Author's Note: First, thank you for reading and reviewing. Second, I'm glad Harry's emotions seem real to you, or at least, plausible. I would say that he isn't out of the woods yet but that he is getting there. Still more to come, but I think he is building a good support network to handle that – for the most part!

Also, you have no idea how much I love writing Dolores Umbridge. I have such big plans for her and it amuses me to no end getting inside her head. I imagine her to be quite disconnected from reality and living in her own little world in which she maintains her self-importance when in the real world… things are very different. I am going to treat her as if she is a little insane because that is how I view her.

Posted 8/24/15

Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; I am so thankful for JKR and all that she did for us. She gave us one of the greatest gifts, and so many people have taken to this site and played brilliantly with her creation. We should have a JKR day and it should be a global holiday!

Dolores Umbridge was tickled pink. She sat there pouring more sugar into her tea and delighted at the Saturday morning edition of the Daily Prophet in front of her. She looked down from the head table at those students present this early in the morning, anticipating their reverence at her new and more prestigious position as High Inquisitor. But there were not that many students present, and what students that were there were not even glancing her way.

The only students that seemed interested in the article at all were Potter and his stupid friends. Her beady little eyes narrowed in on them as they chatted amongst themselves with the paper out in front of them.

Oh, how she loathed the boy. He had been ignoring her efforts to get a reaction out of him in class – to show him for the attention-grabbing boy that she knew him to be. Several weeks had already passed and she found that she would need a new angle if she were going to break him.

It had taken her some time to find a suitable course of action, which would also help her continued rise within the Ministry on her way to becoming Minister one day. In the end, she had simply been unable to refrain from patting herself on the back at any and every opportunity for the genius plan that she had come up with; she would be able to achieve all of her goals with a single action.

And it was all written there for everyone to see: Educational Decree Number Twenty-three.

Oh, how simple it was. No longer satisfied with how her class was going and the dismal test results that had come back so far. Which, she was simply unable to see herself as the cause – it had to be the students and how lazy they were and not that she was such a horrible teacher. It couldn't be because she was incapable or incompetent – or didn't even know the material herself.

She had convinced the Minister to give her more power to address the falling standards at Hogwarts. And he did; he ate it right out of her hand. She was now the Hogwarts High Inquisitor – and if Cornelius had been led to believe that she was simply making sure the students were properly educated in light of Voldemort returning, well, she wasn't an idiot. Dolores wasn't going to turn down something that was so easy to exploit if it furthered her own interests just because she believed it was nonsense that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back.

Now, she would have the authority the address the other classes and make sure that their subjects looked just as bad, if not worse, than hers. She would make herself look good and she simply didn't care if it came at someone else's expense.

A cruel smirk settled onto her face at the thought of what she was going to do.

And this way, she was sure to expose Potter for the liar that he truly was. He may be able to keep it together in her class but she would expose him eventually. She could not allow him to keep telling lies.

"Would you look at this," Hermione whispered as soon as the morning edition of the Daily Prophet came.

"Oh, great!" sighed Ron as he read through the article. "Dumbridge has even more power here."

Harry looked up from his simple porridge, curious at what had his friends riled up this early in the morning. It had been getting easier for him to interact with his friends in the weeks following Charlie's letter and his willingness to explore more of his painful memories that centered on Cedric as a result.

A brief smile came to Harry's lips as Ron continued to mumble 'stupid Dumbridge' over and over again as he reread the article a second time to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Harry had found the name to be hilarious and he couldn't call her anything else since Ron had uttered it one day. It really did encompass everything about her.

"That woman is a horrible excuse for a teacher," Hermione said flippantly. She had no respect for anyone that didn't take the role of helping others to learn seriously.

"She can't even teach our class right, how is she going to -."

Hermione reached for the paper to quote the specific line from the article.

"- Oh, here it is: she is going to 'make sure the syllabus is up-to-date and inline with current Ministry Standards that focus on producing the best witches and wizards'…"

She closed her eyes and then shook her head at the thought.

They were not going to learn anything under that hag and Hermione was wondering what her aim was in inspecting the other teachers. Especially during O.W.L. year; it was a very good thing that they had been on top of things and doing a lot of studying and revising on their own.

But some things were more important than education.

"Doesn't the Ministry know that He is back?" she whispered after she looked around to make sure there were no students around them.

Ron shrugged. "My dad told me that they were operating under that assumption. His office was asked to be on the lookout for cursed objects that may start targeting muggles like in the last war."

Hermione looked uneasy at the thought that anything could get to her parents but she shook it off.

"I'm just glad they had Pettigrew's testimony. I think that without it the Minister may not have been ready to believe that Voldemort was back. At least, that is what my dad says."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and he caught site of Sirius.

"Anyways, Sirius has been telling me about everything the DMLE is doing and it sounds like Amelia is on top of this. He said she is out for blood after what happened to her brother the last time and doesn't want that to happen to anyone else's family."

