.

Balance Factor Chapter 29

Year Five

Umbridge

A/N: Thanks for reviewing!

Sitting at the Great Hall made Harry somewhat annoyed. It was after the Feast and Dumbledore was making his usual speech. The locket was safely tucked into the extendable sack, sitting right next to Shirogane's cane head. He recognized the ugly toad from his trial, but said nothing. Ron and Hermione would know soon enough.

Draco, strangely, had not contacted him since summer. He glanced over at Draco, but Draco avoided meeting his eyes. Perhaps something had happened?

The toad was speaking in a voice too girly and too high pitched for his liking. Harry yawned, bored, not bothering to listen to her words. He knew the gist of it based on the trial and her appearance in Hogwarts.

Chairs scraped back as students started to leave. Harry stood up as well.

"Did you get any of that mumbo-jumbo?" Ron asked, looking at Harry.

"Ministry is trying to interfere with Hogwarts," Hermione responded exasperatedly. "Honestly, Ron. There are some important things in that mumbo-jumbo."

Harry looked at Hermione and grinned. "I knew that they would. Fudge tried to drag it up during the trial. Plus, her appearance here means that Fudge is worried about things happening in Hogwarts."

They entered the common room. Harry flopped onto his bed, tired and a little sore from the train ride. He pulled out Draco's mirror.

"Draco?"

There was a rustle. Then Draco's face could be seen.

"Hey, Potter. Listen, this year, can we pretend we're enemies and all? Umbridge is from the Ministry. I don't really fancy getting on her bad side and her telling my Father about our friendship," Draco said. "I still have to face my father, after all. I'll keep you updated if anything important happens, but let's cut off communication for the most part."

Harry considered this. "Alright. Keep me posted about unusual things. I'll talk to you later, Draco. If you ever want to meet me in private, let me know."

"You got it Potter." Draco vanished from the mirror.

Harry sat up and looked at Ron. Ron was already asleep, so Harry would wait until morning to tell him. He pulled out his second mirror and hesitated. Contacting Kou would be a bad idea, wouldn't it? Especially since he wasn't sure if Kou was with Shirogane. He put the mirror down, almost wishing he could contact them.

He crossed his legs on the bed, closing his eyes. Sinking into his core was almost second nature now. Harry looked at the balance, a wave of calm washing through his body. He started to filter the Darkness through his body and back into the Earth. This process would take most of the night.

The Light in his Factor pulsed, but then remained silent. Harry felt the almost transparent feeling of Ryuuko's arms around him, taking a deep breath. He could feel Ryuuko's smile against his neck.

"Ryuuko?" Harry said softly. Ryuuko didn't reply, watching the Darkness swirl and glitter against the Light.

Harry glanced at the figure he knew was there, but that he couldn't see. "How do I remove the inshi inside me?" He asked. Ryuuko's smile vanished against his neck and then he shook his head.

"I… can't?" Harry asked, unsure about Ryuuko's response. Harry felt Ryuuko's hand move from his waist to his chest, directly where his Factor was located. "Ah… I see… It would be potentially lethal to remove by myself."

Ryuuko nodded. Harry could feel his hair brush against the back of his neck. He closed his eyes trying to savor the peace that came with Ryuuko's presence.

-0-

As it turned out, Umbridge, or Um-bitch, depending on who you asked, was rather adamant about trying to provoke Harry.

Harry had stepped into her classroom and frozen in shock. The walls were pink. The floor was pink. The entire room was pink. And it was all being led by a pink toad. Ron looked about to hurl. Hermione looked like she was about to faint.

Harry had told them of Draco's predicament. Both Ron and Hermione agreed that Draco should remain safe instead of involve himself in their lives. Especially with a Death Eater father.

"Good morning, class!" Umbridge said smiling like she had eaten too many flies. Harry winced, mumbling something about "Good Morning". He didn't really have a good morning, after all. Ryuuko's presence was enough for him to want to stay in his core for weeks and months. But Ryuuko had urged him to leave when it was dawn.

He wasn't the only one though. Many of the class simply just gave very bland and blunt "good morning". Umbridge frowned.

"Tut tut, that won't do. When I say "Good Morning", I expect a better greeting. Good morning class!"

