Surprise and welcome, to the new additional day of posting for Age of Magic. Things will start accelerating much more now, with 3 postings every two weeks, so hopefully I won't get mixed up with my scheduling, but only time will tell... Enjoy the next Chapter! ~F

Chapter Ten

Running Interference

Hermione disarmed Ron and took the free moments to check her watch. It was already ten past; they needed to get back to their common rooms if they wanted to avoid Filch and Umbridge. "Hey Harry," she called, getting his attention from across the room, "have you checked the time?"

He looked down at his own watch, and widened his eyes. Snatching up the whistle from around his neck he blew sharply into it. Everyone stopped shouting 'Expelliarmus' and the last few wands clattered to the floor in the silence.

"Well, that was pretty good," said Harry, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement. Angelina; however, said quickly "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!"

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry, "we can decide on additional meetings then. Come on, we'd better get going. If you'll all proceed to the doors that portray your house, they'll lead to your common rooms. Make sure the coast is clear, and don't burst out all at once…"

"That was really, really good, Harry," Hermione commented, when finally it was just her, Harry, Will, Draco and Ron who were left.

"Yeah, it was!" said Ron enthusiastically. "Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?" Ron had only disarmed her once, but Hermione decided that it wasn't worth having a fight over. She was far too happy seeing the pride glowing in Harry during the next several weeks, the secret of the D.A. was enough to give them all strength to ignore Umbridge's attempts to make their lives miserable.

Hermione also noticed that Draco seemed rather suspicious of Will, from the heated looks he sent the taller boy whenever they were together. It was odd, but sometimes when Hermione was looking at the mousy-haired boy, she would feel a small twinge of recognition in the back of her mind, as if she knew there was something about the boy, but she just couldn't remember what it was.

Ron and Draco seemed to have the same feeling, because once when Harry and Will were walking ahead of them, Ron casually mentioned, "Either of you got the feeling that there's something about those two we've missed?"

Of course it could just be that Ron was finally starting to notice the resurging friendship between his best friend and Will. But this still did not shake the feeling Hermione had whenever she saw Will's blue-grey eyes, or watched him patiently help Neville learn spells during the D.A.

When he offered to help Hermione with the communication system she was developing, not only had she felt the immense sense of familiarity from the boy, but he had somehow know what she had made already without even asking, commending her on the ingenious thought of using Galleons as the means of communication via the Protean Charm, but recommending that it might be safer to transfigure some of the coins into jewelry to make it less obvious as to who were or were not members.

These were handed out to a very pleased crowd the next D.A. meeting and Hermione was given all the credit, as Will had shaken his head before she could include him in the congratulations.

When she confronted him about it afterward, he calmly stated that he didn't want to draw extra attention to himself, and that it was better if she took all the credit. This greatly puzzled Hermione, as it not only was strange in of itself, but it also sounded exactly like something that Faykan would have said.

~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~

Draco was dreading the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the season this year. Not only because he now had to play against his two best friends, but Slytherin Captain Montague had now added Crabbe and Goyle onto the team as beaters, and they were sure to cause trouble with even more illegal moves during the game, not to mention assist their captain in watching out for Draco's lack of 'Slytherin pride'.

He watched with trepidation as the Gryffindor team approached, Harry looked slightly unnerved by something, and Ron was some sort of mixture between nervous and horrified. Draco couldn't tell if it was the prospect of the match or something else that had Ron's face looking almost green. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to ponder as Madam Hooch strode up and ordered the captains to shake hands that started the game.

Draco rocketed upward on his broom and saw Harry doing the same from across the stadium. Goyle immediately sent a Bludger at Harry, who simple rose higher, then started on a wide lap of the pitch, searching for the snitch. Draco mimicked him, trying to tune out the Gryffindor announcer and his unnecessary commentary.

Several times Draco had tried to fly close to Harry, unsure as to what he hoped to accomplish, whether it was to try and talk during the match or just alter his view of the pitch, but every time Crabbe or Goyle would launch a Bludger at Harry, causing him to veer off in the opposite direction. Draco finally gave up and decided to talk right after one of them won the match.

