Author's note: Welcome to chapter three. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as you did with the previous two. The speech in this chapter is roughly taken from the book with slight modification.

Enjoy! A lengthy chapter….oh! and mild language ahead, just a bit though!

A queue of frightened looking first years walked into the Great Hall, some looking content and some frightened and scared out of their wits. It would not take much to identify which belonged to the pureblood families and which were muggle borns, their facial expressions gave them away instantly. The sorting ceremony was fun to watch, if someone got into a particular house, then that house cheered the most, welcoming the new and scared children into their new family. The loudest cheers were heard from the Gryffindor table as a fairly large amount of students got sorted into this house. Harry had specifically missed the sorting ceremonies every year that he had been here, of course except his own. He decided it was actually fun to look at the dreaded faces of the younger students, since he had been one of them and surely the older students would have enjoyed it to some point and now simply it was his turn.

Harry's eyes swept over the head table after the sorting. He noticed the small and squat woman with grey, flyaway hair, wearing her regular patched battered hat. Professor Sprout always had a smile on her face but it had disappeared and Harry couldn't wonder why she didn't have that familiar glint in her eyes as well. Beside her was seated the matron-in-charge of the hospital wing, Poppy Pomfrey. Harry cringed back a bit as she met his gaze, only Harry would know how obsessive this woman was with her patients.

Harry quickly altered his gaze to the next professor before that insane nurse could come charging at him. Beside her sat another witch which Harry knew he she was never to be crossed with. Professor McGonagall was wearing her regular emerald green robes and a pointed hat cocked to one side. She was a rather severe-looking, sprightly seventy years old. She was talking rather animatedly with a Professor beside her. That is when Harry's gaze fell on the rather old and a tired looking Professor Dumbledore. He looked thin, much thinner than he had last seen him, just a couple of months ago. His beard was tucked into his belt as usual and his long and skilful fingers moved as he talked.

Suddenly as if he sensed Harry's gaze, Professor Dumbledore looked up. His eyes were the same as Harry remembered; brilliant, soul-piercing shade of blue that tinkled with kindness and mischief. He gave a small nod as a small gesture of his acknowledgement and resumed his talk with the Transfiguration teacher.

Harry signed sadly as he remembered what had happened last year. It truly tested his "trust" in Dumbledore. Harry always regarded Dumbledore as an insanely calm man but after seeing him interact with Barty Crouch Jr. Harry had pasted an invisible post-it note on the back of his head, 'Do anything but DO NOT anger the old man.' Harry couldn't help but agree that he was scared after seeing his Professor in rage when the Veritaserum had revealed Barty Crouch Jr. The rather calm looking Professor had transformed from a benign-looking bright eyed old man into a wizard who looked more terrifying than Lord Voldemort himself. Harry had witnessed another part of Dumbledore then, his face; a classic portrait of cold fury and an aura of power that made him seem as if he was giving off burning heat, his voice calm and pleasant, that's when Harry realized that he was actually furious. Harry had then understood why Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had every feared and that people did not call him 'The Greatest Wizard of all Time' for no apparent reason.

"Where do you reckon Hagrid is?" Ron's worried voice came from somewhere near Harry. Harry tore his gaze from the old man and turned to stare at his best friend, seated across from him.

"We didn't see him at the station either." Ginny poured in on the conversation shifting a little closer to Harry. Their elbows touched and sparks flew inside Harry's stomach and he felt Ginny stiffen beside him.

"Lupin did mention something about top secretive Order mission right?" Harry voiced, worry etching on the borders of his voice as he looked back at the head table. He admitted the head table looked a little empty without a giant wall.

"It must have got something to do with giants, if you ask me." Ginny said, straining her neck a bit to look beyond Harry.

"What makes you say that?" Ron eyed his sister suspiciously.

"No, I did not manage to sneak into their meetings Ron, but isn't it pretty obvious? I mean, with Hagrid being sent away on an Order mission and all?" she looked directly at Harry now. Her warm gaze swept over him like waves crushing in an ocean shore and he blinked a couple of times to divert his gaze away from her.

Ron ignorant to all this as usual, turned to their only rescue. He shifted sideways in his seat to ask what Hermione thought of it when he saw her watching the head table with curiosity.

" 'Mione? What are you looking at?" he tried to follow her eyes but she looked back at them before he could find her source of attention.

Hermione glanced back at her friends and her chocolate brown eyes widened a bit when she saw the close proximity between Harry and Ginny. She raised her eyebrows to the suddenly oh-so-your-face-is-as-red-as-your-hair witch and eyed her suspiciously. Ginny just gave her a patient expression and Ron called for attention again. "What were you looking at?" Ron still couldn't find what interested her on the house table.

