"Has the Doctor cleared you?" Captain Archer asked Reed, who was checking a phase pistol.

"Yes, sir." Malcolm handed his Captain a phase pistol. The Armory Officer muttered under his breath, still beside himself. "A hostage-taking mission."

"We're going there at 2300 hours, when these mysterious energy readings are at its lowest." Obviously, Enterprise had been scanning the castle since their little visit there. True enough. Society of possibly technologically-advanced humans these inhabitants are, they too, sleep, and they rest with them their technology. "And yes, Lieutenant, this is a hostage-taking mission. We saw the Xindi last night. They are probably after kidnapping as well."

T'Pol watched them and three more MACOs put on their disguises. She stood tall on attention.

"Captain, I believe we can Transport you into the clearing 700 meters from the castle, approximately 500 meters into the forest." She declared. "We're also detecting the…mysterious energy signatures in the forest, albeit significantly weaker than that all over the castle. I suggest you proceed with caution."

"Right where we left off," Jonathan trailed; recalling the incident with the suddenly-disappearing Xindi. "That's close enough." The MACOs are done tuning their rifles. He turned to them. "We kill the Xindi, we stun the humans."

"You have the Bridge." He declared to Reed as he and his team sped off to the Transporter.

Harry and Ron had expected to have to comb Hermione's Daily Prophet carefully next morning to find the article Percy had mentioned in his letter. However, the departing delivery owl had barely cleared the top of the milk jug when Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED

FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR

As it is later revealed during the day, Umbridge inspected Fred and George's Charms class, and then Professor Trelawney's class. Harry caught Ron's eye that class and knew that Ron was thinking exactly the same as he was: they both knew that Professor Trelawney was an old fraud, but on the other hand, they loathed Umbridge so much that they felt very much on Trelawney's side. Later they had got into McGonagall's class and then Grubby-Plank's. And on the evening-detention with Umbridge. Nearly midnight, Harry trudged his way up Gryffindor Tower clutching his bleeding hand, which was so bad, that the scarf he wrapped it with was stained with red. He expected the common room to be empty when he returned, but Ron and Hermione had sat up waiting for him. He was pleased to see them, especially as Hermione was disposed to be sympathetic rather than critical.

"Here," she said anxiously, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid towards him, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled Murtlap tentacles, it should help."

Harry placed his bleeding, aching hand into the bowl and experienced a wonderful feeling of relief. Crookshanks curled around his legs, purring loudly, then leapt into his lap and settled down.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears with his left hand.

"I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron in a low voice.

"No," said Harry flatly.

"McGonagall would go nuts if she knew —"

"Yeah, she probably would," said Harry dully. "And how long do you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"

Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and, after a moment, he closed it again, defeated.

"She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice. "Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in… we've got to do something about her."

"I suggested poison," said Ron grimly.

"No… I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any Defense from her at all," said Hermione.

"Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. "It's too late, isn't it? She's got the job, she's here to stay. Fudge'll make sure of that."

"Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today…" she shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, "I was thinking that - maybe the time's come when we should just - just do it ourselves."

"Do what ourselves?" said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of Murtlap tentacles.

"Well - learn Defense Against the Dark Arts ourselves," said Hermione.

At that instant, Harry, Ron and Hermione heard screaming. It came from the direction of the portrait hole.

"Who in the world are you! And what are you sticking into my portrait! Remove these beeping, blinking things right this instant!"

The Fat Lady. They have never heard her voice so high and loud, not before. It wasn't long before she let out a bloodcurdling scream, and soon her voice was all over the ceiling. It appears that she has run off to the other paintings.

And then there's a loud explosion. The three of them stood up and pointed their wands right at the now ruined portrait hole. Two red beams went through the hole; knocking Ron and Hermione unconscious. "Expelliarmus!" Shouted Harry. A loud clank followed; it meant that someone from that portrait hole dropped something. Harry hit somebody.

But a third red beam hit him squarely in the chest. Harry felt Stupefied all over. Before everything went black, he fell down with a thud. Two blurry figures shot across his sight, one blue and the other gray.

"I'm detecting several human biosigns." T'Pol, gunless, looked expectantly at the two doors leading to the boys' and the girls' dormitories.

"The blast will wake them."Archer's eyes darted across the crimson and gold room, which was the most beautiful he had ever seen. He looked down on both Ron's and Harry's bodies. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead caught his eye. "Take him. Let's get out of here."

As the MACOs gingerly lifted Harry into a fireman's carry, Archer suddenly looked back at the girl he just stunned, and stared. The bushy hair that would have looked messy actually was tousled so beautifully across the crimson carpet, that it gave him the impression of the bedroom. On her hand she clutched a little stick, similar to the one he saw the handsome robed man point to the scraggly youth. Archer scowled with intrigue.