Then he saw Harry diving toward the Slytherin goalposts, and he immediately chased after him, flattening himself to his broom handle to increase his speed. He could see the Snitch for himself now, swerving toward Draco's side of the stands. Draco's small advantage was easily overcome by Harry's Firebolt however, and they were neck and neck as they both reached out, alternatively grabbing at the Snitch or batting each other's hands away.

It was over in seconds, Harry closed his hand around the tiny gold ball, and Draco scratched at the back of his hand hopelessly. Gryffindor had won. Draco turned his broom to face Harry just in time to see Crabbe lining up a shot from behind him.

"Harry! Look out!" he cried, but too late.

WHAM

The Bludger hit Harry squarely in the small of his back, knocking him right off his broom and onto the ground five or six feet below. The Gryffindor Captain and Madam Hooch flew over immediately, and Draco landed nearby alongside the rest of the Gryffindor team.

"It was that thug Crabbe," said Johnson angrily, "he whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch, but we won, Harry, we won!"

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you Potter?" sneered Theodore Nott from the far side of where Harry stood. Draco saw the lines in Harry's face become more pronounced as he tried to block out the boy's snide taunts. He simply walked over to join Draco and the rest of the Gryffindor team, minus Ron, who seemed to be intent on going straight to the changing rooms on his own.

"I've never seen a worse Keeper," Nott continued, "but then again he must have been busy reconsidering having you as a friend, wasn't he?"

"What on earth is he talking about Harry?" Draco whispered, but Harry seemed to be struggling to reign in his temper.

"I mean, who would want to be friends with you, look what happened to poor Undol…" Nott sneered.

The Weasley twins finally heard what Nott was saying, they froze in the midst of shaking Harry's hands and turned to face Nott, "Leave it Fred," their Captain said, taking one of the twins by the arm, "he's just sore that they lost."

"But then again, the Weasleys weren't known for their brains were they?" Nott drawled on, inciting more rage from the two red haired boys. Harry and Draco seized the other Weasley; George Draco thought was his name, while the three Gryffindor Chasers struggled to hold off his twin.

"But perhaps they'd see sense if they heard about what you and Undol really thought of each other… You know what I mean Potter, how you and Undol were nothing more than toys for each other before he met his rather abrupt end… Maybe you're hoping one of them or your pet blood traitor Malfoy will fill in now he's dead." Nott laughed.

Draco was not aware of him or Harry releasing George, all he knew was that Nott had crossed a very dangerous line. A moment later all three of them were sprinting at Nott. Draco saw Harry sink the hand still holding the Snitch into Nott's stomach before the red haze of rage overtook him as well. Nothing else mattered except for pummeling Nott into paste.

He could hear girls' voices screaming, Nott yelling, George and Harry swearing, a whistle blowing and the bellowing of the crowd around him, but he did not care. Not until somebody in the vicinity yelled "Impedimenta!"and he was knocked over backwards by the force of the spell, did he abandon the attempt to punch every inch of Nott he could reach.

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch, as they leapt to their feet, fully intent on continuing. It seemed to have been her who had hit them with the Impediment Jinx; she was holding her whistle in one hand and a wand in the other; her broom lay abandoned several feet away.

Nott was curled up on the ground, whimpering and moaning, his nose bloody; George was sporting a swollen lip; Fred was still being forcibly restrained by the three Chasers, and Crabbe was cackling in the background. "I've never seen behavior like it; back up to the castle, all three of you, and straight to your Head of House's offices! Go! Now!"

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They had barely reached the door of Professor McGonagall's office when she came marching along the corridor behind them, Professor Snape and Faykan in tow. She was wearing a Gryffindor scarf, but tore it from her throat with shaking hands as she strode towards them, looking livid.

"In!" she said furiously, pointing to the door. Harry and George entered with Draco right behind them. She strode around behind her desk and faced them, quivering with rage as she threw the Gryffindor scarf aside on to the floor.

"Well?"she said. "I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition. Three on one! Explain yourselves!"

"Nott provoked us," said Harry stiffly.

