Chapter 5:

Umbridge

Snape stormed into Dumbledore's office several minutes later. Dumbledore looked up at him in surprise, "What is it, Severus?"

Snape growled, "Your precious Potter just threatened my life."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "How?"

"He threatened to send a message to the Dark Lord telling him that I was a spy for the Order."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed in fury, "Harry was talking about the Order where anyone could hear him?"

Snape shook his head, "No, he used clever euphemisms so that no one would know what he was talking about, but the fact remains that he threatened my life, Albus."

Fury still seemed to radiate from Dumbledore as he stood up, "I will see to this, Severus. For now, stay clear of Harry until I can sort it out."

Dumbledore strode from his office towards Gryffindor Tower in a rage that no one could mistake. People scurried out of his way as he walked down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron had caught up to Harry as he entered the common room. Hermione shrieked, "Harry, how dare you talk that way to your professor?!"

Harry cut her off with a glare that could have silenced even Snape, "Snape is no longer my professor, Hermione. So, I will speak to him anyway that I please. If you don't like that then you can go to hell."

Ron began to protest, but Harry cut him off with a swipe of his hand, "Don't give me any of your useless advice, Ron. I don't need it right now. Concerning Snape I will keep my own counsel. Its funny, though. I was under the impression that the two of you were my friends. Snape has been treating me like dirt for the last five years, and neither of you have run off after him to his quarters to give him a lecture for what he said to me. Yet I get one just because I finally tell him off."

Hermione protested, "But you threatened him, Harry."

Harry snorted, "He's been threatening me for ages. I think that one good turn deserves another."

At that moment, Dumbledore burst into the common room wearing an expression that would make Voldemort cringe. Ron and Hermione quickly scrambled out of his line of sight. Harry, however, didn't so much as flinch when Dumbledore locked his gaze onto him.

Dumbledore stalked forward towards Harry and reached out to grab him by his arm, but Harry said coldly, "Lay a hand on me, and you will be going to Madam Pomphrey for emergency arm regeneration."

Dumbledore paused and stepped back as though he had been slapped. Then, the fury returned to his eyes, and he said, "Mr. Potter, I can't allow you to go around speaking to Professors the way that you spoke to Professor Snape."

Harry sneered, "That's funny. You've had no problem letting him talk to me anyway that he pleased for the last five years. I just gave him a message that I won't tolerate it anymore. Now, I'm giving you the same message, old man. If you want to keep your little pet, I suggest you keep him on a leash."

Dumbledore stepped back once more in shock, "Harry, what has happened to you?"

Harry's eyes burned with fury as he seemed to swell with rage, "How dare you ask me such a question? All this is your fault! You were the fool that left me with the Dursleys. I grew up without an ounce of affection being shown to me. Ten years of hell I endured, only to find out that some maniac wanted me dead. Even then, I was forced to return to that hellhole every summer. The last two summers I have desperately needed someone to talk to when I left this school, and yet I was still forced to go back there for my protection. Some protection that was. Voldemort still managed to get me, and I suffered torture at the hands of his pathetic Death Eaters for over a month, and you have the audacity to be mad at me for defending myself against people who mistreat me for no reason other than the fact that I look like James Potter!" Harry took a step closer to Dumbledore, and said in the most menacing and deadly cold voice that had ever come from his mouth, "I will have no hesitation about carrying out exactly what I said to Snivellus, old man, and if you don't like it, then you can go to hell with him. I don't care anymore. I am going to study, and then I am going to kill. That should make you happy. I have always been your little weapon, and now I have the one thing that I lacked, the capacity to murder someone. There is nothing stopping me now from killing Voldemort. All I need is the time and the place, and I am sure that will come. Now, if you don't mind, I have studying to do." Harry spun and swept out of the common room with his cloak billowing behind him once again.

Ron half laughed, "No matter what else you say about Harry's new attitude, he sure knows how to make an exit."

Dumbledore sighed, "He also knows exactly what to say to make you feel like a chastened three year old as well."

Hermione sniffed, "I just want the old Harry back."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "I am afraid that after what he has been though, that is an impossibility. I just hope that he doesn't descend any farther than what he already has." With this cryptic message, Dumbledore walked out through the portrait hole and back to his office.

The next evening at dinner, Harry received a message from Dumbledore. It said simply;

Harry,

The Minister of Magic will be here after dinner, and he requests your presence in his office. We will meet at 7:30. The password is Canary Cream.

