," she said, smiling.

Desperate to talk about something other than homework, and distract her from Roger Davies and his girlfriend, who were devouring each other's faces as Lizzie took a sip of her coffee and Hayden did the same. "Did you – think any more about what I said last term? I mean, about you competing in the horse show?" "Yeah, I have," said Hayden, smiling. "I've decided to compete. "Really?" asked Lizzie, sounding thoroughly ecstatic. "There's that smile I love," said Hayden. Lizzie blushed and took another sip of her coffee. Her eyes kept darting beyond their table at Harry and Cho.

Cho seemed to be very emotional about something, though Lizzie didn't have to venture a guess as to what.

Cedric had been Cho's boyfriend, and she took his death almost nearly as hard as Lizzie had.

Harry appeared to be attempting to console her, but he was failing miserably at it.

Feeling intrusive for eavesdropping, she diverted her attention back to Hayden. "So what level are you gonna compete at – for the show, I mean?" she asked. "This will be my first time competing Grand Prix," said Hayden. "Hayden, that's brilliant!" Lizzie squealed happily. Hayden smiled modestly. "Well done!" said Lizzie, still grinning broadly, and sounding positively thrilled. "That's really sweet, coming from you," he said. Lizzie smiled then groaned.

"What's wrong?" asked Hayden. "Ugh! It's just…this feels awkward," Lizzie moaned. "Why is this so awkward?"

"I know!" said Hayden. "We're just two friends having a coffee and enjoying each other's company, what could be more innocent?"

"You're right!" said Lizzie. "As soon as we're done here, we can pay for our coffees, and go on with our day."

"And we can put this whole hellacious nightmare behind us," said Hayden. Lizzie laughed.

"It's no hellacious, shut up!" she giggled. "It's horrific." Hayden chuckled. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you," asked Lizzie. "Mmm?" asked Hayden, draining his coffee cup. Lizzie pursed her lips as she thought about how she wanted to phrase the question. "Why did you….want to be my friend?" she asked.

It sounded like such a strange, out-of-the-blue question that Hayden didn't answer at first. "Very few people in the school have gone out of their way to be friends with me," said Lizzie. "Most of the time, they just avoid me because I'm different."

Hayden knew that Lizzie wasn't just talking about her autism diagnosis, she was also referring to the fact that she had Cerebral Palsy, and couldn't walk long distances by herself.

"You're kind of like a thestral," he said. "What do you mean?" asked Lizzie curiously. "You said that most people avoid you because you're different. But then there are those that can easily look past that, and see what a great person you are, and thestrals – not everyone can see them, but sometimes those that see them avoid them because they look different."

"And they're actually quite gentle," said Lizzie. "Exactly," said Hayden. Lizzie smiled. "I just wish I was normal," she said. "When I was in my first year, Harry showed me this mirror called the Mirror of Erised – it shows you the deepest and most desperate desire of your heart." "That makes sense," said Hayden nodding. "Because 'Erised' is 'desire' spelled backward." "Mm-hmm," said Lizzie. "I'll never forget what I saw when I looked into it…"

"What did you see?" asked Hayden. "I saw…me," said Lizzie. "Only I was…normal – that is to say, I wasn't disabled. I didn't have my walker or leg braces, I was just…"

"You are normal," said Hayden. "That's not what Malfoy says," said Lizzie. "He's reminded me of that every day since I was a first year.

"Malfoy's an idiot," said Hayden. "You're more than normal, you're something wonderful."

"Stop it!" Lizzie giggled, playfully slapping his hand. "I mean it," said Hayden. "Whoever sent you those flowers obviously thinks you're special." "Do you?" asked Lizzie. "Think I'm special?"

Hayden smiled. "Definitely," he said, and Lizzie became conscious of the fact that his face was inching ever so slowly closer to hers. "I knew you were special from the moment I met you," said Hayden. His face had gotten closer now, and Lizzie's mouth felt rather dry. "And I just wish…you could see yourself the way I see you…" said Hayden, his voice becoming softer to the point where he was almost whispering.

He was much closer to her now…inches from her….their lips nearly touching. She could feel the tip of his nose brush gently against hers….

Someone dashed past their table, sobbing as Hayden and Lizzie looked up to see Cho Chang darting toward the door, wrenching it open, and hurried off into the pouring rain.

"Cho!" Harry called after her, but the door had already swung shut behind her.