Temporarily satisfied that at least other departments within the Ministry were on top of this, Hermione's thoughts drifted back to Dumbridge; they were no closer to understanding that ridiculous excuse for a professor.

"And she really has it out for you, Harry. I swear, sometimes it seems like she is trying to get a reaction out of you in class. She is always mentioning Dementors and the way that she looks at you – how do you stand it?"

Hermione had a fierce expression at the thought that someone seemed to be trying to cause her friend further pain.

"Occlumency, Hermione. I ignore her as much as I can and stay inside my mind."

"You seem to be getting quite good at that." Her irritable expression softened as she spoke.

"It helps to deal with everything. Well, that's not true. I think in the beginning – you know when Cedric…" he said quietly before recovering.

"When that happened, I think it was easier to use it to ignore certain things, but now I find it helps going over things. I am dealing with this in my own way – but I'm not running from it anymore."

He hadn't expected to get into this now, but he had planned on saying a few things to his friends who had been by his side through all of this. However, the Great Hall wasn't the place for this.

"How about we continue this discussion elsewhere, the chamber perhaps?"

Hermione made an 'I'm not sure face.'

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You agreed to it last night…"

"Fine," she groaned. "But we better do this now. Ron and I both have prefect duties tonight."

Hermione had been understandably hesitant to go into the chamber, but last night Harry had made a convincing argument that it was the perfect place for them to learn some of the practical applications of Defense without anyone interfering.

They gathered their belongings and made their way out of the Great Hall and headed towards the second floor lavatory.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Hermione sounded as they made their way past Moaning Myrtle's stall. They had just finished talking with her and had inadvertently said something that had set off another round of wailing.

"I really think it is the best place for us to practice. It's not like anyone else can disturb us while we are in here – or even know about it for that matter." Harry reiterated his winning argument from last night.

Ron had been more easily won over to Harry's idea, despite his history with the chamber, because it really did sound like the best place to get in some extra training. Though, he still couldn't believe that they were actually about to go in there again, but he would be damned if he didn't get his best grades now that he was applying himself.

"I can't believe we are headed back in; so much has changed since the last time." Ron said thoughtfully; he was contemplating how much he had grown since he and Harry had gone in to rescue Ginny when they thought she was dead. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"And you will be able to see the chamber this time," Harry added. "Just remember, the both of you, that the Basilisk is dead," he emphasized.

They had already been through this, but still, it was an impressive sight to see – even more so considering that it looked like it was sleeping since it was preserved so well.

Hermione didn't particularly like snakes all that much and would deal with that when she had to. However, she couldn't help the idea that Harry had been visiting the chamber all year without them.

"You shouldn't have been coming down here all by yourself, Harry. What if something had happened?" Hermione started on him again.

Harry stopped walking towards the sink and so did Ron and Hermione. He turned around slowly to face them, needing them to be okay with his use of this place.

"I think I had to." His voice was soft, but stronger than it had been in a while and it gave them more reason to listen to him.

"I feel something down here, something that I can't explain; it's comforting to me and I feel better down here than I do almost anywhere else in the castle." He raised his shoulders as if to say 'that's all', indicating that that was the best explanation that he could come up with.

And it was because it was comforting to Harry and that he was opening up to them more and more that Hermione held her tongue and let it go. She couldn't deny that he was slowly making progress over the past weeks and Hermione didn't have it in her to continue to chastise him for this. Also, she didn't want to discourage him from sharing things with them in the future if she was just going to nitpick.

"I'm glad for that, Harry," she said, choosing to focus on the positive.

"You have no idea, mate." Ron locked eyes with him, expressing his own relief that Harry had found something to help ease his pain.

A small smile flashed on Harry's face in return and then he turned and opened the entrance and led his friends down the stairs, which he had also called for in parseltongue. The light from the tip of his wand enabled them to see the steps ahead of them, though for Harry it was becoming second nature and he was pretty sure that by now he could find his way in the dark.

"I wish we had these the first time," Ron said wistfully, making sure to plant his feet firmly before taking the next step.

"Had what?" Hermione asked, following close behind him. Her pulse had quickened at being in an unknown part of the castle that was simply alluded to as legend in Hogwarts: A History.

"Stairs."

"So you just jumped?" Hermione reasoned quickly, peering over the edge of the step she was on and unable to see the bottom.

"It turned out to be more like a really big slide," Harry quipped.

"Heh," she remarked. "I really don't fancy heights all that much." Hermione looked squeamish and Ron quietly moved his hand behind him and gently slipped his fingers into hers to offer support and guide her the rest of the way down.

Hermione was thankful that the dim light shielded the spreading blush on her face. What was happening between Ron and her had been a recent development and they were consciously trying to keep it between them. Both of them had whole-heartedly agreed not to flaunt it before Harry – and parted from each other when they reached the bottom.

