Chapter 15: Tides Change
The Slytherin against Hufflepuff Quidditch match passed with ease as Slytherin won 210 - 20.
The weeks went on smoothly, Dumbledore's attentions stayed subtle and Umbridge continued trying to take over.
Harry stared at Luna impassively as he moved his chess piece.
So far the girl had won him every round.
He couldn't say it surprised him because he was abysmal at the game but he had a feeling that it was more than just his crappy chess skills.
"I really don't understand how you can predict a persons habits and moves and yet you still can be so bad at chess, Harry," Luna said dreamily as she beat him yet again.
"I think you cheat," Harry said with a huff crossing his arms.
Lately he'd been spending a lot of time with the girl.
She was still a mystery to him and yet he found that he trusted her just as much as he would trust Neville or Blaise.
"I thought you were the Slytherin, Malfoy. It isn't in a Ravenclaws nature to cheat," Indigo snapped as she came around the corner and sat next to Luna.
"Slytherins are just brave Ravenclaws, Indigo," Luna responded before Harry could.
Harry smirked at the blonde before looking at Indigo again.
"Where's your mudblood pet?" Harry quizzed looking around the library for the bushy haired Ravenclaw.
"Grow up Malfoy," Indigo spat tensing.
"Ah so you've had an argument with her. Let me guess it's about her new blooming relationship with the hot head that is Ronald Weasley," Harry smirked cocking his head.
Indigo looked flabbergast for a moment.
"How did you know that?" she demanded.
Harry merely raised his eyebrow and continued to smirk.
"You tensed when he mentioned Hermione and it's common knowledge that you like the Gryffindors about as much as you like the Slytherins," Luna said idly.
"I tensed because he called her that foul name," Indigo argued.
"If that had been why you tensed you would have defended her instead of insulting him," Luna shrugged.
Harry was impressed.
"Well said, Dizzy. Well said,"
Indigo scowled at them both.
"What I don't understand is why you're giving her a hard time about dating someone you don't like. You took part in less than innocent relations with someone she absolutely despises," Harry pointed out. "Give the mudblood a break it's not as if any other pureblood would touch her with a ten foot barge pole,"
"Hadrian?"
Harry looked around and grimaced when he saw Daphne.
She stood with no emotions showing on her face but he could tell she was appalled at who he was keeping for company.
"Come join us Daph," Harry said moving over slightly to give the girl room to slide next to him.
She looked at the two Ravenclaws with her eyebrow raised before turning back to him without moving an inch from where she was stood.
"I was actually wondering if you'd like to come for a walk with me before Quidditch practice,"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head.
"No, I'll find you after practice and we'll go for one then. I'm in the middle of something," he stated.
He didn't miss the glare that Daphne threw at Indigo before the blonde spun on her heel and left the library.
"She isn't happy with you, Harry," Luna said. "But you don't care do you?"
"Of course he cares, Luna, they're the fairytale couple of the wizarding world. They can't have trouble in paradise," Indigo said bitterly.
"Once again, Vixen, your powers of deduction are way off mark," Harry said gritting his teeth slightly.
References to his arranged marriage still irritated the hell out of him.
Especially from her.
That night Harry laid in bed tossing and turning when his head felt like it had burst open in pain.
He could feel Voldemort's glee rolling through his body.
He watched as flashes of dementors and prisoners flew through his mind.
The realisation of what Voldemort had done made Harry lean to the side of his bed and empty his stomach.
Draco was on his bed an instant later, casting silencing spells at Neville's and Blaise's beds.
Harry groaned and looked at his brother.
"What's happened?" Draco asked urgently.
"He's broke Azkaban open, the dementors are on his side," Harry said breathing through his mouth as the stench of vomit rose up.
Draco vanished the pool of sick and looked at Harry.
"Aunt Bellatrix?"
"She's as insane as she was when I saw her at Azkaban but she's out. They're all out," Harry said coughing slightly.
"What do you think the Ministry will say?" Draco quizzed.
Harry sat up looking grim.
"They're denying anything that even points to the Dark Lord's return. No doubt they'll question Sirius and when that fails they'll say that there was a breech in the wards. They're not about to accept that Voldemort's back. They're going to do anything they can to make it seem like it was all a conspiracy of Dumbledore's to make the world believe in something that isn't true,"
"A lot of people are going to be jumpy now," Draco said shaking his head.
