killerpizza504: Thank you!

A Sky Full Of Lighters: Great, glad you liked it!

Earthling123: There is no official name for baby monotremes, but animal_planet_.com and zooborns both call them puggles. Hmm . . . platypup, huh? I kind of like the sound of that. Also, the phobia of clowns isn't that rare. Lots of people have it, including Johnny Depp and Daniel Radcliffe himself! Anyway, I'm glad you liked the story, and thank you for your list of phobias.

Pjo_Hp._Spells_and_words: I know, isn't it?

miller123456789: Hmm . . . it's hard to tell from writing alone. Lots of people would surprised that I'm thirteen. As for you, I'm going to play it safe and guess fourteen or fifteen. Please don't be offended if I get it wrong.

I know, this is a really quick update, but I've had a lot of free time lately, so here it is!

Annabeth was trapped. She couldn't back down now, it would make look like a coward. So she held her head up, and made her way over to the ancient headmaster. It was then she remembered that the man knew about half-bloods, this relaxed her a bit.

"Um . . . hey, Professor," Annabeth said somewhat awkwardly. She was feeling unusually shy.

He turned around to face her. "Yes?"

"Erm . . . I don't exactly know how to say this. . ." she began to shuffle her feet. Annabeth turned around to look at the other kids for guidance, they were all watching her expectantly. Aleron gave her a weak thumbs-up.

Dumbledore seemed to notice the group of students as well. "Perhaps it would be more prudent if we spoke in my office?" he half-asked, half-suggested.

Annabeth said, "Oh no, Sir. This won't take long. I just need to deliver a quick message. Besides," she added, "Breakfast is almost over and I have charms after."

Dumbledore looked confused. "It's Sunday."

"I know, I have a tutoring session in the library with Seamus Finnigan."

"I'm sure Mr. Finnigan won't mind waiting a couple of minutes. From the sound of it, this message is urgent."

Once again, Annabeth began to shuffle her feet. The soles squeaked loudly on the floor. "It is," she agreed. Sighing, she surrendered, "Alright, lead the way."

"Lemon drop?" the old man offered, once they were comfortably seated in his office.

"No thank you," said Chase. She glanced around the room in wonder. Annabeth had never been inside of Dumbledore's office per say, although she had heard about it from some of the other children.

She was blown away by the magnificent study. It was spacious, for one, still Dumbledore managed to fill up almost every bit of room. There shelves upon shelves of books, cauldrons, boxes, and other mysterious items. On a perch by the desk, was a large, red bird. It had large talons, like a hawk, with a curved beak, implying that it was a bird of prey. There was also something about the animal's eyes, they held some sort of intense look that seemed almost human.

"What kind of bird is that?" she asked curiously.

Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled with pride."That's a Phoenix, Miss Chase. They are one of the rarest and most wonderful creatures to ever live on this earth."

"I'll bet," Annabeth agreed, watching the bird with great interest as it preened its feathers. "Phoenixes are fire birds, right?"

"Correct. They burst into flames when it is time for them to die, and then are- -"

"Reborn from the ashes," she finished. Annabeth paused, ashamed at having interrupted a teacher. "I'm sorry, Professor."

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly. "That's quite alright. Anyway, you said you had a message to convey?"

"Yes. Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. I've noticed that the students, not just in my grade, but overall, it seems that they are having trouble with one of the teachers. I think you know which one."

He sighed. "Yes. Umbridge would not have been my first choice as a professor at this school, but the Ministry elected her, and we have to respect their- -"

"With all due respect, Professor. I think that Umbridge has crossed the line. She is not merely abusing her powers, but she is physically injuring the students. Just the other night, my roommate, Emma Dobbs, came back from a detention bleeding," the more Annabeth spoke, the more her confidence rose. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She was reporting inappropriate behavior. She couldn't get in trouble for that, could she?

Annabeth then proceeded to list all of the rules and regulations Umbridge had violated. She spoke for about twenty minutes straight. The entire time, Dumbedore did not say a word or interrupt her rant in any way whatsoever. He could occasionally nod and mummer a "mm-hm", but that was it.

When she was done, Annabeth eyed the aged school headmaster expectantly. Surely he would see her valid points about the situation. . .

"I understand your concerns," Dumbledore said, whilst sucking on a lemon drop, "but, unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done at the present time - -"

Now Annabeth was angry. "Did you not just hear a word I said?" she demanded. "She's breaking the law, and you're just going to stand by and not do anything? Πώς θα μπορούσατε να είστε ένας τέτοιος ηλίθιος?*"

"Now, now," Dumbledore said calmly, not at all phased by the student's explosion or disrespect. "There is no need to call people names."

Annabeth paused. This was really unfair. Did everybody in this school speak Greek? No, she reminded herself. The Weasley twins didn't. She sighed. "I apologize for that," she muttered. "But, really, what do you mean there is nothing you can do? You're the headmaster! You have power over her!"

"You must learn to listen. I did not say there was nothing I could do, I said that there was nothing I could do at the present time. There is a difference you know."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" she demanded, one again, losing her cool. Annabeth was tired of the old man's cryptic answers. Why couldn't he be straight forward for once?

"All in good time," he answered, answering nothing. "Now, I believe Mr. Finnigan is waiting for you in the library."

Annabeth huffed. So much for getting an adult to help. She would need to take matters into her own hands.

That night Annabeth stayed up late, working on decoding Nott's parchment. She had finished a significant amount, but felt as if she were missing a vital piece of information.

By eleven, the only ones that remained in the Common Room were Goldstein and Patil, whom were playing wizard chess in the corner, Ackerly who was reading Moby Dick in an armchair, and Luna Lovegood, who was staring into blank space. Annabeth ceased the chance.

"Hey, Luna."

"Hi."

There was a pause. " . . . Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Well. . . I was just wondering. What do your parents do for a living?"

Luna grinned. "Daddy's a writer, the author and editor of The Quibbler, perhaps you've heard of it?"

Annabeth shook her head, and Luna looked slightly disappointed. "Maybe you could show it to me sometime?"

Luna began going through the papers on the side table. "I have it here somewhere . . ."

"That's okay. What does your mom do?" Luna giggled. "What?"

"Nothing. I just love the way Americans say mum." Then her eyes grew somewhat sad. "My mum was an inventor," she said expressionlessly.

The noisy Ravenclaw couldn't help but press the subject. "Was?"

"Yes," the other girl replied mechanically, "she died when I was nine."

"Oh. I'm sorry." What else could one say to that? Annabeth, suddenly feeling somewhat guilty, decided that was enough probing for one night. "Good night, Luna," Annabeth said, as she made her way up the spiral staircase and into her dorm.

*Translation: How could you be such an idiot?

HP fact: Rowena Ravenclaw dreamed of a warty hog that led her to a cliff by a lake. That's how Hogwarts got its name and location.

Random Fact: Out of fifty films, the only Disney movies to date where neither parents of the protagonist die are Tangled, Peter Pan, and 101 Dalmatians.