The trio made it to the bronze snake seal without incident, though Hermione had been a bit put off by the sight and then size of the shed snakeskin they had encountered along the way.

Their first steps into the expansive chamber were something that neither Ron nor Hermione would ever forget. They marveled at the sheer size of the room they had entered that had towering statues of snakeheads with their fangs bared, and they were separated into two rows that adorned a paved pathway that led through the large room.

Hermione's eyes traveled downward from the ceiling and towards the end of the room where both the Basilisk and the stone head of Salazar Slytherin laid.

"Ahhhh," Hermione jumped when her eyes fell on the snake. It was far bigger than she had ever expected.

Ron's mouth hung open but no sound came from it.

Hermione moved forward, her curiosity helping her along in this situation. "That… that is what you fought as a second year?" Her expression was full of disbelief.

Ron blinked and the brief stupor that he had been in from the shock at seeing what had nearly gotten Ginny if it hadn't been for Harry ended. "Ginny," he breathed. He moved towards Harry and hugged him.

Harry was surprised at the sudden contact and the closeness of having another male form so close to him, but it was Ron and there was nothing sexual about it. He was slowly relaxing into the hug when Ron pulled away to look at him in the face.

"I know it was a Basilisk, but I didn't know it was that Basilisk. And that wasn't even everything... I don't think we ever really thought about what it must have been like for you down here, Harry – or that I could ever say thank you for saving my sister."

For Harry, it had just been the right thing to do and he was tempted to shrug it off - but he couldn't. He had been able to save Ginny from a Basilisk and the memory of Tom Riddle; yet, he hadn't even been able to save Cedric from just a single Dementor whereas he had managed to fight off over one hundred of them to save Sirius.

Not everybody could be saved, he supposed. Though, at this point, he would be thankful for each and every person that was spared, and saving Ginny had been important to Ron and Harry acknowledged it with a nod of his head.

During this brotherly exchange between the two of them, Hermione had been inching towards the Basilisk. She was intent on scrutinizing everything that she could about the beast that had petrified her during second year.

Harry and Ron moved over to join her.

"It is perfectly preserved," she whispered reverently. Her fingers were lightly grazing over the large scales and her eyes were slightly squinted as she focused in on random details.

They spent some time examining the truly unparalleled specimen before Harry shared some of his thoughts with them about they could do with the Basilisk.

"I have been looking into potions that require Basilisk parts," said Harry from behind.

"Oh?" Hermione turned around excitedly. Both Ron and Harry knew by the expression on her face that her mind was going over everything that she had ever heard or read about Basilisks.

"Discover anything interesting?" Ron added while Hermione was busy thinking.

"Actually, I found out quite a lot. Not many people, or countries rather, permit Basilisks to be made; however, there is a small village in India that breeds Basilisks. I think they manage to put one on the market every few years or so because they are difficult to hatch and then take years to grow to a size where they can recoup all of there costs and make a profit. I don't know how they manage it without getting killed. Anyways, it is incredibly expensive to get scales, but the venom and fangs are priced astronomically. I think even the eyes have some use – though, for obvious reasons, they are the most expensive."

"What about the potions?" Hermione asked. She had finished going over what she had read about them and had been captivated by Harry's added information – which she didn't know.

"There is a wide range of potions that can be made, from extremely powerful healing ones to those that are really quite nasty."

"You could make a lot of money off of this, Harry." She said when he had finished.

"Yeah, I suppose," Harry kicked at the ground.

"But I had another thought as well." His friends looked at him with a curious expression as he walked over to the beast and placed his hand on the scales.

"I was thinking about making something out of the scales for us, you know, like how they make use of the dragon's hide?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant, Harry! Basilisk skin is even stronger than a dragon's and more resilient to Magic as well."

Ron began strategically thinking about what articles of clothing would make the most sense.

"Pants and vests would be obvious choices," he started, "right along with boots." His right hand rose to scratch his head. Years of following quidditch and playing chess had given Ron a rather unique insight to how games were won or lost and he found it easy to apply that same line of thinking to this.

"Since we have so much of it, and if Harry wants to, I would suggest making outerwear as well. There is more than enough to make robes for the three of us with a lot left over. Not for everyday use, mind you, but it could come in handy. Of course, it would be you're decision mate."

"What's mine is yours you guys, you know that." Harry had never been one for material possessions or money and would rather have shared what he could with those he cared most about.

"My vote is for turning this into something that can protect us from the next horrible situation we find ourselves in." Harry ended it rather bluntly; the contempt in his voice was obvious.

"Harry! You don't know that anything bad will happen…" But she trailed off. Even she would not have bet against something happening now that Voldemort was out there again with his mind set on Harry for some strange, unknown reason.

"Anyways," Harry moved on, getting control of his anger from his life that had apparently been cursed by fate.