Albus Dumbledore

After dinner Harry made his way up to the Headmaster's office, and gave the gargoyle the password. It lightly leaped aside and Harry walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

Dumbledore's voice rang out from inside, "Come in, Mr. Potter."

Harry walked in the door to see Albus seated at his desk with Professor McGonagall standing just back of him on his left side. Cornelius Fudge was standing in front of Dumbledore's desk on the right side, and seated on Harry's right were none other than Dolores Umbridge and Percy Weasley. Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at Umbridge before shifting his eyes over to Fudge and snarling, "What is she doing here, Cornelius?! How dare you bring her back to Hogwarts?!"

Fudge seemed startled at Harry's vehement reaction, "Now, Harry, calm down. You wouldn't want to do anything drastic."

Harry sneered at the Minister and said coldly, "I might, considering some of the things this bitch has done to me."

Percy rose from his seat and said, "I don't think that you realize the seriousness of threatening an official in the Ministry, Potter."

Harry spun and grabbed Percy by the front of his robes and pulled him forward off balance, and then kicked out with foot and pushed with his arm to send Percy wind milling back into his seat. Harry leaned down in front of him, and said menacingly, "I know exactly what I am doing, Percy, and if you speak again in my presence then I will ensure that you are the first Weasley in generations to go without having children." Then, Harry spun back to point his wand at Umbridge, and said clearly, "I want her out of here, before we have an incident."

Dumbledore rose from behind his desk, "Now, Mr. Potter, you are not being reasonable."

"REASONABLE! Are you mad? This is the woman who ordered dementors after me in Little Whinging last summer, she forced me to do detention with a Blood Quill last year, and then she was planning on using the Cruciatus Curse on me the night we left school to go the Ministry. So, how can you accuse me of not being reasonable?"

Dumbledore and McGonagall paled at the news of this revelation. Dumbledore turned a furious gaze on Umbridge and snarled in a good imitation of Harry's earlier tone, "Get the hell out of my school. This will be discussed at the next meeting of the Wizengamot."

Umbridge jumped up and fled from the room. Percy Weasley continued to sit in his seat dumbfounded at the accusations that had been presented. Dumbledore turned to Fudge, who trembled at the sight of the furious wizard in front of him, "Did you know about any of this, Cornelius?"

Fudge shook his head emphatically, "I knew that she was punishing him, but I didn't know anything about the Blood Quill, and I definitely didn't know about the dementors or the Cruciatus Curse."

Dumbledore sat back down, "Fine, then, we can continue with what you came here for this evening."

Harry asked coldly, "And what would that be?"

Dumbledore replied in an even voice, "The Minister has expressed concern over the incidents concerning you over the last few days. He believes that it is unwise to allow you to remain at school since he feels that it could be dangerous to other students."

Harry turned and smirked at the Minister, "Oh, really. Well, I think that I can lay your doubts to rest, Minister. The only people that have anything to fear from me are those that are in league with Voldemort, Unfortunately that does include a few students, but I will refrain from harming them more than minimally while they are at Hogwarts, but once they leave these walls and I meet them on the battlefield with their Death Eater parents, I will not hesitate to kill any one of them. Does that clear things up for you, Cornelius?"

Cornelius opened his mouth to reply, but Harry cut him off, "I wasn't expecting a reply from you. That was merely my way of dismissing a pompous old fool. Since you seem to be too dimwitted to actually comprehend what I said, then I fear that I must be more direct. Take your stool pigeon over here and get the hell out of here."

Cornelius seemed to be too shocked to articulate any sort of reply as he and Percy scrambled to obey the obviously deranged and powerful young man that they found before them.

Dumbledore sighed as Cornelius fled his office, "Harry, I'm not for sure that was wise. The Minister could be a dangerous enemy."

Harry snorted in disdain, "I have many powerful and dangerous enemies, Headmaster. To count that bumbling fool as one of them is not only insulting, it is completely laughable."

Dumbledore shook his head, "I don't mean that he could challenge you in a duel, Harry. He could have you arrested or committed."

Harry smiled, "I would like to see him try. We won't have much to worry about from him. He won't be Minister of Magic much longer."

McGonagall queried, "How do you know that, Potter?"

Harry chuckled darkly, "I have my ways, Professor. Of that you can be sure." Then, Harry turned and walked out of the office.

McGonagall turned and looked at Dumbledore, "Albus, what did he mean by that?"