"Oh, dear," Lizzie muttered, raising a hand to her mouth, watching Harry stare at the door. Every eye was upon Harry as he threw a Galleon on his table and hurried out the door.

Lizzie and Hayden didn't immediately follow. Their intimate moment unceremoniously broken for the second time.

They waited at least five minutes, not speaking, unsure of what to say as they paid for their coffees and hastily left the shop.

They walked along the High Street toward Honeyduke's which was having a Valentine's Day sale on their chocolate. Hayden bought Lizzie a box of her favorite Chocolate cauldrons – she still hadn't polished off the box that she had gotten from Ron for Christmas – then stopped by the tack shop, and Scrivenshaft's, because both Lizzie and Hayden needed new quills.

What had started out as a casual outing between friends was beginning to feel more and more like a date. Despite the fact that it had only been suggested they go together to keep each other company, seeing as both of them were single. And yet, Hayden had almost kissed her for the second time, that had to mean something, surely! He wouldn't have made such a bold more like that, if he only like her as a friend….

And despite all the evidence that was there plain as day to all but confirm what Harry, Ron and Hermione had been talking about that morning, Lizzie was still so caught up in her own insecurities and low opinion of herself to even entertain the idea that Hayden could like her. After all, she had started the year off depressed over Raven's death and self harming; that in and of itself would be considered a turn-off to any normal person.

Then there was the matter of her disabilities. As capable as she was of taking care of herself, many still regarded her as weak, and helpless, no matter how many times she proved to the contrary. She had resorted to asking people to go to the Yule Ball with her last year 'Sadie Hawkins' style because no one had wanted to go with her. Hayden was definitely different from all the other students at Hogwarts.

Not kissing Hayden for a second time only seemed to intensify the feelings she had for him that were burning more and more intensely inside her heart. To relieve the stress, she found herself writing in her journal more and more, and her dreams involving Hayden were more and more frequent, only this time, they all seemed to involve them kissing for some reason.

By this point, her mind kept reverting back to Professor Trelawney's prediction. She was becoming more and more convinced that the 'handsome stranger' that Trelawney had mentioned could very well be Hayden; He was good looking – almost all of the girls at Hogwarts and even some of the girls at the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry had crushes on him.

His name also started with 'H' like Trelawney had mentioned, and even Lizzie had said that apart from Harry, she hadn't known anyone else who's name began with an 'H' that fit the description that Trelawney had given. Trelawney had also motioned that he would be extremely important to her.

Hayden had started off as a great friend and mentor when it came to Lizzie's horseback riding, but now it was on the verge of becoming something more, and yet, it seemed neither of them was willing to make the first move for their own reasons.

Everything seemed to make sense to Lizzie but at the same time, she could hear Hermione's voice in her head, telling her that the evidence was circumstantial at best, that it could easily be someone else, that she was grasping at straws, and that Trelawney couldn't be taken seriously.

By dinnertime on Monday night, Lizzie and Hayden entered the Great Hall, and the first bit of news they heard was that Harry had conducted an interview with Rita Skeeter. "Who's she?" asked Hayden. "She's the Stephen Glass of the Wizarding world," said Lizzie. "Ah," said Hayden.

Stephen Glass was an American journalist who rose to fame after he published a piece in The New Republic magazine, entitled 'Hack Heaven' that was later proven to be fabricated. It was eventually discovered that out of the forty-eight pieces that Glass had written for The New Republic, a total of twenty-eight were found to be either partially or completely fabricated.

Rita Skeeter had published a piece in The Quibbler with the said interview with Harry, where he had spoken out about his experience in the graveyard last year, and that Voldemort had returned.

"That's bold," said Lizzie, helping herself to a jacket potato. "Here's hoping people will take what you have to say seriously this time around."

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you going public," said Dean Thomas, sounding awestruck as Seamus shoveled down large amounts of chicken-and-ham pie on his opposite side, yet Harry knew that he was listening in.

"It's the right thing to do, Harry," said Neville, who was sitting opposite him. He was rather pale, but went on in a low voice. "It must have been…tough…taking about it….was it?"

"Yeah," mumbled Harry. "I can only imagine," said Lizzie sympathetically, who was putting large amounts of butter on her potato. "But people have got to know what Voldemort is capable of, haven't they?"