"I figure that once we deal with the Basilisk we would have a nice spot to train. It would be big enough without the Basilisk, but I think it would be begin to creep us out slightly. There is ample room to set up something where we could learn proper defense and not that useless tripe that Dumbridge is teaching."

"What a Dumbag!" Ron sighed; he had a knack for coming up with the most perfect names for that old hag.

Even Hermione couldn't hold in her giggle, but because she didn't consider Umbridge to be a proper teacher, that meant that Umbridge also didn't get her proper respect.

They chatted about a few innocuous things before Harry worked up to getting to what had been on his mind. He felt that more than enough time had passed and that he was finally ready to open up to his friends about how thankful he was for their help.

"I just wanted to say thanks, to the both of you."

Ron and Hermione got serious as he continued.

"I know it hasn't been easy for you, or that I have been particularly pleasant to be around."

It was the most Harry had ever said about the subject and they just let Harry speak until he was finished.

"And thanks, Ron, for going to Charlie. I think I needed to hear what he had to say." They locked eyes again. The color in Harry's eyes were not as dull as they had been recently.

"Don't mention it, Harry. You're my best mate. I'd do anything for you if I could," Ron said in response.

Hermione had been informed of what Ron had planned and it had really solidified in her mind just how mature and different her new boyfriend had become. She thought that it couldn't have come at a better time.

Soon, the moment was over and Harry moved on to show them the next part of the chamber that he had only recently discovered. All three spent some time exploring what used to be the Basilisk's lair and then the side room that had nothing of note in it that they could find. Hermione kept hoping that one of them would see something and they could go on and explore something else. She was quite caught up in exploring an unknown part of the castle and didn't want it to end.

But alas, there was nothing that stuck out at them. And the hour was getting quite close to lunchtime and they still had to finish their homework. They left the chamber and started to make their way back to Gryffindor while they quietly conversed about Professor Dumbridge and her new appointment and what it would possibly be like in the coming weeks when she started to inspect their other classes.

The next day, Harry finished going through all of his material in preparation for the upcoming week of classes. He liked to get organized and make sure that he was prepared for every lesson so that during the week he could use the library to augment his assignments and round out his learning.

When that was finished, he ventured to the Owlery to visit Hedwig. He made a point to visit her every week even though he never sent any letters anymore now that Sirius remained at the castle.

As time went on, he had been able to open up to his Godfather about some things and their relationship had become closer – but still not as close as they had been in the beginning of the summer. But they were getting there.

This time, however, Harry did have a letter to send and he was sure that Hedwig would jump at the chance to spread her wings and get out of the stuffy room to do more than just hunt for food.

It had taken Harry a few weeks to come up with a response to Charlie's letter. At first, it had been a shock that someone was speaking so frank to him about tragedy; however, he came to appreciate how open and honest Charlie had been with him. He found himself thinking about it more and more with every reread of the letter and felt this unexplained connection to Charlie's words.

And though Charlie hadn't explicitly offered, Harry was hoping that he could continue speaking to Charlie about this.

Charlie,

Thank you. I don't know of a better way to say it; I think I needed to hear that and appreciate you taking the time to write it.

I am sorry about what happened to Geoff and what you had to go through. It feels so weird hearing someone else explain exactly how I am feeling on the inside. Sometimes I feel so lost and alone, even when I am around my friends. And you are right: they can try to understand and they have been very supportive – but they just don't get it, not really.

I think I spent all of August avoiding what happened – I'm not sure how much Ron told you. I couldn't even think about him until I got to the Great Hall and didn't see him at the Hufflepuff table. Isn't it weird that such a little thing could trigger me to face reality?

After that, I spent a lot of time dealing with those emotions that I had put off. That first night was rough. Some nights are still pretty rough. And I hate it, all of it. I hate how it is so hard every single day to know that he is just lying there in St. Mongo's… I hate that I couldn't save him, that my Patronus didn't get there in time.

I often wonder how it happened: how did the Dementor sneak up on us and why where they even there? Why does everything keep happening to me?

Also, I have never really spoken to anyone about being gay. It just happened with Cedric, and, besides Sirius, no one else even knew we were dating. And then after, it was something that I never discussed with Ron or Hermione; though, they don't seem to mind at all.

I'm sorry. I don't expect you to answer these questions or comments, but I find it easy to write them out right now. I find it easy to talk about most things with you. At least, I find I am able to think about saying all of this to you as I write this down. Is that okay? Because I do feel comfortable with this for some reason, and I think it helps knowing that you have gone through something similar and know how I am feeling. It gives me hope that the future will be better.

Anyways, I hope this finds you well and wanted to thank you again. I hope we can continue talking about this because it does help.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter.

Ugh. I think it is so much better now. Don't know why it was such a pain in the ass the first time. Let me know what you think!