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," the class echoed back. Harry's eyebrows raised in disbelief, though he had chanted with the rest of the class.

"Good. Very good. Wands away!" Umbridge said. Harry slid his wand back into his pocket and picked up his quill. Umbridge waved at the board.

Harry picked up the book and opened to the first chapter and started to read. It was boring. Very boring. Even more boring than watching Ryuuko do paperwork. At least Ryuuko was expressive when he did paperwork. He felt like he was losing brain cells by reading this book.

Most of the class had dropped reading the book within the first two pages. Ron was staring at one spot for a very long time. Then Hermione raised her hand.

Umbridge ignored her until most of the class was staring at Hermione's hand waving in the air. Then, and only then, did she look up. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

Harry tuned her out, looking back at the book with some disgust. Then he pulled out a piece of parchment and started to write, ignoring the impending argument and tapping his chin with the quill between breaks.

"Unlike Mr. Potter-"

Harry jerked up as he heard his name.

"-spreading attention seeking stories. The Ministry is here to protect you."

"Excuse me," Harry said. "The Ministry didn't protect me this summer."

Umbridge turned an interesting shade of red. Then, her face drained and she let out a strained smile.

"There were no dementors in your neighborhood, boy," she said, her voice high-pitched and girly. "You must have been dreaming."

"That wasn't what I was referring to," Harry said. "I meant in court. They wanted to expel me for accidental magic. I fail to see how that will protect me against anything." Harry gave a pleasant smile. "But you would know, wouldn't you, Madam Umbridge? You were there, at my Hearing, weren't you?"

Umbridge flushed again. "Detention, Mr. Potter."

The class went silent. Harry raised his eyebrows at her, questioningly.

"Uh… huh…" Harry said slowly. "Under what basis are you giving me detention for?"

Umbridge ignored him. "You have been informed that a certain Dark Wizard is at large once more. This is a lie."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "No one was talking about a Dark Wizard…" he spoke slowly, unsure. He looked around at the class, who seemed just as confused as he did.

"Mr. Potter, do not make things worse for yourself," Umbridge warned. Harry frowned, but didn't speak. "As I was saying, this is a lie."

Harry let out a snort and turned back to the useless book and his parchment. He started writing things down from the book, as well as adding his own opinion to the notes. Mostly disagreeing with the author.

He had no intention in going to Umbridge's detention, especially since he didn't know why he was being handed detention. He would go to McGonagall and ask her. Maybe he could get a straight answer from her.

In fact, he was so busy writing, he had no idea that Umbridge was approaching his desk. He didn't even look up when she called his name, completely ignoring her presence.

It wasn't until Umbridge had him by the shoulders and was shaking him did he finally look up at her. His eyes burned with anger and he slapped her hands away.

"Do not touch me," he said softly, venom in his voice.

Umbridge looked triumphant. "Detention, Mr. Potter! For the week!"

"You should be suspended for manhandling a student, Dolores Umbridge. How dare you put your filthy hands on me you disgusting hag," Harry said calmly. "I don't care what you or your precious Ministry believes. I don't care if they all have their heads up their arses. It is not my business. When you make it personal by touching me though, you will have to accept the consequences. Anyone who dares to put their filthy hands on me will risk getting their hands removed. You are no exception, Madam Umbridge."

Umbridge's face turned purple, then white. She held out a trembling hand and pointed it at him. "You… you…!" She slammed a note down on the desk and pointed to the door. "Take this to McGonagall. Out! OUT!"

Harry, with deliberate slowness, slid to his feet. Hermione and Ron both looked shocked. The entire class was frozen. Apparently they had not forgotten the disastrous last year with the Unforgivables.

He swung his bag over his shoulder, a dark smile passing his face. "I will see you later tonight, won't I, Madam Umbridge? You better be prepared to face the consequences." He strode out of the classroom, his head held high as he grabbed the note. He took it straight to McGonagall's office, knocking.

McGonagall read the note slowly and then looked at Harry.

"Is it true that you threatened to remove Madam Umbridge's hands?"

"Only because she touched me and shook me by the shoulders. She should be happy she still has hands at this point. Instant instinct would be to cut her hands off," Harry said, eating a biscuit. "She gave me detention before that. I failed to see why."

