Thought I would give you guys two chapters today ^-^
Harry said goodbye to Sirius and Rita and joined Hermione back to the castle.
"What happened with Cho?" Hermione asked. "I expected you to come with her"
So Harry told her what had happened. "I don't get it" he said.
Hermione laughed, "You should ask your dad for advice on how to talk to girls."
Harry rolled his eyes, "What should I have said then?"
"Well, for one thing, you shouldn't have told her you wanted to meet me halfway through your date." Hermione said.
"But you asked me to meet you" Harry said.
Hermione huffed, "So you should have put up a fuss on how I was forcing you to meet with me. How it was really annoying that I was cutting into your time with her and if she would please join you so that you wouldn't be without her company. Oh, it might have been good to mention how ugly you think I am." She added as an afterthought.
"But I don't think your ugly" Harry frowned.
Hermione laughed, "Thank you Harry"
"I guess mentioning that my parents like you wasn't great either."
"Why in the world would you mention that?" She looked at him incredulously.
Harry shrugged, "I told her how you and Ron helped me through Cedric's death. You're the good influence of the group. Papa said so."
Hermione smirked, "Well, at least someone thinks so" Then looked serious again, "Still, that was stupid. You shouldn't talk about other girls while on a date."
"Then what about her mentioning Cedric and wanting to talk about him?" Harry asked.
"That was also tactless" She said. "Perhaps your dad was right. Perhaps Cho only likes you because you were the last to see Cedric."
Harry frowned. He hoped not, but after that date, maybe so.
"There will be others Harry, don't worry." Hermione assured.
Harry sighed, "Love is too complicated."
Hermione laughed.
/
The next morning the trio sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. When the mail came, Hermione got her copy of the Prophet as usual. Surprisingly, an unfamiliar owl landed in front of him.
"Who're you for?" Harry leaned in to read the address on the envelope and was surprised to see his name printed there.
Frowning, he made to take the letter from the owl, but before he could do so, three, four, five more owls had fluttered down beside it and were jockeying for position, treading in the butter, knocking over the salt, and each attempting to give him their letters first.
"Bloody hell" Ron said, saving his drink from a few overexcited owls. "What's going on?"
"Oh!" Hermione plunged her hand into the feathery mess and pulled out a screech owl with a cylindrical package. "This should be it" She opened the package, revealing a rolled up edition of The Quibbler. She handed it to him and he quickly found his and Sirius' articles.
"It's good, isn't it?" the Trio looked up at Luna who had drifted over from the Ravenclaw table. "It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still scrambling around on the table in front of Harry, "are letters from readers."
Hermione's eyes brightened, "Harry, d'you mind?" She motioned at the growing number of owls.
"Go ahead" Harry said with a bemused smile. Ron and Hermione both started ripping into the letters. Even the twins, who sat nearby helped. "Do you think Sirius got mail as well?"
"I doubt it" Hermione replied, "no one knows where he lives. Your dad might though. He set up an address here for mail right?"
Harry nodded.
"There are some who think you're off your rocker." Ron said, setting the letters in plies.
"There are some who believe you too." Hermione said, making her own piles of opened letters.
"This one's got a photograph" Fred handed him the letter and photo. "Thinks you're a real hero that one."
"What is going on here?" said a falsely sweet, girlish voice.
Harry looked up with his hands full of envelopes. Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry. Behind her he saw many of the students watching them avidly. "Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" she asked slowly.
"Is that a crime now?" George said loudly. "Getting mail?"
"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge replied.
"Well, Mr. Potter?"
Harry hesitated, but he did not see how he could keep what he had done quiet; of course Umbridge would catch wind of it. "People have written to me because I gave an interview, about what happened to me last June."
"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "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. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet.
"And when did you have the time to do this?" She asked.
"Last Hogsmeade weekend."
"Well, there shall be no more Hogsmeade weekends for you." She whispered hotly. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."
Harry didn't say anything. He knew it would only get worse if he did.
She stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.
By mid-morning, a new educational decree was posted, banning The Quibbler from the school. Harry was surprised to see Hermione so excited about the news.
"Don't you see Harry, this will make everyone want to read it."
"You lost me" Harry said.
"It's like that old saying 'you want what you can't have'. She banned it so people are going to want to know why. It's perfect, soon everyone at this school will have read it."
And it was true. Every student had a copy, even the teachers read it. Even Cho read it. She apologized and said she believed him. Harry was on cloud nine.
Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last long. That night, Harry had another vision. This time, Voldemort was torturing one of his Death Eaters because they gave him false information.
"You really need to tell someone about this Harry" Ron said anxiously.
"I don't have to tell them anything." Harry snapped. "If I could just master Occlumency like they want, I wouldn't even have this problem."
"All you need is practice" Ron assured. "You'll get it"
Harry wasn't so sure.
/
Harry's next Occlumency lesson was slightly better than the previous. He found that a Shield Charm was a good protection against Legilimens. However, on one of their tries, Snape was able to glimpse the door he had always seen in his dreams. But this time was different, this time it opened.
Their lesson was interrupted by screaming. They went to the entrance hall where students were pushing each other to get a good look at something. Harry pushed his way forward to see Professors Trelawney and McGonagall standing opposite Umbridge. The screams had come from the Divination professor, whose body was leaning heavily against McGonagall's. Two large trunks sat at her feet.
"No!" she shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening…It cannot…I refuse to accept it! I've b-been here sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"
"It was your home," Professor Umbridge said, and Harry was revolted to see the enjoyment stretching her toad-like face as she watched Professor Trelawney sink, sobbing uncontrollably, onto one of her trunks, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us."
"There, there, Sibyll…calm down. Blow your nose on this. It's not as bad as you think, now…you are not going to have to leave Hogwarts."
"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" Umbridge said in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is?"
"That would be mine," said a deep voice. The oak front doors had swung open. Students beside them scuttled out of the way as Dumbledore appeared in the entrance. He strode forward through the circle of onlookers toward the place where Professor Trelawney sat, tearstained and trembling, upon her trunk, Professor McGonagall alongside her.
"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked with a singularly unpleasant little laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here" she pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes, "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she — that is to say, I — feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her."
To Harry's very great surprise, Dumbledore continued to smile. He looked down at Professor Trelawney, who was still sobbing and choking on her trunk, and said, "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."
Professor Trelawney looked up at that, her tearful eyes wide and mouth agape. "Oh thank you Headmaster, thank you!" She clumsily got up and hugged him.
"Come on Sibyll, I'll escort you back upstairs." Professor McGonagall helped Professor Trelawney out of the courtyard and back into the castle.
The students in the courtyard turned back to Umbridge who was standing tensely in front of Dumbledore. "And what will you do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"
"Oh, that won't be necessary." Dumbledore said calmly. "I have already found one. And he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."
"You've found?" She asked shrilly. "Might I remind you, Headmaster, that under Educational Decree number Twenty-two —"
"— the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if — and only if — the headmaster is unable to find one," Dumbledore finished.
"And just who is this new professor?"
Dumbledore didn't answer, merely turned to the still open front doors. Everyone's eyes followed as the sound of hooves grew louder. Harry was surprised – as were many others – when a centaur galloped through the doorway.
"May I introduce our new Divination teacher, Firenze." Dumbledore said. "I think you'll find him quite suitable." He smiled at a thunderstruck Umbridge before leaving the courtyard without a backwards glance.
Hope you guys enjoyed!