Chapter Eighty-Three: The Lion, the Witch, and the Audacity of this…

"I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this," Ginny said, after she and Daphne had finished their first hour of dueling practice and Daphne had taken out her book.

"Don't worry, it's going to be fine," Daphne said. "Nothing's going to happen other than that I'll probably look a bit spaced out."

"Alright…but if I think something weird's happening, I'm snapping you out of it," Ginny said.

Daphne smiled. "Thanks."

She cast Revelio on the book and sat down cross-legged on one of the pillows on the floor, the book open on her legs, flipped to a random page.

She looked at the letters sideways, focusing solely on the ink and shape of a single word and ignoring its meaning. It was difficult to become unfocused enough, because she was still warmed up from her dueling practice, and the Room of Requirement was well-lit and clear, but after a few minutes of staring blankly at the book, blinking as little as possible, the letters finally began to lose all meaning…

"Back again, then?" Pythia asked.

"Yep. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you," Daphne said apologetically.

"I'm not sentient. I literally cannot care," Pythia said.

"Right…well, you were going to tell me more about my focus in emptiness last time, so…"

"Indeed. I already explained to you how your fear is keeping you rooted. Since there is nothing further I can do to help you with that, we'll address–"

"What do you mean, you can't help me further with that?" Daphne interrupted.

"Letting go of attachments is something you can't teach. You now know what it means, but I can't make you feel the necessary feeling. I can't make you trust anyone else to love you for who you are. You either do, or you don't.

"It's a momentous thing, the moment where you realize that there won't be any nasty surprises, because it's something that takes self-acceptance, and self-acceptance is beyond my scope. I can help you only as far as you're able to consciously help yourself."

Daphne was silent for a moment as she thought about that. What was at the core of her problems with herself anyway?

"It's because you're a Slytherin," Pythia said.

"I know."

"Of course you do, otherwise I wouldn't have known. You don't feel worthy of their love and affection because they're all Gryffindors and you're not, even though you want to be. But you also know that none of them care, not anymore. To them, you've already proven that not all Slytherins are evil, and S.I.N. has helped reinforce that.

"You know all of these things, but you don't believe them, don't allow yourself to believe them, because what if you're wrong? You're trying to protect yourself from something that will not happen, and in doing so prevent yourself from shifting your focus in emptiness."

"I know…well, let's move on, then…what happens once I've…'let go of my attachments'?" Daphne asked, knowing that she'd be talking in circles for hours if she dwelled on the subject for too long.

"Your mind will no longer be preoccupied. At that moment, you'll be able to choose a new focus in emptiness, which requires a form of meditation very akin to the sort of visualization Harry uses in his Occlumency. You need to focus deeply and intently, with all your senses, on one thing, and enter a divinatory state of mind from there."

"So the process will be slower?"

"Yes. At this moment, your focus in emptiness is rooted. You can't shift it, so there's no need to have a period of explicit focus. Trying to shift it now wouldn't work, because you also need the full extent of your emotional focus to truly have it linger while your conscious mind wanders. You are, in essence, creating a temporary version of the locked state you're currently in, which will dissolve on its own once your reading has concluded."

"So I'd also be able to use Occlumency from that moment on?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, with practice. You should at the very least be able to use the same techniques Harry is using. What Snape said about being unable to learn the more advanced techniques is fully true. You're too young. In ten years, give or take a few, you'll be capable of it. Learning to let go of your attachments might shift it forward somewhat."

"Is that difficult for someone my age, too?"

"It is. You're learning a lot about the world, forming your own ideas, and your intellectual capability exceeds your emotional capability on a physical level. That makes it incredibly difficult to let go of the things you know and want to be certain — like the love of your friends. And, in an already stressful period, you're dealing with Voldemort as well. It might force you to learn to let go more quickly…or it might prevent you from doing so at all."

Daphne looked away, and the Room of Requirement came back into focus.

Ginny looked up from her homework. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Daphne nodded. "Yeah…just read some…kind of confronting things," she said.

"Can you…tell me?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"I…well, I'm afraid to lose Harry…so I keep worrying about that, so I can't truly focus on something else, and that means I can only really see his future. And to change that…I need to trust that I won't lose him, that he'll continue to love me."

"I don't see him stopping, frankly," Ginny said. "Not after everything you've already been through."

Daphne grinned. "The dream-version of you said something like that too."

"Good thing I can even talk sense into you in your dreams, then," Ginny said with a smile.