McGonagall sighed. "Potter, you need to learn to keep your temper."

"I do? Professor, Madam Umbridge gave me detention for no reason the first time. Then she spouted off about Voldemort's return being a lie," Harry said. "Which I didn't rise to that bait. Then I went back to doing the assignment she wanted us to do only to be rudely interrupted by Madam Umbridge shaking me violently by the shoulders. I don't know what kind of reaction she was expecting but she should be damn glad I only slapped her hands away from my shoulders and not cut them off my shoulders."

McGonagall sighed. "It says here she's given you detention for a month."

"Under what basis?" Harry said. "Insulting her? Oh, yes, very mature, Madam Umbridge. Slapping her hands away? Self-defense, I say."

McGonagall's lip twitched. "I can potentially cut this down to one night's detention, as she did manhandle you without permission by appealing to Professor Dumbledore. But you will have to serve the initial detention."

"That's fine," Harry said. "I did tell her I'd see her tonight. I will not rise to her bait."

"Good day, Mr. Potter."

And thus, Harry started to call Professor Umbridge, Um-bitch.

-0-

"This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking lies," Umbridge said smoothly. Apparently, she had regained her former arrogance. Well, Harry would see about that.

There was a quill on the table as well as a parchment. Harry sat down, looking around for ink and then picking up the quill. Umbridge looked pleased.

"I want you to write, 'I must not tell lies'."

Harry raised his eyebrows at her. So far, he hadn't said a single lie to her. Unless she really wasn't at the Hearing and the person who was there was her deformed twin sister.

He put the quill to the parchment, not at all surprised at the sting of pain on his hand. A torture device, hm? Kazuki hadn't really experienced any torture devices, though the pain of getting ripped apart by the fusion of Darkness and Light was certainly on a different level. Not even the pain from Uncle Vernon's beating that left scars all over his back could compare to that. Nothing could.

He wrote and wrote, the pain becoming less and less as he got used to the sensation. The skin healed after each cut, but Harry had started to pick up speed on his writing, not giving the cuts a chance to heal. The letters oozed blood, dripping onto the parchment and desk. Darkness poured out of the open wound, making a thin layer of black haze that only Harry could see. The air became stale, heavy.

Umbridge stopped in her grading and flicked her wand. The window opened, letting in a breath of fresh air. But then that became heavy too. Umbridge looked up, frowning.

"Mr. Potter, what do you think you're smiling about?"

Harry didn't even hear her. The blood was pounding in his veins, saturated with darkness, escaping out of his bleeding hand. The words became a blur, his eyes tingling with madness, the smile on his face turning from eerie to a wide dark grin. Umbridge waved her wand to shoot a spell at him, but it vanished before it could touch him.

Frantic, Umbridge tried to get up, but the stifling pressure of darkness pushed her down and kept her sitting. She quivered, screaming. "Potter! Stop! I command you to stop!"

Harry didn't stop. The madness consumed his thoughts, pain completely blown out of his mind. He had no thoughts, no feelings, and although he was grinning, no happiness.

Warm arms wrapped around his middle. Harry froze, the darkness was sucked back into his body like a vacuum, pulling out of the atmosphere. The air cleared.

Harry glanced down at his bleeding, raw hand and then dropped the quill. He flexed his fingers, humming lightly. He had not severed a tendon, it seemed.

"Are done here, Madam Umbridge?" Harry asked. Umbridge jerked as her name was called, staring at him with wide fearful eyes. All of a sudden, they hardened.

"We are not! Most certainly not!" Umbridge said, her eyes flashing.

"We are done here," Harry said with finality in his tone, getting up. He walked over to her desk and placed the blood quill down, the quill completely stained by his blood. He gave her a sadistic grin and a small bow. She didn't even try to stop him.

-0-

"Ryuuko…"

Harry sighed deeply, washing his hands. The cut was still oozing blood, flowing like a stream. He then dabbed his hand on a towel, keeping the towel there to catch any blood.

Ryuuko was leaning against the wall, having separated from Harry when they got back to Harry's bed. He nodded to the cut and reached his hand out for it. Harry obediently offered his bleeding hand.

"That was a little too reckless," Ryuuko said softly. Harry hesitated, but then nodded.