Hermione's eyes drifted back to the house table. "Who do you think she is?" she asked pointing her finger at the house table.

Everyone looked around to see where she was pointing. There, he saw her; a short squat woman whose face closely resembled a large pale toad. She had broad, flabby face, a wide, slack mouth and little neck. Her eyes were bulging as they swept across the Great Hall. She was wearing a pink twitched outfit with a pink fuzzy cardigan on top, which gave her greater toad like qualities.

When all the four of them had a good look at her they relaxed their necks and turned back to look at each other.

"What is she?" Ron questioned, and Ginny fell in silent howls of laughter. Seamus who was to her right rocked with laughter while Dean gave an amused look at Ron.

He turned a bit and patted Ron on the back. "Good one mate." Ron gave a small smile but his face was still masked with confusion. Harry knew her. She was there, there at his trail, he could never forget her; she had voted against him. Harry raised his right hand and massaged the back of his neck and whispered so only Ron, Hermione and Ginny could hear, "I know her. She's Umbridge. She was there at my trial. She works for Fudge."

Worry laced Hermione's delicate features, she stiffened a bit and worry lines appeared on her forehead. She turned back to look at the head table as Dumbledore stood to greet his children. He stood on his podium and spread his arms wide as an eagle's wings and acknowledged his students with a warm smile,

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as none of them are as important as the delicious food so I'd say "Tuck in."

His speech earned a few laughs as the food appeared on the table in front of them. Ron as usual did not wait for anyone nor cared to show any manners as he dived head first into the delicious looking food. He live to eat! Harry mused as he helped himself to some chicken.

-….-

He looked at her from where he sat; his face an expressionless mask. His body was held rigidly as if relaxing his posture would give him insufferable pain. His long pale fingers were snaked around his fork tightly as he watched her eat. His eyes were emotionless as usual with just a flicker of smirk in them. It lingered by her, like taunting her to lift her eyes and look at him. She did not of course, she had no apparent reason to, but he had. He had every reason in the world to look at her, to taunt her and make her feel uncomfortable as she made him under her gaze.

"Mate, stop playing with your food." A raspy voice came from his left. He tore his attention from her and looked at the boy sitting beside him. The boy was giving him a funny look as if he had forgotten to wear his pants.

"Stop giving me that look and mind your own fuck." His voice laced with arrogance and superiority. The boy shrugged his shoulders and returned to his plate.

His gaze went back to where it previously was; to her. He watched as she spoke to her friends and to a girl with disgusting red hair who sat opposite her. He watched as she gave a very interesting yet amused look to the younger girl as her eyebrows shot up. His features became even more irritated as her became even more pronounced, showing off every curve that angled her body and as if in response his body screamed off arrogance to the ones sitting beside him. Everyone around him knew he was in a foul mood and was better to let him be.

The only person who was unaffected by his arrogant posture and irritated features was his best friend who sat beside him. He knew who he was watching. It was happening to him since the Yule ball, when he saw her step into the Great Hall with Victor Krum. It was haunting him since then. He took a minute to carefully read his friend's face. It was masked as always and his posture was rigid, still and stiffened. His eyes did not quiver in the slightest and the scowl on his face became even more pronounced when she refused to look back at him.

"Seriously, mate?" he finally called out to him, not able to control his curiosity. "What?" he hissed back at him, eyes still fixed on the Gryffindor.

"You have been staring at her for the last ten minutes. Alter your eyes before anyone notices." He shifted a bit in his seat and altered his eyes from her and they came to rest upon his best friend.

"You should do something about it Draco." his best friend's lips hardly moved as he returned his gaze. A small arrogant laughter left Draco's mouth and his fork fell back on his plate with a light 'tinkling 'like sound.

When he spoke his voice was a whisper, a mere sound of hiss, "And what do you want me to do about it? Sweep her in my arms and damn the world?" His eyes pierced into his best friend's eyes burning holes in them.

A small smile crept on Blaise Zabini's face. "That would be worth watching." He popped a small piece of Treacle Tart into his mouth and watched Draco with mild interest before continuing, "I hardly think she'll approve though."

Draco rolled his eyes at his best friend and turned back to look at her. She was smiling and turned to playfully smack the red headed boy beside her.

"I think you should do something about it, before somebody else does." Blaise said as he witnessed the playfulness of Hermione and Ron. Draco's head snapped up at his best friend. "She's good though. Pretty enough to date, perfect features…" Zabini's drawling voice made Draco wince in pain.

"She must be warm enough…" he stopped, as Draco glared at his best friend and fixed him with a murderous glare.

"I was kidding." He said, dropping his fork and raising his hands a bit to show his surrender. "You know I already have eyes on someone else." Blaise picked up his fork again and stabbed the Treacle Tart twice before eating it.

