Chapter 13

Returning to Hogwarts was harder this year for Harry as the ministry has been using Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet to portray Harry as an 'attention-seeking liar' which he was not.

Due to the ridiculous articles, he was on the receiving end of unwelcoming stares and sour comments from his stressed peers, who faced pressure from their families to not to return to Hogwarts, because of Harry's claims of Voldemort being back.

He even got into a fight with Seamus Finnegan over it, and Ron had to break it up before any points were taken off their house.

And if that wasn't enough of a problem, Ministry of Magic sent Dolores Umbridge who was first appointed their DADA teacher, and later a High Inquisitor… whatever that was.

This meant that the ministry was interfering at Hogwarts, something they never did before.

Professor Umbridge, the crone was teaching them nothing and was using blood quills during her detentions. Why was it that with every year, their new DADA Professor turned out to be an even bigger psychopath than the previous one?

Hermione was only happy to find out she got the Prefect badge this year, just as she expected.

Sadly, she couldn't boast about it to Malfoy as he himself secured a badge as a prefect for the Slytherin house. Instead Draco used his new position to flaunt in Harry's face, making fun of the fact that Weasel was chosen over him.

One afternoon when everyone was returning from dinner, Hermione caught Fred and George once again, testing their joke products on first year students.

"I thought I told you I will write to your mother if I catch you doing this again, was I not clear enough the first time or is it that you began to like getting Howlers from her every time you do something stupid?" She asked annoyed after the first years ran away, scarred off by the Prefect Granger, leaving her alone with the half-witted twins.

"That's why we didn't plan"

"On getting caught but"

"You ruined our plans"

"What were you thinking? Testing potentially dangerous inventions on first years! What if they were harmed? Are you really too dense to consider that if any of those kids were seriously injured you would have gotten in serious trouble? Umbridge would probably insist on you being expelled, and she works for the ministry don't forget she has means of making sure you never open the joke shop you've been talking about all summer" She scolded them. The twins developed some half guilty looking expression on their identical faces.

"We're sorry"

"We meant no harm"

"We tested these on ourselves first, but"

"Why don't you take these" Fred passed a box of innocent looking products to her.

"And don't write to our mother?" George finished, and they both beamed at her.

"I don't take bribes. I warned you, now take these, go to McGonagall and tell her you have a detention with her because you were being troublemakers again, or shall I just take point off our house instead?" She asked.

"Alright Prefect Granger" George put him hands up deafeated.

"We're going" Said Fred. The twins turned around and were picking up the rests of their things. She sighted. They really were a handful, if they continued to be reckless like this Gryffindor would lose all the house points.

Although… maybe they could still prove themselves useful. Maybe the answer to both of her problems was to let them clash?

"On a second thought" She said making the twins spin around with hope in their eyes. "There is something you can do that will save your careless backsides from both your mother and detention. It will require stealth, speed and good timing. But It's only a suggestion."

"What is it? We're"

"All ears"

"I am ready to turn a blind eye, just this once, if you… direct all of this sparkling positive energy of yours at Umbridge, but you can never be caught, do you understand?" She was taking a risk, giving them such ideas, but that horrible women couldn't be allowed to just get away with all this.

"Did I hear that correct George?"

"I think you did Fred"

"Wow Granger"

"We never took you for"

"Such a troublemaker"

"Normally I would never suggest anything like this, but she's meddling too much. Let's keep this a secret between us, deal?"

"Deal" they said at the same time.

It took no more than a few days for Umbridge to start developing certain strange conditions that were quite apparent to one's eye and very funny.

Once they started, there seemed to be no end to the Twins' wrath as Umbridge walked into one trap after another, resulting in various rashes, significant changes to her appearance and wellbeing. Hermione couldn't help but smirk at the evil women who started to create soap bubbles every time she opened her mouth to speak to other Professors at the breakfast.

Fred and George were having a blast and Umbridge was not any closer to finding out who was responsible for all the pranks. Hermione thought that most of the students and even the teachers had their speculations, as everyone, at least once, found themselves on the receiving end of the Weasley twins' jokes over the years, but nobody felt the need to share their suspicions the horrid woman.

But this wasn't the end of Hermione's manipulations. Spending all the time around Slytherins must have had a permament effect on her because she suggested to Harry that they form a secret club and practice defensive spells on their own, with Harry leading the class.

Despite some initial doubts they ended up with an army of students willing to participate.

The Dumbledore's army, they named themselves.

One time, Hermione was on her way to join the rest of the team in the Room of Requirements, when she noticed Malfoy lurking around. He was hiding behind the corner, watching as the door appeared out of nowhere on a previously empty wall, and some students went inside.

Hermione walked up to him careful not to make any noise, and scared the daylights out of him when she suddenly spoke standing right behind him.

"Enjoying yourself?" She said next to his ear making him jump.

"Granger! Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing creeping around the empty corridors?" He asked vexed.

"Scaring you. What the hell are you doing creeping around the empty corridors?"