"I hear that!" said Hayden, who was shaking pepper onto his own jacket potato. "That's right," said Neville, nodding. "And his Death Eaters too…..People should know…."
He left his sentence hanging and returned to his baked potato. Seamus looked up, but when he caught Harry's eyes, he looked quickly back at his plate again.

After a while, Dean, Seamus, and Neville departed for the common room, leaving Harry, Hermione, Lizzie, and Hayden at the table, waiting for Ron, who had not yet had dinner because of Quidditch practice.

Cho Chang walked into the Hall with her friend Marietta. She did not look in Harry's direction as she sat at the Ravenclaw table with her back to him.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," said Hermione brightly, glancing over at the Ravenclaw table, "what happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?"

"Er – well, it was…" said Harry, pulling a dish of rhubarb crumble toward him, and helping himself to seconds, "a complete fiasco, now you mention it." "Aww!" said Lizzie sympathetically as Harry told them what had happened in the tea shop, and she and Hayden did their best to act like this was news to them.

"…So, then," he finished several minutes later, as the final bits of crumble disappeared, "she jumps up, right, and said, 'I'll see you around, Harry,' and runs out of the place!" He put down his spoon and looked at Hermione. "I mean, what was all that about? What was going on?"

Lizzie and Hayden exchanged glances. "She's obviously still upset about Cedric dying," said Lizzie. "Yeah, I get that," said Harry. "No, you don't," said Lizzie. "The grieving process is different for everyone, and for her, she probably went a good few months not talking about it, and was just bottling it up – you know, like I did when Raven died – and she's finally gotten to a point where she's ready to talk about it. – she needs to in order to process what happened and how she feels, you see?"

Harry nodded, though he wasn't entirely sure he did understand. "And she opens up to you, because you saw him die. To her, you're the only person she can really trust to listen to her, and you blew her off! I'm sorry, Harry, but what you did was tactless at best."

"Me, tactless?" said Harry, outraged. "One minute we were getting on fine, next minute, she was telling me that Roger Davies asked her out, and how she used to go and snog Cedric in that stupid tea shop – how was I supposed to feel about that, Liz?"

"Okay, I get it," said Lizzie. "That was bad timing on her part, I'll give you that…"

"Well, you see," said Hermione with the patient air of someone explaining that one plus one equals two to an over emotional toddler, "you shouldn't have told her that you wanted to meet me halfway through your date….."

Hayden groaned.

"Wait, you did what?" asked Lizzie, who had peeled off a bit of skin from her baked potato and had it halfway to her mouth.

"Look – you upset Cho when you said you were going to meet me, so she tried to make you jealous. It was her way of trying to find out how much you liked her," said Hermione.

"Pretty crappy way of trying to gauge how much a person likes you," Lizzie muttered, pulverizing her baked potato with her fork.

"Was that what she was doing?" asked Harry. "Well, wouldn't it have been easier if she'd just asked me whether I liked her better than you?"

Even I can't do that, thought Lizzie with a sideways glance at Hayden. "Girls don't often ask questions like that," said Hermione. "Well, they should!" said Harry forcefully. "Then I could have just told her that I fancy her, and she wouldn't have to get herself all worked up about Cedric dying!"

"It's like Lizzie said, what she did was bad timing," said Hermione. "But you need to understand how she was feeling at the time.

"You should write a book," Ron told Hermione as he cut up his potatoes, "translating mad things girls do so boys can understand them."

"Her reaction wasn't as crazy as you think," said Hayden. "How d'you know that, Hayden?" asked Harry. "What, you think I've been single forever?" asked Hayden, smiling. "I've picked up on a few things. She experienced the death of someone she loved, add to that she's a teenager girl, so there's hormones working there, right? She still cares for Cedric, even though he's gone, but she's also beginning to like Harry. She's conflicted, that's all."

I know how she feels, Lizzie thought. Harry stared blankly at Hayden. Where does he learn this stuff? he thought

After dinner, everyone went to the Gryffindor common room except for Lizzie and Hayden who agreed to help her with her homework, and Lizzie needed to stop by the library to pick up some extra books.

Lizzie had struggled haplessly with her Astronomy chart for Professor Sinistra, until. Hayden came back to the table that they were sitting at with a stack of books and began rifling through them. "You're a lifesaver," said Lizzie gratefully. "How can I make it up to you?" "I don't want to hear any more complaining out of you when I ask you to ride without stirrups," said Hayden in mock sternness.