"I know… I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I wanted to scare her."

"I think you might have traumatized her," Ryuuko said. He pulled off his gloves and placed his hands over Harry's bleeding hand: one on top and one on bottom. Ryuuko's hands glowed faintly white, a mark of his healing power. "She deserved it, but you could have easily lost yourself in the Darkness too."

"I wasn't too worried about myself. I have pulled myself out of Darkness before," Harry said calmly. "It's not that hard." He smiled lightly at Ryuuko, sitting down on the bed, his hand still held by Ryuuko.

"If this scars, Shirogane will likely kill her," Ryuuko said sensibly. "I do not think it will mar your rei or shin form. Only your human vessel."

"Good," Harry said in response to both comments. Ryuuko sighed.

"Harry? You're back from detention alrea-" Ron pulled the curtain separating the two beds. "Oh! Hi Ryuuko."

"Hello, Ron," Ryuuko said, still healing the wound.

"Harry, what happened? Your hand is glowing." Ron slid onto Harry's side of the curtain and then pulled it shut.

"Ryuuko's healing my hand," Harry said, shrugging. "I went a little crazy in front of Umbridge."

"What happened?" Ron asked. Ryuuko lifted his hand to inspect the wound, nodding a little. The wound had closed a good deal, but it would leave a scar. He covered Harry's hand again, starting the healing process again.

"I'll tell you after we collect Hermione too," Harry said. Ryuuko finished up and leaned in, brushing his lips on Harry's forehead.

"You should rest," Ryuuko said. "I'll be here when you wake." He smiled, removing the potion he had made a few months before and tipping three drops into his mouth. He capped the bottle and slid it away. Harry smiled.

"You'll stay then?" Harry asked. Ryuuko nodded.

"With that woman here, I think I better," he said gently. "I'll be virtually powerless, but I'll stay."

As Ryuuko spoke, he started to shrink. Ron's jaw dropped as he watched Ryuuko disappear into the white robes he usually wore. There was a flash of light and the white robes vanished into particles of light. Ryuuko was now wearing a smaller version of what he normally wore, his tiny hands crossed over his chest. He was about the size of Pigwidgeon.

"This is what I get for using ingredients I am not used to," tiny Ryuuko said. He scowled a little, looking kind of unhappy but then climbed on top of a pillow to sit. Harry looked at the tiny Ryuuko and then placed a hand over his mouth, stifling his giggles.

"I think it's perfect," Harry said, plopping on his stomach to look at Ryuuko. Ryuuko's ruby eyes looked back at him, curious. "Shirogane would approve, I think. He'd have to carry you everywhere. Plus, it's easy to hide you."

Ryuuko humphed, looking both displeased and disapproving. "I would rather not trouble Shirogane with something like this."

"He might enjoy it," Harry said, grinning. "Besides, it's supposed to wear off in twenty-four hours, right?"

"Yes. One drop is to last twenty four hours. Three drops will last three days," Ryuuko said. "In theory, anyway." He glanced up as Ron went to fetch Hermione, his red face clashing horribly with his hair. Ron looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

When Hermione saw the tiny Ryuuko, she instantly cooed. She picked him up and started to pet him like she would a cat. Ryuuko looked less than pleased to be treated as a toy, but tolerated it.

"Anyway, do you think Umbridge will go after you again, Harry?" Ron asked, grinning widely. Seeing the all-powerful, regal looking Ryuuko get treated like a house pet was hilarious.

"She probably will," Harry said, reaching over and watching Ryuuko gratefully climb onto his hand. Ryuuko looked a little frazzled by Hermione's affection, sighing as he ran his little hands through his hair. "I'll keep quiet in her class though, so I suppose things will work out. No reason for her to give me detention again." He looked at Ryuuko in his hand and added. "Thank you for healing me."

"No problem," Ryuuko said, sitting down in Harry's palm. "I think you should keep low, Harry. It's obvious she's targeting you. You'll have to take me to classes though. I can't be too far away from you, as I draw Light from you."

"I'll keep you in my pocket," Harry promised. Ryuuko nodded and looked at Hermione and Ron.

"I think you two should be careful too. Umbridge is likely to try something soon," Ryuuko said. "Maybe get a higher position or run as Headmistress or something."