Where was George? Harry saw Terry and had the sense of mind to slow down and cover my left side. Ron was on my right so Terry couldn't get to me yet. They sat on either side of me during breakfast and Terry was forced to retreat to the Ravenclaw table without having spoken to me.

George never showed up for breakfast, and neither did Fred or Lee. I found myself growing mildly irritated at him, and by the time I was finished, I was full fledged mad. Terry was staring at me the entire time, winking any time I looked over and causing me to feel extremely uncomfortable. I needed George right now and he had to be away, probably pranking someone. I left breakfast as quickly as possible, thankful for the excuse of Transfiguration to get away from Terry's constant stares.

To my horror, Terry rose at the same time as me. I was already walking down the table so it would look odd if I retreated and grabbed Harry or Ron, but what could I do? I'd never rejected someone before. How did I get around talking to Terry? I needed another friend, and I needed one fast.

I stumbled over someone's feet at the end of the table and almost cried with thankfulness when I saw it was Neville. He was standing up to help steady me, so I just pulled him the rest of the way out of his chair.

"Walk with me," I whispered fiercely in his ear. He nodded his head, glancing around the room until his eyes fell on Terry. He glanced at him quickly before turning back to me.

"Looking forward to Charms?" he asked casually, acting surprisingly well. I nodded my head and he continued. "I hear we will be learning about hearing charms." He smiled at his unintended joke before I replied.

"Yes, that should be most helpful with the DA." We were nearing the Transfiguration classroom and I was thanking Merlin that I was almost in the safety of its room. Terry couldn't sit beside me in there.

"When's the next meeting? he asked casually.

"Harry is having it next week. I think he's going to do it on Wednesday, but I'm not sure. We have to do it around his Oc, umm, remedial potions." I couldn't believe I had almost said Occlumency. Neville stared at me like he didn't believe Harry was in remedial potion for minute, but was nice enough not to say anything.

We walked into the class room and I sat on the end. Neville sat beside me. A minute later other student started piling in. The class filled fairly fast, and then Professor McGongall walked in. I was so focused on getting my stuff ready to take notes that I didn't notice Terry slip in behind me.

"Okay class," McGonagall said as she started writing on the chalkboard. I began to copy the work into my notes when I felt someone playing with my hair. It momentarily reminded me of George and I smiled at the feel, until whoever it was pulled too hard. My hand flew to my head and I turned around to glare at whoever it was. I turned to see Terry Boot unnervingly near my face.

"Hi beautiful," he said. His breath smelled of peppermint and it made me want to sneeze. "Are you doing anything after class? There's a study group meeting at the library to discuss DA stuff if you're interested." I stiffened at the request and turned back to the front of the class instantly. I felt honored that he'd go to such lengths to see me, but slightly worried at the fact that he was going to such lengths. Couldn't he see I was with George? We certainly weren't hiding the fact. George frequently held my hand in public, and more than once we had come into a DA meeting late and mussed, clearly having snogged.

How exactly does one go about getting rid of a suitor anyway? I'd never had this problem. I'd never been able to get the ones I wanted to notice me, let alone had anyone I didn't want notice me.

Thankfully, I didn't have to solve the problem right away. I had Arithmacy immediately afterwards and couldn't make it to the library, but I'd see Terry again at lunch.

So, it was with heavy feet that I walked into the great hall, mind frantically thinking of a way that I could avoid or defuse this entire issue. I looked up as I entered the hall to the horror of seeing Terry Boot talking with an obviously irritated Harry. I slowed my approach, hoping to God that he would leave before I arrived, but no such luck, and what was worse, Harry waved me over before he thought. He froze with his hand in the air, and his eyes got comically large he tried to pass off his wave as a yawn, but it was a feeble attempt at best. If I hadn't been so horrified I probably would have laughed at his antics. Terry looked up, a grin lighting his face as he waved me over.

Merlin save me.

I walked as slowly as possible, but I reached the table eventually. I slid in next to Harry, groaning when Terry started talking to me.

"So, you doing anything tonight?" he asked, leaning against the seat where George usually was. This irritated me to no end, but I refrained from sounding mad.

"Yes, I have a paper due in Arithmacy, I'm afraid I'll be working on it all night."