"This may be a perfect way to push Umbridge into finally taking action," Harry said after a moment.
"What do you mean?" Draco quizzed.
"Think about it, lately she's been making things a little difficult for the school as a whole. She's on the fence about someone to fire to prove her power and she's waiting for an opportune moment. If we can start a rumour that talks about the idiocy of Fudge and the Ministry's blunder then it'll make her play her trump card to get power back,"
"But then she'll want progress on that group to get more power," Draco pointed out.
"So we give her the idea of using truth serum on the suspected members. She'll get some information and then its up to the group to be sneaky enough to get away with it for a few more months before we're forced to catch them out. If she's off obsessing over them then we can make it so Slytherins can practice for exams in peace," Harry responded.
"And when we are forced to give them up?" Draco asked. "I can't imagine our truce with the Weasley twins holding out,"
"But that's the beauty isn't it," Harry smirked. "Catching them will be the catalyst. Their rebellion will be squashed and Umbridge will gain full control over the school because it'll prove Dumbledore was a weak Headmaster not able to control his students. It'll even make the Ministry think it was Dumbledore heading the group,"
"Why will the Ministry think that?"
"Because the idiots have called themselves Dumbledore's Army," Harry smirked. "They practically dug their own graves with that name,"
Draco thought over what his twin had just said and nodded slowly.
"It could work,"
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes.
"It will work. Now go back to bed. I'm going to get in the shower," Harry said shaking his head.
Draco smirked slightly before going back to his own bed.
He couldn't help wonder where Harry got his ideas from sometimes.
Ron Weasley stared down at the paper with horror churning through his guts.
The Death Eaters had escaped and instead of doing anything about it the Ministry were blaming it on Dumbledore.
The thought that the Ministry were still being blind even after they'd found his father's body mauled in their corridors made Ron feel disgusted.
They were dooming them, setting them back and putting them at a disadvantage.
While Voldemort and his lackeys were building their army the Ministry was building accusations.
Ron looked over at the Slytherin table.
His sister was sat looking pale and just as horrified under the arm of Longbottom.
He knew the boy cared for his sister, he'd even come to the funeral with his gran to be there for support for Ginny but the thought that the boy could stick by the Malfoys and Zabini with their blatant support for the dark and to the people that tortured his parents didn't sit right with Ron.
Dumbledore had told him over the Christmas holidays that Neville was important in the war. That they needed to work on fetching him from under the influence of his friends and Ron was more than happy to attempt it.
Not just because of Dumbledore but so his sister wouldn't be as caught up in everything.
Ginny been close to Neville while he was close to the other Deviants meant that Ginny was also close to them as well. He wasn't a fool he knew what Lucius Malfoy was and what the twins would become.
He wouldn't let his sister be put in such a predicament.
Due to his father's death Ron had been forced to open his eyes and mature more than what he would have done if tragedy hadn't struck.
He wasn't about to partake in childish grudges but he would protect his family.
The dark would not take anymore of his family.
Not if he could help it.
As he sat staring Hadrian looked up and Ron looked the boy straight in the eye.
He could see a maturity in those green eyes that matched his own, they had chosen their sides and it was no longer a feud between childhood enemies.
Hadrian inclined his head in understanding before turning back to Draco.
Ron turned back to what Seamus was saying.
The tide had changed.
Maturity had come and Ron would embrace it.
Especially if it helped to save even one life.
AN: Well that's another one down :) What did you guys think?
Dragons-Twilight1992 - More here and more coming up :) Thanks for sticking with the story for so long! :)
cocobyrd87 - I know I felt so sorry for the twins writing the last couple of chapters but they can handle it :) Mouldy Voldie definitely is sick the question is how just how far is he going to go with the twins? As for Dumbles he truly is a bastard blinded by his own beliefs. Thanks for your continued support :)
NCIS FTW - Harry's a complex person and while it is indeed weighing on him its a question of how he'll deal with it. Your reviews mean a lot :)
KeegSlytherin- I'm soooo glad you've enjoyed the stories so far :) There's so much more to come :) Haha the spat between Daphne and Indigo was fun to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it :) I'm not sure if there's many more in this book but I'm half way through writing book six and I can say there's definitely a fair few in there :) Thanks for the review :D