"Probably because you were the one who told me to be honest with myself in the first place," Daphne said. "So…thanks for that."

"Oh, come on, if I hadn't done it, Hermione would have," Ginny said. "But if I could help you be honest with yourself before, then maybe I can help you with this as well, somehow…" she said thoughtfully.

"How?" Daphne asked.

Ginny shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I don't know. But we can try, right? Maybe we just sit here and share our embarrassing fears until they're not embarrassing anymore, and maybe they'll stop being scary then, too. I don't know," she said again.

"You'd be willing to do that? I mean, I can imagine you've got better things to do…"

"Better than helping a friend who's already helped me a lot? Don't think so," Ginny said. She checked her watch. "But not tonight, or Filch will have us in detention for a month."

Before Daphne and Ginny could continue with their practice sessions, however, the first Quidditch match of the year would be held. As usual, it would be Gryffindor against Slytherin, and even McGonagall and Snape were getting involved with it to help their teams out.

Adrian, in spite of his dislike of Malfoy, would still be supporting Slytherin, but Terence had fully committed to supporting Gryffindor.

"Once Potter gets the Snitch, I'm going to tell Montague, 'See, if I'd been flying that wouldn't have happened'," he said.

"Didn't you say last time that Harry was a better flyer than you?" Tracey asked.

Terence shrugged. "He is, but I'm better than Malfoy. We've got a better chance with me than with him," he said.

On the day of the match, Daphne and some of her S.I.N. friends, the same people who'd gone with her to the practice a few weeks back, sat with the Gryffindors in the stands, going there early to make sure they got good seats.

"Did you tell the Gryffindors about Malfoy's new badges?" Tracey asked.

Daphne nodded. "I did, and about the song as well, but I don't know how Ron's going to react once he hears it during the match," she said.

The players came out, and soon the game had begun. It didn't take long for the Slytherin section of the stands to begin singing Malfoy's 'Weasley is our King' song, but Daphne ignored it as much as she could, keeping her eyes focused on Harry.

And, when the Slytherin Chasers got hold of the Quaffle and began their own attack, she saw that the dives and rolls Harry had done during practice hadn't just been elation to fly again. He streaked narrowly past Warrington in a dive, and Warrington swerved to the side but dropped the Quaffle in the process, which was caught by Angelina.

Harry, meanwhile, shot back up to disrupt the formation of the Slytherin Chasers, all the while scanning the sky around him for a glint of gold.

Angelina, who had continued her attack after catching the Quaffle, passed to Alicia at the last second, confusing Bletchley just long enough for her to score and get Gryffindor up ten-nil.

Sadly, Slytherin's second attack did get through, equalizing the score again, and even from the stands Daphne could see that Ron was horrified he'd let the shot through.

"Come on, Ron, score's equal, focus!" Ginny shouted next to Daphne.

"Yeah, don't worry about it! You'll get the next one!" Daphne shouted.

She didn't think Ron would be able to hear either of them, though, as the Slytherin singing had become deafening. She was pretty sure at least a few of them had cast Sonorus on themselves to sing louder.

The good thing, however, was that Malfoy was enjoying himself singing along to his own song so much that he wasn't paying attention at all, while Harry was simultaneously interfering with the Slytherins' attacks and looking for the Snitch.

Partially thanks to his efforts, Gryffindor was able to stay level with the Slytherins, and, after foiling another attack by flying past just when Montague wanted to pass to Warrington, he suddenly accelerated toward the Slytherin end of the pitch, toward the ground.

Malfoy, who'd been lazily flying above, still singing, noticed too late that Harry had seen the Snitch and went into a steep dive, but it wasn't even close.

Harry flew up, hand clutched around the Snitch, to the thunderous cheers of the Gryffindors, who, per their nature, had no need for such things as Sonorus to make themselves louder.

Daphne and Ginny both cheered just as loudly, looking at each other with a grin and sharing a victory hug, but their grins were wiped off their faces when they saw Crabbe smashing a Bludger into Harry's back.

Ginny immediately exploded into a profanity-filled rant, and Daphne wasn't far behind, nor were the rest of the Gryffindor spectators.

The two teams were now facing each other on the pitch, while Madam Hooch was shouting at Crabbe.

Malfoy seemed to be riling up the Gryffindors, and whatever he was saying, it seemed to be working.

Harry had to hold back George, while Angelina, Alicia, and Katie tried to restrain Fred.