Terry's eyes lit up ominously at my confession. "Really?" he asked, leaning towards me with a smirk. "Michael, Anthony, Padma, and I are also working on the paper she assigned. You can meet with us and we can study together." He stood before I could speak and put an uncomfortably heavy hand on my shoulder. "See you at eight then." And with those words, he was gone.

I turned towards Harry, my face frozen in horror. He had a sheepish grin on his face.

"Umm, sorry?" he said, grabbing a sandwich from the platter. I just blinked at him as I grabbed one too.

"What am I going to do? How do I get out of this Harry?"

He took a bite, shaking his head. "No idea," he said, his mouth full.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust before turning around in my seat so I was facing forward. "I'm doomed."

"Yep."

I shot him a glare before eating another sandwich. My eyes drifted down the table and I huffed in annoyance. George was still not here. Where on Earth was my boyfriend? I let my eyes drift back down the table and noticed another absence.

"Harry, where's Ron?"

He looked at me for a moment before swallowing his bite. Thank Merlin, I didn't want to see that again.

"He said he had to talk to someone. I thought it was prefect business."

I shook my head, lowering my eyes to my plate again. Ron never missed a meal. I wondered what was keeping him.

I didn't get a chance to find out. I was busy in classes the rest of the day, and never got a chance to talk to Ron, who reappeared in the next class. I also didn't see George any, not even at dinner. I needed an excuse and I needed it quick. It was seven thirty and I was a nervous wreck in the common room.

"What are you so worked up about 'Mione?" Ginny finally questioned. "Just don't show up. They don't need to know why. You can make something up next time you see them. I'll even walk with you to breakfast. I can make sure he doesn't talk to you anytime soon."

She was right. I'd just sleep on it and everything would be better tomorrow.

Sure enough, I woke up the next morning to find both Ginny and George waiting for me in the common room. I was momentarily worried she had told him what was going on, but relaxed instantly when she started talking excitedly about hair and fashion she'd seen in Witch Weekly.

Breakfast started out much calmer than the day before until Harry got a letter. He couldn't open the first one before dozens more landed, all with letters addressed to him. My breath froze as I saw a brown parcel. It couldn't be, could it? I grabbed the package excitedly and thrust it at Harry. "I think I know what this means - open this one first!" I said, grabbing George's hand under the table in my excitement.

Harry ripped off the brown packaging. Out rolled a tightly furled copy of the March edition of The Quibbler. He unrolled it to see his own face grinning sheepishly at him from the front cover. In large red letters across this picture were the words:
HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:
THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED
AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked, appearing out of nowhere. She laid her arm on Ron's shoulder, which I found odd, but I ignored it and decided to look into it more later. "It came out yesterday. I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still scrabbling around on the table in front of Harry, "are letters from readers."

"That's what I thought," I said eagerly. "Harry, do you mind if we - ?"

"Help yourself," Harry said, reaching for a letter. The four of us, Ron, George, Fred, and myself, started ripping open envelopes.

We looked through letter after letter, saying aloud what the contents were, when we were interrupted by a falsely sweet girlish voice. "What is going on here?" I looked up to see Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry. "Why have you got all these letters, Mr Potter?" she asked slowly. A grin lifted my lips as I realized she was scared.

"Is that a crime now?" Fred said loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the hall. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge said, looking around the room uneasily before returning her gaze to Harry. I gripped George's hand tightly, forcing him to stay sitting. He'd tensed up when she'd threatened Fred and I knew he wanted to hex her. I looked over at him and sent him a silent plea to stay silent as Umbridge continued. "Well, Mr Potter?"

Harry hesitated before answering, and then he spoke confidently. "People have written to me because I gave an interviewabout what happened to me last June."

"An interview?" she repeated, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?" I smiled as I listened to Harry's answer.

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," said Harry. "Here." And he threw the copy of The Quibbler to her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet. I normally would have been appalled at his disrespect, but I found it thrilling today.

"When did you do this?"

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry answered, and I knew what was going to happen, and that it would be utterly pointless with his invisibility cloak.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr Potter. How you dare . . . how you could . . ." She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

She stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her. A cold rage filled me and it wasn't just George I was having to hold back now. I would have loved to hex her if I didn't know she would just punish Harry more.

By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school announcing that the Quibbler was not to be read. They were hung not just on house notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms too. I was thrilled at the sight of them. Umbridge had just done the very thing to promise everyone would read them.

Her downfall was officially started.

Thanks to Ninja Goldfish for beating this chapter!