"Spying on your little club that's what! I joined the Inquisitorial Squad" He told her proud. "And Umbridge requested we find out what Potter is doing. I'm guessing you're a part of whatever that is" He pointed in the direction of where the door to the Room of Requirements disappeared a moment ago.

"Well that's a shame. We could really use someone as talented like you." She tilted her head in pity, and Draco rolled his eyes at her.

They had this conversation before.

Hermione was trying to convince him away from the entire purification of the wizarding race business, regretting that she was never able to save Regulus from his tragic fate. Draco was a bully and a nuisance, with arrogance that reached the top of the astronomy tower, and an unreasonably strong attachment to the pureblood supremacy notion.

But she didn't want to see him end up joining the Death Eaters. On multiple occasions, she hinted that even someone as conceited and egoistic like him would be welcomed on their side. He laughed in her face the first time, but as she kept bringing it up he only got annoyed and whined that she had no idea what she was even talking about.

"Don't look at me like that! Umbridge will soon have more authority over Hogwarts than your Dumbledore. I'm only choosing the winning side" He justified.

"Maybe, but it won't last long. We will make sure of that. In the meantime, think about your actions carefully. Surely a clever Slytherin wouldn't want to burn all the bridges, in case something in the future, didn't go according to the plan for the 'winning side'." She smirked and went her way leaving Draco confused, unsure and annoyed.

For some time, things were relatively quiet until Umbridge finally snapped and began using blood-quills on all students.

First it was just Harry but now she was targeting the first years and Hermione was fuming with anger.

She called a meeting with the prefects, even Draco and Pansy, as well as the head girl and head boy, to discuss what they can do about that.

Pansy at the start began to act like she was going to run off to Umbridge and tell on them but Draco put her in her place saying Slytherins weren't above this treatment as he himself came across two second years in the common room who were in tears from the excruciation pain, and the meeting was able to go on.

"We can tell other Professors" A Hufflepuff suggested.

"Umbridge was sent by the ministry and is on a mission to fire them all, they won't be able to do anything" Dismissed a Ravenclaw.

"But we must do something! Blood quills are illegal and she's using them on the youngest years!" Said someone else.

"What if we write to the ministry? Maybe they don't know what she's doing"

"Oh they know alright; they were the ones who sent her here!" Ron protested.

The meeting finished with them deciding on making painless potion in their free time and distributing it around their houses to ease the pain of the victims, and asking them to write to their parents about this.

This worked very quickly as the ministry was flooded with complaints from the parents about what Umbridge was doing to their children, in effect making her stop using them, but Hermione had no doubts she would soon find some other creative way to torture the students.

End of the 5ththyear – Department of Mysteries

It was a trap.

And now they were surrounded, and dangerously outmatched by Death Eaters.

After not being able to contact Sirius, Harry stubbornly decided that he was going to the Department of Mysteries in an effort to save his godfather's life.

So they went with him.

Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny. The six of them flew to the Ministry of Magic on Thestrals, and the minute they got there, they were ambushed by Death Eaters.

Voldemort was looking for a prophecy that only Harry could retrieve. They were nearly defeated when the Order members suddenly arrived to help them. Dumbledore switched with Harry who was fighting Voldemort before the order's arrival.

Hermione noticed Sirius was losing the fight to his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione had managed to jump in front of him and defend Sirius from the lethal spell Bellatrix threw at him.

Now facing the most dangerous witch, out of the last generation of Blacks, Hermione found herself utterly grateful to Regulus for teaching her some dark spells she ended up having to throw at the insane witch, who was throwing some pretty nasty dark curses at her, herself.

"Well, well, well! Mudblood likes dark magic, does she now? Then why don't I give you more!" Bellatrix laughed maniacally throwing one curse after another. Hermione panicked and a spell she was never supposed to use slipped out.

Bellatrix, despite her strong shield, was blasted away hitting the nearest wall so hard that it took her a few minutes to stand up. She looked confused and murderous.

"How do you know that spell?!" She screeched at Hermione who was hardly standing, out of breath and exhausted from the vicious battle with the skilled older witch, who was much more experienced with the dark magic than Hermione had been.

Bellatrix must have recognised that spell, though Hermione had no idea how since Regulus was always very private with his inventions. And this one was one of the most dangerous ones.

This particular spell, was strong enough to rip Bellatrix apart into pieces. If she wasn't as skilled as she was, had Hermione practiced it, she would definitely manage to kill Bellatrix with that spell, which was very powerful.

Regulus told her to use it as a last resort, because it was very draining.

She could now feel how tired she became just from that one spell. Bellatrix was ready to strike back and if it wasn't for the arrival of the Ministry of Magic employees, Hermione would find it very difficult to defend herself.

Thankfully they arrived just in time to see Voldemort, who in that moment disapparated away with Bellatrix, as the rest of his death eaters have been captured, forcing Fudge to finally admit that Harry was right and that Voldemort was back.