Malfoy, however, didn't relent, and whatever he said infuriated George enough to pull himself free of Harry, sprinting at Malfoy and decking him in the face to the raucous cheers of the Gryffindor side of the stands, and the angry shouts from the Slytherin side.

The Gryffindor team, however, looked horrified, though Daphne saw that Harry looked like he was about to curse the entire Slytherin team into oblivion, only barely able to restrain his own fury.

George was now being sent off the pitch by a shouting Madam Hooch, who then turned to check up on Malfoy, who lay crumpled on the ground.

"I hope it hurts like hell," Ginny said savagely.

"If it doesn't, I'll set it straight later," Daphne said.

"We, er, should probably get back to the castle," Hermione said uncertainly.

Daphne nodded. "Yeah…we probably should…"

"That cheating scumbag," Adrian said when Daphne sat down for lunch. "Gryffindor won, fair and square. I get that they're angry — I am, too — but attacking Potter after the whistle and then goading Weasley into attacking them? Worthless excuses for Quidditch players, the lot of them."

"Malfoy wasn't even doing his job properly," Terence said. "He was just flying around and singing. I spotted the Snitch about ten seconds before Potter did, and Potter was assisting his team the entire time as well, so I'm impressed he managed to spot it when he did. Malfoy has no excuse at all."

"Montague did tear into him afterward, I saw it," Hallie said. She grinned. "Malfoy hadn't even been patched up yet, so he was standing there with a black eye and a bloody nose while Montague blamed him for the loss."

"Does anyone know what happened to George?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah," Adrian said darkly. "Bletchley told me. Fred and George Weasley, as well as Potter, have been given lifetime Quidditch bans."

"What?! Fred and Harry didn't even do anything!" Daphne shouted.

"According to Umbridge, Fred would have attacked Malfoy if the Chasers hadn't restrained him, and she considered Potter's diversions 'aggressive and dangerous flying'. Crabbe, meanwhile, got lines. Nothing more," Adrian said, shaking his head in disgust.

"Dangerous flying? He didn't go anywhere near them!" Terence shouted. "He was just interfering, and that's allowed. There is no way Umbridge can get away with this…"

"There's a new decree," Tracey said. "It allows her, and only her, to decide what punishment will be given. She can override and alter any punishments other teachers give. Allegedly, it's because she was forced to allow the Gryffindor team to re-form."

Daphne shook her head. "This is ridiculous! She's just giving out punishments on a whim, now! I'll see you guys later, I need to tell my parents about this…"

Dinner was, unsurprisingly, very subdued. Harry responded to any questions only in monosyllabic answers, likely for fear he'd dissolve into profanity otherwise.

Ginny didn't bother to be quite so restrained in informing everyone what she thought about Umbridge, and it spoke volumes about how furious Fred and George were that they didn't comment on her colorful language at all.

Ron, curiously, was nowhere to be seen. According to Hermione, he'd been walking around outside ever since the match.

The following morning at breakfast, though, something happened that Daphne hadn't expected. Harry and the others were still downcast, of course, but he was at least capable of talking again without going on a rant, and so was Ginny, who'd thoroughly burned herself out already. Then, however, the regular buzz of morning conversations was broken by what sounded like an explosion at the staff table.

"DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE! THE POSITION YOU HOLD IS BARELY A MONTH OLD, AND ALREADY YOU MANAGE TO ABUSE IT! DID YOU REALLY BELIEVE NO WORD OF YOUR ACTIONS WOULD REACH US?

LET ME REMIND YOU THAT LIFETIME QUIDDITCH BANS, ISSUED ANYWHERE AT ALL, ARE GOVERNED UNDER SECTION FOUR, AMENDMENT TWO, OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN OF THE STATUTES OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF WIZARDS QUIDDITCH COMMITTEE, AND THUS TRANSCEND THE RULES OF HOGWARTS.

AS SUCH IT IS MY DISTINCT PLEASURE TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR DECISION SHALL BE REVIEWED BY A PANEL ASSIGNED BY THE COMMITTEE.

I NEED NOT, I HOPE, REMIND YOU THAT THE PANEL TRANSCENDS MAGICAL BRITAIN'S AUTHORITY, AND THAT THE MINISTER SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN THE UPKEEP OF YOUR ILL-INFORMED DECISIONS. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!"

Daphne couldn't help but smile, and even Harry and Ginny had faint grins on their faces now at hearing the Howler.