Dumbledore shrugged, "I wish that I knew, Minerva. I wish that I knew."

For the next several days, Harry spent most of his free time in the library. To everyone else it looked as if he were pulling random books about defense off the shelf and making notes about them in a Muggle notebook of all things. In reality, the Muggle notebook was what Harry had transfigured notes on Death Eater activity and spells that he had found in Lucius Malfoy's mansion. He had found these, and several of Lucius' engineered magical explosives. Those he intended to put to good use. In the notes, he found several pages on how Voldemort burned the Dark Mark into his subjects. Harry wanted to use this knowledge to burn the mark of the Dark Phoenix into him. There were also some notes on Harry's scar and the connection it created to Voldemort. Obviously, Voldemort had Lucius working on the concept before he was captured that night in the Department of Mysteries. By reading through Lucius' notes it became obvious that Occlumency would do little good at arresting Voldemort's ability to invade his mind, but the notes did suggest for some things that Voldemort to do that could keep Harry out of his mind, so Harry decided that the charms could definitely aid him as well.

Harry stood up and put the defense book back on the shelf and then swept out of the library, smiling roguishly at Madam Pince and giving her a small wink as he passed. The usually stern librarian blushed slightly at the attractive young man that Harry had become. Harry went directly to the Room of Requirement and walked it to find the DA assembled and practicing under the leadership of Neville Longbottom. Harry paused in surprise at the sight.

Ginny was the first to notice him, "Harry!" The entire room whipped around to look at the door. Most of them seemed embarrassed that they were there, especially Neville.

Neville walked over and said reluctantly, "Harry, we decided to start up the DA again while you were still out of it. We were going to give you a few more weeks to really recuperate before we asked you to take back over."

Harry shook his head, "I don't have the time to run the DA, so you should continue as you were. There are many other things that require my attention, but I will give you some suggestions about spells to practice on if you would like. I'll let all of you get on with your practice, and I will find someplace else to do what I need."

Hermione said, "Why don't you stay here? You could practice with us."

Harry shook his head once again, "What I need to do requires solitude. So, I go elsewhere. Neville, catch up to me later if you want some tips on spells and we'll talk about it. I have a couple of good ideas already. Have fun." Harry turned and swept from the room with his cloak billowing behind him as was his custom now.

Harry found a deserted classroom, and performed the charms that were listed in Lucius' notes on himself, and then decided he could use a little practice. Before doing so though, he burned the mark of the Dark Phoenix onto his upper left forearm. Then, he grabbed one of the suits of armor and began hurling hexes and jinxes at it. He did this for a couple of hours until it was time to return to the dormitory. He ran up to the common room, and looked around. He spotted Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sitting in the corner and walked over to them.

Hermione looked up and said, "Harry, we hope you don't mind about us starting the DA without you."

Harry waved his hand, "Don't worry about it. As I said earlier, I don't have the time to run it. Neville seemed to be doing an excellent job from what I saw. I don't think you could have picked a better replacement for me."

Ron asked, "What about me?"

Harry eyed him as if he were crazy, "What about you?"

Ron continued indignantly, "I'm your best friend, they should have asked me to take over as leader."

Harry continued to eye Ron as if he were drunk or something, "Why? Being someone's best friend isn't exactly good credentials for a job. You almost sound like Malfoy. You expect something just because of who you are."

Ron flushed red in anger, "Are you comparing me to Malfoy?"

Harry shook his head, "No, you just compared yourself to Malfoy. I just pointed it out. Anyway, I'm going to go up to bed. I'm kind of tired. Night."

Ron watched Harry go up the stairs, and he pounded the arm of the chair he was sitting in, "I can't believe that he said that to me."

Hermione and Ginny shrugged, and Ginny said, "Well, you are being a prat about this, and all he did was point it out."

Ron jumped up, "Fine! I guess I'm just an immature little brat. I'll leave you all alone so you don't have to put up with the little kid." Then, he stormed out the portrait hole.

Hermione looked over at Ginny, "What is his problem?"

Ginny replied, "Well, Ron has always felt overshadowed by our brothers, Harry, me, and you. He wants something to make him special. He doesn't realize that he doesn't have to have a title to be special, but that's all he thinks about. Ron only worries about what he doesn't have. He never seems to see what he has that others don't. He would trade places with Harry in an instant just to have the fame and the money. He would never even think about the consequences of being Harry."

