The next day Harry was pulled out of class and taken to Dumbledore's office he had no idea what was going on until he saw Umbridge standing there with Fudge a couple of Aurors and Percy. Then he noticed a piece of paper that Umbridge held and he could feel the bottom of his stomach drop out, McGonagall who had brought him in place a hand on his shoulder.

"Well," Fudge said smiling, "well, well, well…"

Harry replied with the dirties look that he could muster. He felt as if he was going to be sick, his heart pounding against his chest.

"What do you want with Potter he was in the middle of a lesson," Professor McGonagall asked coldly.

"He knows why you are here don't you Potter," Umbridge said.

Harry fully intended to respond with a defiant "yes": His mouth had opened and he had half formed the word when he changed in mid word when he saw Dumbledore shake his head a fraction of an inch to each side. "Yeh-No."

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"No," said Harry firmly.

"You don't know why you are here?"

"No I don't," Harry said

Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Professor Umbridge; Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave a carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.

"So you have no idea why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules," Fudge said in a voice sagging with sarcasm.

"School rules?" Harry said, "No."

"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge Angrily.

"Not that I am aware of," Harry said blandly. His heart was still pounding in his chest. It was almost worth telling these lies to watch fudge's blood pressure rising, but he couldn't see how on earth he would get away with them. If someone had tipped off Umbridge about the DA then, he the leader might as well be packing his trunk right now.

"So it's news to you, is it?" Fudge asked.

"Yes, it is," Harry said hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise onto his face.

"I think Minister," Umbridge said silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch out informant."

"Yes, yes do," fudge said with a nod Umbridge left the room to get the witness, "there's nothing like a good witness is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," Dumbledore said gravely. They all waited for Umbridge to return with the witness a few minutes later Umbridge returned with Cho's curly haired friend Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared dear, don't be frightened," said Umbridge softly, patting her back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you have been. Her mother Minister is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office, she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" Fudge said heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, dear look up don't be shy, let's get hear what you've got to…galloping gargoyles.

Marietta raised her head and Fudge jumped backwards, and she pulled her robes up to her eyes but not before everyone in the room got a look at her face. Purple pustules spread across her cheeks and noise to from the word "SNEAK."

"Never mind the spots not dear, just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister…"

But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.

"Oh, very well you silly girl I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge, "Well Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office yesterday shortly after dinner and she had something that she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor that I would find something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me anymore."

Fudge tried to get her to speak but nothing he tried worked, "Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge.

"I haven't found one yet," Umbridge admitted and Harry could help but admire Hermione's skills, "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak I can take up the story from here. You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's head in Hogsmeade."

"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true but his hearing was quiet unimpaired, "Umbridge said smugly. "He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me…"

"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting all those regurgitating toilets," Professor McGonagall said raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"

"Blatant corruption!" a portrait roared, "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"

"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," Dumbledore said softly.

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students," Continued Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has declared inappropriate for school-age…"

"I think you'll find that you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering over his half moon spectacles perched halfway down his crocked noise. Harry didn't know how Dumbledore was going to get him out of this if Willy had heard everything.

"Oho, yes let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on then, Dumbledore, go on… Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's head on that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving the reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life and a couple of invisible Dementores?"

Percy let out a hearty laugh, "Oh very good Minister, very good!"

Harry could have kicked him but Dumbledore was still smiling. "Cornelius I do not deny, and nor, I am sure does Harry, that he was at the Hog's Head that day nor that he was trying to recruit students to a Defense against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce his mouth hanging open. Umbridge recovered first.

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months into decree number twenty-four, even if that first meeting was legal than all after weren't."

"They would if there had been any," Dumbledore said, and Harry heard Kingsley whisper something. He could have sworn too that he felt something brush against his side, "Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"

"Evidence? Haven't you been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

"Oh can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" Dumbledore said raising his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting last night."

"Miss Edgecombe, tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dead. You can simply nod or shake your head. I'm sure it won't make the spell worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"

Harry felt a horrible plummeting in his stomach. This was it they had hit a dead ended of solid evidence that not even Dumbledore would be able to shift aside, but she shook her head.

"I don't think you understood the question did you dear? I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the last six months."

Again she shook her head, "What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?"

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly. "There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?" she nodded her head.

"But there was a meet last night," Umbridge said.

"If that is the case, then why wait until today and not simple bring this up before me yesterday when the meeting took place?" Dumbledore asked coolly.

"It seems that they had been warned and had left before I got there, but it doesn't matter I have a list of all the students," Umbridge said brandishing the paper showing the list to Dumbledore.

"You see what they called themselves, Dumbledore's Army," Fudge said quietly.

"Well the game is up," Dumbledore said simply, "would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius. Or would a statement before these fine witnesses suffice. Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other. There was fear in both their faces.

"Statement?" I don't understand Fudge. "What…I don't…?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," Dumbledore said still smiling as he waved the list of names before him. After a bit of back and forth to get Fudge to understand they hit a snag that Dumbledore knew they would hit.

"Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag? I see no snag Dumbledore!"

"Well," Dumbledore said apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh really?"

"Well, it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to…what is the phrase? 'Come quietly.' I am afraid that I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course, but that would be a waste of time, and frankly I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

After the conversation went on for a few minutes Dumbledore was forced to hex everyone from the Ministry then he had a rush conversation with McGonagall and Harry before he left. Leaving Harry feeling extremely guilty.