"Your mum sure doesn't waste any time," Harry said.

"Are you kidding? Her Quidditch protégé getting a lifetime ban is not something Amaranth Pyrites would ever allow," Ginny said, and Daphne nodded.

"Exactly. I'm pretty sure she's contacted every single person she knows on that committee already to get this overturned. Let's see Umbridge's decree protect her against that."

At that moment, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George all received the same envelope from incoming post owls.

Harry quickly read through his letter and grinned. "The committee wants to interview us tonight to get our stories. I bet they sent the Slytherins the same envelopes…and perhaps Madam Hooch as well." His grin got even wider. "Umbridge isn't going to like this one bit. I'd better send Coach Greengrass a thank-you note…"

That evening, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were called to McGonagall's office to explain to the committee what had happened at the match. Daphne, Hermione, and Ginny were in the library making homework when Harry and Ron returned, both looking very hopeful.

"They said they'd have their decision tomorrow, but that it's very likely our bans will be overturned based on the evidence. The wizard interviewing us said that lifetime bans are only given for grievous, repeated offenses and are taken very seriously as a result. He didn't say it in so many words, but he seemed to think Umbridge was a massive idiot," Harry said.

"His literal words were 'Ludo Bagman looks like Albus Dumbledore compared to her in matters like these'," Ron said, still grinning at the thought.

"Is the committee always that fast?" Hermione asked. "In the Muggle world, things like this usually take ages."

"Well, for one thing, my mum knows just about all the important people in the committee through her time as both a player and a coach. For another, cases like these usually involve repeated offenses, like Harry said, and many financial and international political stakes. A school game of Quidditch doesn't even rate, and the committee hates being assembled over something this trivial, so they just want to get it over with," Daphne said. She grinned. "And I'm pretty sure Mum told them about the hearing and the blood quill too, just to spur them into action a bit faster."

The next morning, as promised, Harry and the others on the Gryffindor team received letters from the committee.

"The ban has been lifted!" Harry said. "It says that, as I didn't break any rules, there will not be any punishment and the ban is lifted, effective immediately." He looked at Fred and George. "What about you?"

"Also cleared," Fred said. "Intention to commit assault is not punishable 'as that would result in lifetime bans for nearly all professional players'."

"I've been given a one-match ban, because this is a first offense and no serious harm was done," George said. "I'll miss the Hufflepuff match, then, but at least I'll get to play Ravenclaw…"

"What does yours say, Ron?" Daphne asked.

"It just gives a summary of the punishments here…hey, look! Crabbe also has a one-match ban! Ha! Serves him right!"

Harry quickly looked down his own list and grinned when he saw that Ron was right.

"I don't think Umbridge is very happy," Ginny said gleefully, nodding her head at the staff table.

Daphne looked over and saw that Umbridge had also received the results of the inspection. White-faced and livid, she looked like she wanted to burn the letter solely with her rage.

McGonagall, a few seats over, noticed the Gryffindors looking at her, and discreetly raised her goblet in greeting.

"You know, things like this really remind me that Slytherin traits like knowing how to navigate politics are pretty useful. Good thing we've got some Slytherin friends now," Ginny said with a wink at Daphne, who felt a bit uncomfortable at the praise — since all she'd done was write to her parents, and Mum had done the rest — but still appreciated what Ginny was trying to do.

And judging by the looks on Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Fred and George's faces, they all certainly agreed with Ginny's sentiment.

Yeah, I know this fic is rated T and I can swear in it. Thing is, when I do start doing that, I want it to be meaningful, and however much I like the meme I stole my chapter title from, the joke simply isn't important enough to do it. Not like anyone didn't guess what was supposed to be there, anyway.

I know Harry did attack Malfoy in the book, but here he's more in control of his temper, both because of Daphne and his Occlumency training, so I had him standing back and gritting his teeth. As a bonus, that allowed me to make Umbridge even more unreasonable than she was in canon. Considering she was the one who sent the Dementors after Harry, I doubt she'd waste a chance to spite him.

And yeah, the bans got overturned pretty quickly after that. Why? Well, because Umbridge is being a petulant child by giving them a lifetime ban to begin with, and it feels like she really shouldn't have the authority to do that…and even if she does, Daphne's mum knows people. If Umbridge wants to play things politically with a healthy seasoning of nepotism and corruption, then she'll be answered that way. Besides, vexing Umbridge like this brings me joy and it will help me set up some things for later.