Disclaimer: All recognized characters and elements goes to J.K Rowling

Sorry for the long wait... but I'm back just like I'm back for the Bound trilogy! :)

So fillers and some details and nothing major going on in this chapter...

Enjoy!

Harry wiped his sweaty forehead with his hand as he silently walked through the castle. He carefully adjusted his Invisibility Cloak before ascending the steps into the Gryffindor Common.

"-Potter!"

Harry froze at the sound of his name. With bated breath his eyes shifted to the figure of Granger… talking with Ginevra Weasely. Harry sighed with relief, she hadn't spotted him, neither of them had.

"-he's just so… ugh." Granger shrilled.

The littlest Weasely sighed, "I don' get it 'Mione, how'd he even make prefect? It was supposed to go to Neville."

Harry felt a twinge of hurt at her comment.

"I know! See? That's the million dollar question!"

"The what?" the red haired girl asked, confused about the unfamiliar muggle saying.

Granger huffed, "Never mind Gin. Just… how?! I mean he's so… dense. Ugh, I feel so mean for saying that but…"

Weasely winced, "I know what you mean. He's never been mean, like Macmillan and Malfoy mean, but I just can't help but…"

"Not like him?"

The fourth year girl nodded.

Harry clenched his jaw and he felt his anger flare, simultaneously his clutch on his magical core slackened and a wave of magic rippled through the room. Silently cursing his lack of self control, Harry hurriedly drifted up the stairs.

Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and her heart seems to beat faster. Involuntarily, she stiffened in her seat, "D-did you feel that 'Mione?"

Hermione stopped talking and frowned in concern as she picked up on the obvious tremor of nervousness in her friend's voice, "What do I- Oh!"

Hermione's eyes fluttered as she felt a strong wave of magic pass through her, it wasn't harmful but it still wasn't exactly comfortable having someone else's magic connect with her magic momentarily.

The prefect shivered at the thought of someone who can have so much magical power.

Ginny clutched the pillow she was holding tighter to her body, "I only felt this once before."

Hermione nodded, "Do you think Professor Dumbledore is upset about something again?"

Ginny shrugged as her hazel eyes flickered around the room decked out in red and gold, "Let's…"

"Yeah." Hermione said as the two sprung up from the couch they were sitting on and dashed up to the girl's dormitory.

Harry sat on the uncomfortable wooden chair; he softly tapped his foot to Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A Major as he tuned out the chattering from the Gryffindors and Slytherins and waited for Umbridge to make an appearance. Class hadn't even begun but Harry already knows this year's DADA class is going to be a free period.

"Hem hem, wands away, textbooks out." Umbridge simpered as she stepped into the room while smoothing a hand over her overly pink outfit.

Some grumbling can be heard from the students, especially the corner where Longbottom and Weasely was seated.

"Now students, no complaints" Umbridge smiled at them sweetly. Briefly, her small toad-like eyes rested on Harry, a look of surprise flickered on her face as her eyes took in the hunched and frail figure. She made a small noise of disgust at the back of her throat when those same eyes narrowed in on Neville Longbottom, "Mr. Longbotom?"

The Gryffindor looked up, "Yes?"

Her smile turned sickly sweet, "Yes, Professor Umbridge."

Neville blinked, "Yes… Professor Umbridge?"

The squat woman huffed a little at his calm demeanor and she scanned the room again looking for another target, "Mr. Potter?"

"Y-yes Professor Umbridge?"

"How are you?" she asked as a cruel smile twisted the corner of her mouth.

"F-fine ma'am."

Annoyance appeared on her face again, "I was just wondering Mr. Potter, I understand if you are not feeling particularly well since we all know… with Mr. Diggory's passing and all."

Harry withheld a sigh of exasperation when he heard a low murmur sweep through the class. Even the Slytherin's were unhappy with the mention of the Hufflepuff. What a fool. Harry thought as he prepared to answer.

"I-I…"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted, "How dare you?!" Longbottom burst out as his calm expression from moments before did a full one eighty and turned into one of pure fury, "Cedric didn't die because of an accident! Voldemort killed him!"

Harry stiffened at the outburst, the students around him started supporting Longbottom, even some of the Slytherin's joined in. The emerald eyed boy felt his eyes narrow for a millisecond before smoothing over into wide terrified ones, His heart thumped with contempt as he caught sight of the small spark of victory in Umbridge's eye. You sick, sick bitch. He thought.

"Now Mr. Longbottom, none of that here, detention this Thursday for disrespect towards a teacher."

When Weasely opened his mouth to defend his friend, he was stopped by Longbottom as he sat back down; both their faces were flushed with anger and indigence.

"Mr. Potter? Any comments?" Umbridge asked.

Harry took a millisecond to sift through the pros and cons of the situation before shaking his head and making sure to hunch his shoulders and let a small but obvious shudder pass through him.

Harry polished off his dinner and sighed with longing when a treacle tart appeared in front of him. He briefly allowed himself to fantasize about the dessert before dismissing it; he couldn't' allow himself to get out of shape, Coach Jacobs already threw a fit when he found out that Harry wasn't able to attend any of the practices until the winter holidays, it had taken a lot of convincing, promising, and showing off on Harry's part just to keep him on the team as a player during the winter and summer holidays.

His hearing focused in on a conversation while he was still contemplating his football stressed.

"-shouldn't have."

"I know, know 'Mione! But it's the truth!"

"Neville…"
"I don't think he did anything wrong standing up to her. You should layoff him Hermione." Ginny Weasely said.

"Of course you wouldn't." her brother muttered.

A yelp indicated that Granger had slapped him like always. Harry slid a glance to his right and frowned a little when he noticed both Longbottom and Ginny Weasely's face redden.

A part of him wanted to go over there and smash Longbottom's face into the treacle tart he was eating; but before anything of the sort could happen, he stomped down that traitorous thought and quickly left the Great Hall.

"What the hell was I thinking?" Harry growled as he paced in his empty dorm room, "I thought I was over this… I am over this!"

Sighing in frustration, he threw himself down onto his Gryffindor themed bed, "Stupid girl. Stupid pretty red hair…"

Coming up next: some sneaking around... most likely

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