"Captain!" T'Pol called out to him, and he looked to her. Oh, yes, they have to go. As he took one last glance at Hermione, he grabbed her wand; touching her palms as he did so. He was the last to run off the Gryffindor common room.

A blue ball of light hit the wall as Archer and his team skived along the wall. Corporal Chang's accurate return fire felled a plump woman in nightclothes. T'Pol saw biosigns closing in around them in various corridors, but not all.

"Captain, the phase pistol!" Corporal Chang pointed to the one T'Pol lost. It is lying idly on a corridor. Everyone gave each other knowing looks that somebody has to pick it up. But T'Pol could pick up human biosigns going from that direction, not from the scanner-from her very own eyes. A tall figure in black robes swept toward it and knelt to pick it up. It is now too late to retrieve it-not without revealing their position at least.

Right now, what they have in mind is escaping into the forest clearing and then back on Enterprise. They crept away through the corridor that had nobody walking along it. It seemed like a maze to them, especially when one of the stairs the walked on suddenly swung into another direction. Another one of those energy surges appearing in T'Pol's scanner.

They walked down the stairs without incident, when they were approaching the last flight of stairs. "Wait," T'Pol said, "I'm detecting an energy signature in the third step from our position."

It could be a trap. Archer thought. Intuition told them to skip that third step, and nothing happened, fortunately.

They wove along the high corridors until they were finally outside the castle itself. The greenery welcomed them, and then they ran headlong into the dark forest where they came from.

They passed the forest without incident, and soon, as they have gone in the middle of the clearing, Archer flipped his communicator to have Trip beam him back on Enterprise.

The Gryffindor common room was packed with equally-alarmed students; all staring down at the unconscious Hermione and Ron. Professors Snape and McGonagall were the first to step into the room.

"At least they stayed put in the common room." McGonagall commented dreamily; knowing that the three are rather adventurous.

"The attack just happened, perhaps it's only a matter of time before they sneak off again." Snape commented icily, with a smirk on his face.

"Are you accusing my prefects?" McGonagall turned to Snape, incredulous. "I think they were doing their homework when this happened."

Snape did not say anything clever for the moment afterward. Some parchment scattered around Ron and Hermione, and there is a broken bowl nearby. Maybe Snape could see the bloodstained scarf resting on the living chair.

Just their luck, Professor Umbridge appeared through the blasted portrait hole. Both professors stiffened their stance at her, their best welcome.

"Students will return to their rooms at once." Dolores held her eyebrows up to the peering students. Minerva didn't like the tone of her voice telling her Gryffindors what and what not to do.

Fred and George looked affronted, especially with Ron Weasley right below them, not knowing whether he's alive or not. When they did not move a muscle, none of the other Gryffindors budged.

McGonagall would have loved this tension to simmer; she seemed to be delighted to have her students stand up to this pink toad. But to give the Ministry more excuse to pick Hogwart's nose like how Umbridge is picking hers right now didn't delight her at all.

"Students, back into your rooms, now. We have encountered this case before, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will be alright." McGonagall thought that the reference to the attack on Filch would be enough assurance for the other Weasleys to give in. When this didn't work, she knelt down and felt for Ron's pulse. She heaved a sigh of relief.

Fred and George eyed Umbridge venomously. They took one last worried look on Ron and on Professor McGonagall, and then they were the first to leave. The other Gryffindors slowly peeled away, until it's just Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, Snape, and Umbridge.

"Professor Snape," Umbridge turned at her heel to face him, smiling evilly sweet. "You will hand that device to me immediately."

Snape stood still. Somehow Umbridge saw him pick up that phase pistol. He pursed his lips. It really appears that he is reluctant to grant her that wish.

"Professor Snape, you may go." a powerful voice sounded from behind. It was Albus Dumbledore. Snape bowed low, and swept off the common room without another word.

Umbridge looked incredulous. "Professor Dumbledore. May I remind you that as High Inquisitor, I have the right to inspect the faculty of this school-"

"As High Inquisitor, you have right to inspect my faculty. You do not, however have the right to confiscate things from them, even if the item in question does not belong to them."

From a little up, Dumbledore was certain that the Gryffindors were peering from their doors, notably the faces of Fred, George, and Ginny Weasley.

"For now." Dolores added, with the high eyebrows and the nose extra high.

Dumbledore, unlike McGonagall, did not pretend to not have seen the toad woman, and he made a graceful exit of conversation by bowing low. "Minerva, would you care to assist me?"

With a flick of their wands, Ron's and Hermione's bodies floated solemnly in midair in such a relaxed fashion, as if they were sleeping. Dumbledore caught the sight of Harry's wand on the floor. As if determined not to let the High Inquisitor get her hand on it, he quickly picked it up with a flick of his wand. Ron and Hermione drifted away from the common room; disappearing after Dumbledore and McGonagall, leaving Dolores Umbridge unceremoniously abandoned in there.