"Deal," said Lizzie. "So how's Quidditch going?" asked Hayden. Lizzie sighed. She had only heard bits and pieces through the Gryffindor grapevine. Quidditch wasn't really her thing, so she didn't really follow it.

"Ron's not lousy as he likes to claim, he just….." "Lacks confidence?" asked Hayden, flipping through Pathways to Astronomy. Lizzie nodded. "Angelina still won't let him resign," she said. "Who's Gryffindor playing next?" asked Hayden. "Hufflepuff," said Lizzie. "God! If Zacharias Smith beats us, we'll never hear the end of it!"

"Reminds me of the time our team played Saskatchewan," said Hayden. "When was that?" asked Lizzie. "Last year – Semi-finals," said Hayden. "Did you win?" asked Lizzie eagerly. "Yeah we won 150-80," said Hayden. "Although it took our Seeker almost an hour to catch the Snitch."

"Harry almost swallowed the Snitch during his first ever Quidditch match," said Lizzie. "Really?" asked Hayden. "Yep," said Lizzie. "How come you never tried out?" asked Hayden curiously.

Lizzie blushed. "I'm…." she faltered. "What?" asked Hayden. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I'm terrified of heights," said Lizzie sounding horribly embarrassed. "I don't really like flying either."

"Ohh," said Hayden sympathetically, returning to the open book in front of him.

Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff much to both Ron and Lizzie's humiliation. Zacharias Smith was bragging about it incessantly during their latest D.A. meeting and before long, it wasn't just Lizzie who was secretly hoping that Hayden would hit him with a good hex just to shut him up.

Now Slytherin was the favorite to win the Quidditch Cup.

Because Hayden had been so preoccupied with riding, homework, and D.A. meetings, he hadn't had the time to attend a single game throughout the season, so he was not aware of this fact until he mentioned it to Lizzie at breakfast the following Monday.

"So, who do you reckon is gonna win the Quidditch Cup this year?" he asked. "Slytherin," said Lizzie, not looking up from her copy of The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5.

Almost as if on cue, Lizzie, and the rest of the Gryffindors at the table turned around in their seats and spat on the floor. Hayden frowned in confusion for a moment then smiled with amusement. "Why do you guys do that?" he asked curiously. "What?" asked Lizzie. "Spit," said Hayden, Lizzie frowned. "We don't spit," she said. "You just did," said Hayden. "You spat when you said 'Slytherin'."

Everyone at the Gryffindor table, turned around and spat on the ground again. "Oh, did we do it again?" asked Lizzie. "Mm," said Hayden, nodding. "Sorry," said Lizzie, smiling apologetically. "If it bothers you, we can make an effort not to spin whenever anyone mentions…them."

"No, I think it's funny," said Hayden. "Who started that anyway?" "Lizzie did," said Harry. "Really?" asked Hayden. "Yeah, you know the comedy show Corner Gas?" asked Lizzie. Hayden's smile widened. "Of course," he said. Lizzie nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should have known," said Lizzie. "Anyway, you know whenever anyone in Dog River mentions Wullerton…." "They spit," said Hayden, starting to laugh. "Yeah, and since the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin…

Everyone spat on the ground a third time, with Hayden joining in. "You're one of us now," said Lizzie. "Anyway, I figured since the rivalry between the two Houses is just as intense…."

"You thought you'd do the same thing," said Hayden, grinning. "I think it's hilarious. But won't you get in trouble for that?" "All the teachers are pretty good-humored about it," said Lizzie. "Except Snape, of course, but no one's actually gotten into trouble for it."

"As funny as it is, I'd be careful if I were you," said Hayden, nodding at the staff table at Professor Umbridge. "Right," said Lizzie slowly. "Gotcha."

As the post owls arrived, Harry was bombarded with letters from people who read Rita Skeeter's piece in The Quibbler. And they were a mixed bag of reactions. Some believed Harry, others didn't, and thought he was crazy, and then there were others who appeared to be on the fence.

"What's going on here?" said a falsely sweet, girlish voice.

"Speak of the Devil," Hayden muttered, scowling as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lizzie looked up. Professor Umbridge was standing behind Lizzie and Hayden, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry. Behind her, Hayden saw many of the students watching them avidly.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" asked Umbridge slowly. "Is that a crime now?" demanded Hayden, still scowling at her. "Getting mail?"
"Be careful, Mr. Chamberlain, or I shall have to put you in detention," said Umbridge. "Well, Mr. Potter?"