Hermione sighed, "I'm glad Ron isn't the Boy-Who-Lived. He would never have stood up to the challenges that Harry has. Ron is a follower not a leader."

Ginny nodded in agreement, and the two girls went back to their homework.

Meanwhile, Harry had made his way up to the dormitory, and cast the illusion charm on his bed again, before swirling the cloak around him. He slipped back downstairs with the Marauder's Map in his hand, and snuck quietly out the portrait hole. He tapped the map with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Using the map, Harry made his way to the statue of the one-eyed witch, and tapped it, "Dissendium."

Harry made his way down the now familiar tunnel to Honeydukes, and dropped some Floo Powder into the fireplace. He slipped in and said clearly, "Umbridge Estate."

Harry popped out on the other end of the Floo connection to find himself in a large sitting room with lace doilies on all surfaces, with figurine cats all over the place. Harry shuddered in revulsion at the sight, and crept stealthily out of the room. He heard voices near the kitchen and paused. He recognized Umbridge's voice immediately, but couldn't quite place the other voice. So, he continued to slide forward silently till he could see into the room. Umbridge stood talking to none other than Percy Weasley.

Umbridge's falsely sweet voice said, "Cornelius wants us to find someway for him to have that Potter boy kicked out of school. He thinks that he is dangerous to the other students, and that he will also bring You-Know-Who to Hogwarts since Potter is his target."

Percy nodded, "I know, but it will be difficult to do. Potter has always been Dumbledore's favorite. He has allowed him to get away with anything that he wanted since he has been at school. He also covers things up so that they don't reach the ears of the governors."

The expression on Harry's face darkened, "I'm going to show them." Harry aimed his wand at Percy first, "Stupefy!" The red jet of light struck Percy and knocked him to the ground stunned. Umbridge whipped out her wand and spun around, but she was too little too late, Harry brandished his wand and screamed, "Reducto!" Umbridge was slammed into the wall at an immense speed, and she crumpled to the ground. Harry waved his wand, "Accio wands." Percy's and Umbridge's wands flew towards him. He waved his wand over Percy once again, "Ferula." Ropes flew out and tied Percy up. Then, Harry said, "Enervate!"

Percy jerked awake and said in shock, "Potter!"

Harry sneered, "Yes, I'm Potter. Now, you should be thankful that you are a Weasley, because this time I am going to spare your life. Beware the next time you cross the Dark Phoenix, though, for I will not hesitate to kill you after this. You have had your warning."

Harry grabbed Percy by the hair of the head, and drug him outside the house towards some trees that were several hundred yards away. Harry kicked Percy in the ribs and smirked, "Now, we can't have you remembering who I am so I'm going to perform a Memory Charm on you. I'm going to leave your wand over here." Harry dropped Percy's wand a few feet away, "I'm sure the Order and the Ministry will find you shortly. Obliviate!" As soon as he cast the spell, Harry slipped back under the invisibility cloak. Then, he shot his mark with its message into the air, before racing back into the house, and dropping one of Lucius' magical explosives, and leaping into the Floo.

The bomb exploded several moments later, and within minutes Ministry personnel were all over the scene. Dumbledore and several of the Order members weren't far behind.

Dumbledore stared up at the mark in the sky in horror, for written below in flames were these words.

Let This Be A Warning To Those Who Scorn The Dark Phoenix.

Even Those That Do Not Follow Voldemort Shall Suffer Justice.

If It Is Necessary

The Dark Phoenix Will Come

Remus looked up at Dumbledore, "Albus, who do you think this Dark Phoenix is?"

Albus shrugged, "I'm not sure, Remus, but for some reason I'm terrified that it is Harry."

Arthur asked, "Why would you think it could be Harry? He's safely tucked away at Hogwarts isn't he?"

Dumbledore nodded, "As far as I know, but I don't know of anyone else who would hate Umbridge badly enough to kill her, and still be against Death Eaters."

Mad-Eye nodded, "True, but I don't think Potter would be able to pull this off. Where would he have gotten the magical explosives to blow the house. Its not like those things are easy to make, and Harry shouldn't have any of the Dark Arts knowledge necessary to make something of that magnitude."

Albus sighed, "I hope you are right, but just to be careful, I think that we all need to keep a much closer eye on young Mr. Potter."

All the Order members nodded in solemn agreement.

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story as it progresses. I should have the next chapter by the middle of next week. Happy reading.