"Provoked you?" shouted Professor McGonagall, slamming a fist on to her desk so that her tartan tin slid sideways off it and burst open, littering the floor with Ginger Newts. "His house just lost, hadn't it? Of course he wanted to provoke you! But what on earth he can have said that justified what you all to…"

"He insulted Faykan's memory," snarled George. "And his relationship with Harry and the rest of us…"

Harry saw both Faykan's and Professor Snape's eyes narrow a fraction of an inch before returning to their icy demeanors.

"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you four decided to give an exhibition of Muggle dueling, did you?" bellowed Professor McGonagall. "Have you any idea what you've…?"

"Hem, hem."

Harry, Draco and George all wheeled round. Dolores Umbridge was standing in the doorway wrapped in a green tweed cloak that greatly enhanced her resemblance to a giant toad, and was smiling in the horrible, sickly, ominous way that Harry had come to associate with imminent misery.

"May I help, Professor McGonagall?" asked Professor Umbridge in her most poisonously sweet voice.

Blood rushed into Professor McGonagall's face.

"Help?" she repeated, in a constricted voice. "What do you mean, help?" Professor Umbridge moved forwards into the office, still smiling her sickly smile.

"Why, I thought you might be grateful for a little extra authority" Harry would not have been surprised to see sparks fly from Professor McGonagall's nostrils.

"You thought wrong," she said, turning her back on Umbridge.

"Now, you three had better listen closely. I do not care what provocation Nott offered you, I do not care if he insulted every aspect of your very beings, your behavior was disgusting and I am giving each of you a week's worth of detentions! And if any of you ever…"

"Hem, hem."

Professor McGonagall closed her eyes as though praying for patience as she turned her face towards Professor Umbridge again.

"Yes?"

"I think they deserve rather more than detentions," said Umbridge, smiling still more broadly.

Professor McGonagall's eyes flew open.

"But unfortunately," she said, with an attempt at a reciprocal smile that made her look as though she had lockjaw, "it is what I and Professor Snape thinks that counts, as they are in our Houses, Dolores."

"Well, actually, Minerva," simpered Professor Umbridge, "I think you'll find that what I think does count. Now, where is it? Cornelius just sent it... I mean," she gave a false little laugh as she rummaged in her handbag, "the Minister just sent it... ah yes..."

She had pulled out a piece of parchment which she now unfurled, clearing her throat fussily before starting to read what it said.

"Hem, hem... 'Educational Decree Number Twenty-five'."

"Not another one!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall violently.

"Well, yes," said Umbridge, still smiling. "As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we needed a further amendment... you remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to re-form? How you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the power to strip pupils of privileges, or she… that is to say I, would have less authority than common teachers! And you see now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team re-forming? Dreadful tempers... and to have corrupted the Malfoy heir in such a manner… anyway, I was reading out our amendment... hem, hem... 'the High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc., etc.'"

She rolled up the parchment and put it back into her handbag, still smiling. "So... I really think I will have to ban these three from playing Quidditch ever again," she said, looking from each of them in turn and back again.

"Ban us?" Harry said, and his voice sounded strangely distant. "From playing... ever again?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick," said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. "You, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped too, if his teammates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Nott as well. I will want all their broomsticks confiscated, of course; I shall keep them safely in my office, to make sure there is no infringement of my ban. But I am not unreasonable, Professor McGonagall," she continued, turning back to Professor McGonagall who was now standing as still as though carved from ice, staring at her. The rest of the team can continue playing; I saw no signs of violence from any of them. Well... good afternoon to you."

"Excuse me Professor…" Faykan said, startling Umbridge slightly as she noticed him for the first time… "Do you have the authority to steal from students?"

"What do you mean Mr. Stanton?" Umbridge simpered in her disgustingly sweet voice.

"Well, last time I checked, broomsticks were not on the notice of banned items at Hogwarts… therefore you have no authority to confiscate them. Harry, Fred, George and Draco simply can't play in the inter-house championship… you can't simply take their property. That would be stealing… Am I correct, Professor McGonagall?"