Harry hesitated, by the did not see how he could keep what he had done quiet; it was surely only a matter of time before a copy of The Quibbler came to Umbridge's attention.

"People have written to me because I gave an interview," said Harry. "About what happened to me last June."

For some reason, he glanced up at the staff table as he said this. He had the strangest feeling that Dumbledore had been watching him a second before, but when he looked, Dumbledore seemed to be absorbed in conversation with Professor Flitwick.

"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than before. "What do you mean?" "I mean, a reporter asked me questions, and I answered them," said Harry. "Here….."

And he threw the copy of The Quibbler at her that he had received along with the letters. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale doughy face had turned an ugly, patchy violet.

"When did you do this?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Last Hogsmeade weekend," said Harry.

She looked up a him, incandescent with rage, the magazine shaking in her stubby fingers. "There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," she whispered. "How you dare…how you could…."

She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently still has not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

Lizzie's mouth fell open in shock, but she knew better than to react this time. Umbridge smirked at her as though expecting her to have some reaction to this. Lizzie stared at her plate, refusing to make eye contact with her. Hayden on the other hand, was glaring daggers at Umbridge, making him look the spitting image of Anakin Skywalker after he fell to the Dark Side.

Umbridge stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.

By mid-morning, enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just on the House notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms too:

— BY ORDER OF —

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

And much to both Hayden and Lizzie's confusion, every time Hermione caught sight of one of these signs, she beamed with pleasure. "What?" asked Hayden. "What are you so pleased for?"

"Oh, Hayden, don't you see?" Hermione breathed. "If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in the school would read Harry's interview, it was banning it!"

And it seemed that Hermione was quite right. By the end of that day, though, neither Harry, Lizzie, nor Hayden saw so much as a corner of The Quibbler anywhere in the school. The whole place seemed to be quoting the interview to each other. Even Hayden heard some of his classmates whispering about it as they queued up outside classes, discussing it over lunch and in the back of lessons, while Hermione even reported that every occupant of the cubicles in the girls' toilets had been talking about it when she nipped in there before Ancient Runes.

Lizzie confirmed that one day to Hayden in the library. "And then they spotted me, and obviously, they knew that Harry's a friend, so they were bombarding me with questions – it was so overwhelming, I almost had a meltdown…."

"So, you think that article has got people convinced?" asked Hayden. "You think they actually believe him?" "Yeah, I think they do," said Lizzie, smiling. "So, does that mean you're gonna give an interview for The Quibbler about Raven?" asked Hayden.

Rather than being offended by this question, Lizzie smiled. "No," she said. "I stopped caring about what people thought ages ago. They can believe me if they want to, and if they don't, well….then it's not really my problem is it?"

Hayden nodded. "No," he said, smiling at her.

Meanwhile, Professor Umbridge was stalking the school, stopping students at random and demanding that they turn out their books and pockets. Lizzie barely escaped expulsion when Umbridge accused her of reading The Quibbler, only to realize it was actually a popular horse magazine, The Wizarding Equestrian, and she got away unpunished.

The rest of the students were several steps ahead of Umbridge in this regard. The pages carrying Harry's interview had been bewitched to resemble extracts from textbooks if anyone but themselves read it, or else, magically wiped blank until they wanted to peruse it again. Hayden admitted to Lizzie that this was the same bit of magic that he has used on her journal in order to protect her privacy, which Lizzie felt was very impressive and considerate of him.

Soon, it seemed that every single person in the school had read it, including the Canadian students.

The teachers were, of course, forbidden from mentioning the interview by Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six, but they found ways to express their feelings about it all the same. Professor Sprout awarded Gryffindor twenty points when Harry passed her a watering can; a beaming Professor Flitwick pressed a box of squeaking sugar mice on him at the end of Charms, and said, "Shh!" and hurried away and Professor Trelawney broke into hysterical sobs during Divination and announced to a startled class, and a very disapproving Umbridge that Harry was not going to suffer an early death after all, but would live to a ripe old age, become Minister of Magic, and have twelve children.

Lizzie couldn't help but wonder to herself about the other half of the prophecy Trelawney made to her would come true, if at all, and if it truly was Hayden to which it referred to, at what point would he save her life, and how? And yet, there was a part of her that wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know at all.