"You better have, or else you won't see anything." Draco's threat made Blaise inch away from Draco. "You have it bad don't you?" Blaise eyed Draco wearily.

Draco's shoulders slumped a little and his eyes found her again. She perfectly fitted into that picture frame. She fitted too well for his liking. His eyes softened a bit as he reached out to her relaxed posture. Her shoulders were drooped over her plate, the curls of her hair hanging around her face like a curtain, shielding her from her friends, and he could see her directly from where he was, yet the person sitting next to her couldn't.

Just as Draco' thoughts relaxed Ron grabbed Hermione's arm in a playful manner and touched it where his heart was. Her fingers sprawled against his chest and a bile rose in his throat. He tightened his hold on the fork not quite realizing that he was actually stabbing his food with gracelessness that had frightened the people around him. Every inch of her soft skin belonged to him, whether she liked it or not and he wanted to scream this into Weasley's face.

Rage, possessive rage filled him.

A hand had stopped him from stabbing his food and he looked down as the coldness of the hand registered with his body. He traced the arm back to its owner and his eyes locked with Blaise. He was the only one who had enough guts to approach an angry Draco. "I got your answer."

-….-

"Well, now that we have digested another magnificent feast, I beg a few minutes of your attention to the usual start of term notices." Dumbledore's voice boomed in the hall as the chatter died down. "Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming yo-yo's, Fanged Frisbees and Ever Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises of some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it." he paused as he looked at the students before him.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

A sound of unenthusiastic applause rang through the room. "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest…."

A clear high pitched Hem Hem sounded somewhere from the Head table. Dumbledore paused as he looked at the now standing Dolores Umbridge who smiled rather pointed at Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall looked rather furious; no teacher had ever attempted to interrupt Dumbledore before.

Dumbledore sat down on his chair, silently gesturing the Professor to continue. Professor Umbridge's short figure walked to the centre of the podium. She smiled, giving another of her pointed looks and some students recoiled from her.

"Well, it definitely feels amazing to be back at Hogwarts." She spoke with a simpering, high-pitched voice that was girlish much to the horror of the students and she gave another of her fake smiles. "Oh! Look at all these wonderful little faces looking back at me." she flashed some of her pointed teeth. Some students looked around to see where she saw those little faces; others tried to stifle their smirks.

"The Ministry Of Magic, this year has taken the responsibility of your education into its own hand, to secure your upcoming future. The role of Ministry of Magic in you; young witches and wizard's life will be of vital importance. Hogwarts has been standing it's ground since centuries and has done a very good job in nurturing you with all the necessary qualities that the Ministry of Magic would be pleased to see in the upcoming generation of witches and wizards."

She paused for the effect of her speech. He small eyes darted to every soul in the Great hall before continuing.

"You all are born with a special gift, a gift which is rare and which muggles are deprived of for a reason. This gift of you must be put to use, otherwise which will lead to wastage of fine amount of skills. There even with progress…"

Harry's eyes drooped of its own accord; at least Dumbledore showed them mercy by letting them go and rest after a rather heavy feast. Harry looked around himself. Ginny was scratching something off from the table, Ron was discussing about Chudley Canons with Seamus and Dean who found it more interesting than the speech. Parvati and Lavender were busy gossiping and pointing fingers once in a while. The great hall was restless and yet this woman did not realise. A faint murmur could be heard from every part of the hall, even the teachers looked bored.

"….which is for you kids." Her dull voice was pushed away as Harry tried to concentrate a much blushing Ginny's face.

"What?"

"This is ridiculous..."

"Utter rubbish…"

"Hurt our pride..."

Fred and George's sudden outburst had managed to capture a few of Gryffindor's attention.

"Kids?"

"She must be kidding…"

"Because…"

"We resent…"

"Being called

"Kids…"

"We are…"

"Men…"

"With…"

"High dignity…"

"And respect." Both concluded looking rather mortified. A few giggles escaped the girls surrounding the boys while others continued to smirk rather aggressively at the teacher agreeing whole heartedly with the Weasley twins.

A sudden applause directed Harry's attention from the boys back to the headmaster. Umbridge was back to her seat looking quite angry.

"Thank you Professor for such an enlightening speech." Dumbledore stood up from his chair once again.

"I bet he did not listen." Ron said, turning his attention back to the headmaster. Others laughed around him, barely concealing their amusement.

"If I'm right, it's rather late and would be wise enough for you'll to retire to your beds. Good night."

The chatter rose to a high pitch as the students made to move out of the Great Hall to the much awaiting beds in their dorms. Hermione again failed to notice a pair of grey eyes following her as she followed her friends out of the Great Hall.

-xxx-

Finally, I'm done with chapter three.

It was lengthy, I agree.

Hope you'll enjoyed and don't forget to review.