McGonagall thought for a moment, then turned to Umbridge, "It seems that Mr. Stanton here is correct in his presumption, not even the Headmaster has the right to take items from students if their not on the banned items list except under extreme circumstances…"

"Very well… very well!" Umbridge said, rather sulkily. "They may keep their brooms…"And with a look of the utmost dissatisfaction, Umbridge left the room.

~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~

Albus observed the happenings of Hogwarts with a humored eye. Dolores Umbridge tried her hardest to squeeze the happiness and life from Hogwarts, and the tighter she gripped, the more it slipped between her stubby fingers.

He had been rather intrigued by the formation of the defense group by Harry and his friends, but the details still managed to elude him. Regardless it would help Harry learn the small amount of leadership he would need before facing Voldemort.

What really concerned him were the sightings and here-say about a wild Kitsune hounding Umbridge, even assaulting her in her own classroom. While Albus was not inclined to offer any assistance to the woman herself, he was going to investigate to make sure that the students were in no danger and, more importantly, that it was not a ploy of Voldemort. The eyewitness accounts had returned rather strange information, namely that the Kitsune was jet black with grey markings, instead of the traditional white or gold of the magical creature.

Perhaps with the return of Hagrid, Albus would be able to have an expert of magical creatures investigate the next time the Shadowy Kitsune made an appearance.

~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~

The sun was starting to set as Severus and Faykan entered the Potion Master's private labs. It was becoming slightly harder for them to reasonably find time to plan and strategize with Umbridge poking around into every other teacher's business. Faykan was continuing to work on the batch of Veritaserum that he had started when the old toad had inspected Severus' class, while Severus checked the inventory of ingredients that he would need to restock during the Christmas holidays.

"That was quick thinking earlier," he commented, "preventing Umbridge from taking the boys' brooms like that."

"Well I couldn't just stand there and do nothing while she asserted authority she did not possess." Faykan replied with a small shrug. "I mean, need to keep her sweating the small things so she can't get around to disrupting my plans…"

"And when, may I ask, do you plan to set this next phase of your plans into motion?" Severus questioned. Faykan had been slightly tight lipped about what he actually intended to do with the new defense group, that he had let slip was calling itself Dumbledore's Army, "aside from guiding Harry into a new stage on his training to prepare to face the Dark Lord."

"Oh, nothing much, just the usual: throwing Dumbledore off balance to prolong the time before he realizes who I am, as well as enact vengeance on the Ministry for being idiotic enough to thrust an incompetent teacher on us during O. ," The boy replied with a definite Slytherin smirk.

"You know," Severus said, reminiscing slightly, "Your father tended to wear that same smirk quiet often when he was here at Hogwarts."

"Really now?" Faykan replied with a small curious smile.

"Indeed," Severus continued, smiling at his good memories of his old friend, "I recall one time, James Potter and Sirius Black tried picking a fight with your father, he simply stood there smirking and dodging their spells. He didn't even draw his wand until he decided to end his little game. The two Gryffindors didn't walk right for about a week afterward."

Faykan laughed softly, "Yes, that sounds like something I…he'd have done."

Severus noted that Faykan himself looked rather reminiscent thereafter.

~~Sina tea kirma : This is a line break~~

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Hermione, Ron and Harry headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, heavily muffled against the cold. Hermione was worried, not only about what Hagrid might have decided to teach them, but also about how the rest of the class, particularly Nott and his cronies, would behave if Umbridge was watching them. Will was rather excited to meet Hagrid, as they had all been telling him stories about the half-giant all week.

Thankfully, the High Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen as they struggled through the snow towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the Forest. He did not present a reassuring sight; the bruises that had been purple on Saturday night were now tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seemed to be bleeding. As though to complete the ominous picture, Hagrid was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark."

"What prefers the dark?" Nott said sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark, did you hear?"

Hermione saw Harry smile to himself at Nott's obvious discomfort.

"Ready?" said Hagrid cheerfully, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em."

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Nott, the panic in his voice even more pronounced. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought the haughty boy had a fair point, too.

"Course they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder.

"So what happened to your face, then?" demanded Nott.

"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

He turned and strode straight into the Forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. Will glanced happily at Ron, Harry and Hermione, before setting off quickly after Hagrid, leading the rest of the class.

They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a place where the trees stood so closely together that it was as dark as twilight and there was no snow at all on the ground. With a grunt, Hagrid deposited his half a cow on the ground, stepped back and turned to face his class, most of whom were creeping from tree to tree towards him, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," Hagrid encouraged. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me."

He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed: most of them looked too scared to make a sound.

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around trees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. And then, as Hagrid shook his hair back for a third time and expanded his enormous chest, Harry nudged Ron and pointed into the black space between two gnarled yew trees. Hermione looked, but there was nothing there. Both Harry and Will were looking pointedly at the cow carcass.

Ron was still staring around into the trees and after a few seconds he whispered, "Why doesn't Hagrid call again?"

Hermione looked around at the rest of the class, most of whom were of the same confused opinion as Ron, while Nott, and Neville of all people were also watching pointedly the same area as Will and Harry. Nott looked rather disgusted while Neville was rather a mix of nervous and awed.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, and Hermione swung round to see, but there was still nothing there. "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

Harry, Will, Nott and Neville raised their hands. Hagrid nodded at Harry. "Yeah... yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'… who are you? He said to Will.

"Oh, I'm Will, Sir, Will Stanton…" Will said, smiling up at the half-giant.

"Excuse me," said Draco curiously, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

For an answer, Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and Parvati squealed. Bits of flesh were stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air.

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," said Hagrid proudly and Hermione finally understood. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows…?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati, looking alarmed. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once…"

"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate…"

"Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some can't?" Hagrid continued.

Hermione raised her hand.

"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at her.

"The only people who can see Thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death."

"Tha's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly, "ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, Thestrals…"

"Hem, hem."

Professor Umbridge had arrived. She was standing a few feet away from Harry and Willl, wearing her green hat and cloak again, her clipboard at the ready. Hagrid, who had never heard Umbridge's fake cough before, was gazing in some concern at where Hermione presumed the closest Thestral was, evidently under the impression that it had made the sound.

"Hem, hem."

"Oh, hello!" Hagrid said, smiling, having located the source of the noise.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him during her previous visits to Hagrid's, as though she were addressing somebody both foreign and very slow. "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid brightly. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see… or, I dunno, can you? We're doin' Thestrals today…"

"I'm sorry?" said Professor Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. "What did you say?"

Hagrid looked a little confused.

"Err… Thestrals!" he said loudly. "Big… err… winged horses, yeh know!"

He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard: "'Has... to... resort... to...

crude... sign... language.'"

"Well... anyway..." said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered, "erm... what was I sayin'?"

"'Appears... to... have... poor... short... term... memory,'"muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her. Theodore Nott looked as though Christmas had come a month early; Hermione shuddered with the effort of suppressing her rage at the horrible old toad.

"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but ploughing on valiantly. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted what Hermione guessed was one of the Thestrals, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favourite, firs' one born here in the Forest…"

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified Thestrals as 'dangerous'?"

Hermione's rage soared, but Hagrid merely chuckled.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ', they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh really annoy them…"

"'Shows... signs... of... pleasure... at... idea... of... violence,'"muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again.

"No, come on!" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious now. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it… but Thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing… people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

Umbridge did not answer; she finished writing her last note, then looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk," she mimed walking (Nott and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter) "among the students" (she pointed around at individual members of the class) "and ask them questions." She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.

Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. Hermione had tears of fury in her eyes now.

"You hag, you evil hag!" she whispered, as Umbridge walked directly towards Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherins. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious…"

"Erm... anyway," said Hagrid, clearly struggling to regain the flow of his lesson, "so… Thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' them…"

"Do you find," said Professor Umbridge in a ringing voice to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

Pansy had tears of laughter in her eyes; indeed, her answer was almost incoherent because she was trying to suppress her giggles.

"No... because... well... it sounds... like grunting a lot of the time…"

Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. The few unbruised bits of Hagrid's face flushed, but he tried to act as though he had not heard Pansy's answer.

"Err... yeah... good stuff abou' Thestrals. Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' sense o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go…"

"I'll be back," Hermione heard Will whisper to Harry before subtly trekking off into the trees. It seemed rather suspicious that he would leave right in the middle of the lesson, but Hermione was far too angry to pay much attention.

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," said Nott loudly at Hagrid, and Pansy

Parkinson collapsed in a fit of renewed giggles. Professor Umbridge smiled indulgently at them and then turned to Neville.

"You can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said.

Neville nodded.

"Who did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My... my grandad," said Neville.

"And what do you think of them?" she said, waving her stubby hand in the direct the Thestrals should have been.

"Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. Well, they're... err... ok..."

"'Students... are... too... intimidated... to... admit... they…'"

She was interrupted by a baleful howling from the direction of Hagrid, and everyone whipped their heads to look up. Hermione and many others gasped. The jet black Kitsune stalked out from between the trees, its eye shining with malice and burning white with rage at Umbridge.

"Blimey…" Hagrid muttered as the creature stalked toward the class, its nine separate tails flowing behind it on an invisible breeze. Both Ron and Draco looked mystified at it, while Hermione noticed Harry was smirking at the creature, which peaked both her interest and suspicion.

Umbridge backed away slowly, terror etched in her face at the sight of the furious Kitsune. Drawing her short wand, she held it at chest level aiming at the creature, while everyone else watched in frozen horror, except for Hagrid who was split between concern and awe at seeing such a rare magical creature. Then from the same patch of shadowed trees the Kitsune had appeared came a horribly familiar, yet drained, voice, echoing around the clearing. "You do not belong here…"

The shock of the Kitsune was soon replaced by near panic as the newest form emerged from the shadows. Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of Faykan, standing eerily above the ground with shadows running through his form, despite the sunlight from above. Little symbols were floating around him, the quartered circles that marked the Kitsune's fur! The shade of her former friend was glaring as angrily as the Kitsune at Umbridge and the Slytherins, excluding Draco.

Raising a ghostly hand, Faykan thrust his fingers at Umbridge menacingly, "Be gone from this place…"

"I shall do no such thing, spirit…" Umbridge said shrilly, "You have no authority over…"

"Be gone, or you shall be cursed; no peace will be yours as long as you remain within these walls!" Faykan's shade interrupted, the words echoing around the clearing, and the Kitsune howled again, mournful and angry at the same time. Underlying all the sounds Hermione could clearly hear the sounds of a drum, four repeated beats, continuing ominously. The shade faded away, its final words repeated softly on the air, "Be gone…" The Kitsune howled a final time, and flames spewed forth from its mouth, flaring into the sky, before it vanished into the forests again.

Umbridge quickly took her leave, and the Hermione smirked openly at the toad being scorned by nearly everyone in the class for her cowardice. Will crept back to the class right as Hagrid resumed from where they were interrupted, and Hermione was vividly reminded by the way the boy was acting of Clark Kent and Superman. Listening intently over Ron and Draco's chatter, Hermione overheard a small portion of a whispered conversation between Will and Harry.

"…understand why can I see them?" Harry was saying.

"We'll, you saw me die…" Will replied matter-of-factly.

"But, you're not dead." Harry retorted, looking as confused as Hermione was.

"Ah, but I was dead Harry. Voldemort hit my wand with Avada Kedavra, and the explosion of magic was powerful enough to kill me."

"Then… how are you still alive Fay?"

"That, my dear, dear Harry, is something I still do not understand myself…"

Potential Spoilers Ahead, You Have Been Warned!

The others are getting the hints of what truly is going on around them... Things will get back on track, by which I mean back to normal, once they actually apply themselves and figure it out. I mean with Hermione starting to notice it ought not to take too much longer right? I'm teasing; naturally, the reunion is next chapter. Nine chapters left for year Five, and things will start very soon spiraling off the beaten path. Many people, particularly in the initial run of the story, didn't care much for the heavy canon adherence up through this point, but I still feel that it was within character for Faykan to bide his time this long before fully stepping in, allow the other characters to drive the plot, as it were, rather than altering things to his own whim. I mean, Istari are not meant to dominate with their own will after all. Until Thursday my friends! ~F