Alright, I'm going to be straight with you, I have NO idea where all of the talk of animagi came from. No allusions in the story, just totally out there. I mean guys, that stuff takes years to accomplish, which is way outside the scope of this story.

And goddammit Scott, put some spoilers on those predictions, YOU'RE KILLING ME HERE.

Alarose, I feel like one of Jake's most admirable traits is his complete, unquestioning desire to rise to the challenge and defend what he feels is 'right'. It gets him in trouble at times, and it's a characteristic that we'll likely see put to the test...

NOW, for Chapter 16! Read, Review, Follow for updates, and Enjoy!

MAJOR EDIT #1: Rewrote a good portion of the end of the chapter the day after it was posted, I felt like it was rushed and deserved more attention.

"I understand…that you're excited Jake…but could you possibly…SLOW DOWN?!"

"Not a chance, Sun!" he laughed back. The teal dragon behind him groaned with exhaustion as she struggled to keep pace behind Lao Shi, the three dragons soaring over the English countryside below. It felt like they had made this same flight just yesterday, the rolling hills and lush greenery filling Jake with familiar comfort.

He still wasn't sure how they'd managed to pull it off, but after his 'testimony' the Dragon Council had deliberated with Lao Shi and Sun about Jake's refusal to abandon their diplomatic mission. Lao Shi had insisted that Jake return to their quarters and rest while they discussed the issue, and though Jake was suspicious of his grandfather's motives he obeyed and slept the day away back in his bed, a rest he sorely needed. He'd awoken that morning to his grandfather collecting their things and preparing to travel, making no mention of the Council's decision. Jake had assumed from his solemn attitude that his efforts had been in vain and morosely followed Lao Shi and Sun to the transportation building, stepping into the enchanted elevator and grudgingly accepting his defeat.

It was a curious surprise, then, to find that they weren't in the New York Subway when the elevator doors slid open, the lack of filth or any overwhelming stench leaving him confused. He looked to his master for clarification only to find him wearing an uncharacteristically silly grin. Sun was also watching him carefully with an equally pleased expression. Jake carefully stepped outside, hearing the strange accents of passerby and noticing the odd advertisements for products he'd never heard of. The reason for the masters' unnatural giddiness slowly donned on him and he swiftly turned around to face them.

"Don't play me like this, G, it so isn't cool."

"This is no joke, young one," Lao Shi laughed. "It would seem that our stay at Hogwarts is not yet over, though the Council asked me to remind you that…" He stopped talking, befuddled as Jake turned and ran to the nearest set of stairs. "That we're on thin ice!" he shouted after Jake. He and Sun followed quickly, Lao Shi muttering various obscenities, and were soon standing on a busy street in London, catching sight of Jake as he ducked into an alley just a ways down the street. They turned the corner to see Jake leaning with a hand against the wall with his grey cloak undone and hanging loosely from his neck.

"Well, y'all, what are we waiting for?" He looked up at the still black sky, the stars already beginning to disappear one by one as the morning went on. "Bet we can make it before classes start?" He dropped his hand and carefully planted his feet on the ground.

"Dragon ugghhh," he groaned and fell to his knees, clutching his side. The two masters were soon by his side, helping him to his feet.

"Are you okay Jake?" Sun asked. "Remember, your dragon chi is still healing. It's alright if you can't assume your dragon form, we'll just postpone…"

"No, I'm fine, really. I just took it too fast is all," he muttered, brushing himself off. He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, taking time to sense and gather the energy within him. He felt the warmth in his core, focused on the shape and feeling of his dragon form, and opened his eyes to see he was once again in his familiar red and yellow scaled body.

Before Sun could ask any uncomfortable questions, Jake laughed aloud and leapt into the air, flying fast with the two masters once again rushing to transform and chase after him. They soared after the horizon, the paling night sky slowly changing as they passed towns and rivers, the sun just now reaching over the edge of the world as Hogsmeade came into view.

"It looks like they've managed to reclaim the town," Lao Shi said aloud at the sight of villagers below starting their days and walking through the narrow, cobbled streets. Occasional burn marks and crumbled stone remained as artifacts of the recent battle, but the lack of any panicking crowds or demon hordes was some comfort, at least. "The others will be preparing in the Den, Jake. We should inform them of your condition before we head to breakfast."

In his eagerness to return, Jake had completely forgotten about the others and the worry he'd probably been causing them. Guilty for his absentmindedness, he nodded and adjusted his course as the castle loomed ahead between the trees and hills. Looking at the grounds of the school, unchanged and identical to the day they'd left, it was easy to forget that the Dark Dragon had returned or that they'd all been attacked by his army of shadows. They'd talked about some of the wizards thinking they were somehow at fault for the disaster, but what if those at Hogwarts had similar fears? Jake was starting to feel numb at the thought of the few hard-won relationships they'd managed to create being swept away like dust in the aftermath of the Dark Dragon's attack.

He craned his neck back to the two masters and asked, "I know Stout said the Ministry thinks we had something to do with the attack on Hogsmeade, but do you think the students…"

"Jake!" The red dragon felt the wind get knocked out of him as something rammed into him forcefully, throwing him and the mass clinging to his torso out of the sky. He looked down to see the pink, scaled body of his sister wrapped around him in a powerful hug. Jake righted himself and kept them in the air as well as he could, given Haley was oblivious to their rapid descent, and managed to slowly flutter them downwards until they were just a few feet off of the lawns by the greenhouses. Another mass, yellow and striped, collided with the two of them, effectively tossing them all to the ground, sprawling in the grass.

"Knew you'd come back," Fred said as he lifted himself up. He helped yank a wheezing Jake to his feet before pulling him into a hug as well.

"Don't tell me you're getting soft, Nerk" Jake coughed as he took his first pained breaths, patting the yellow dragon on the back. Haley quickly jumped onto Jake and playfully threw her arms around his neck with laughter. He grinned evilly before falling backwards and crushing her beneath him with a yelp. The two fell into a bout of wrestling as their masters finally landed nearby to join them.

"It's good to have you back, Jake," Haley said as they stood and brushed off the dirt and morning dew that covered them.

"No kidding, it must have been so boring without me," he joked.

"Come to think of it, it was actually pretty nice," Fred said, turning to Haley. "Why did we miss him again?"

"Oh ha ha," Jake lulled, looking at Dominic as the three Dragon Masters stopped walking to stand by them all. "So what's the damage, Dommy? Things look pretty chill considering it's only been a couple of days."

"It's gone as well as could be expected," he answered smoothly. The green dragon placed his hand on Jake's shoulder, "I'm glad to see you're alright, kid. You gave us a bit of a scare, there."

Jake waved him off with a smirk. "Y'all are trippin' if you think the Dark Dipstick can take out the Am-Drag, the guy's as lame as I remember."

Fred didn't buy his show of cockiness, the yellow dragon shaking his head gently. "Sure, whatever you say mate."

"I take it since you all came back that we're still stuck here?" Dominic asked in mock disappointment.

Sun nodded her head in response. "The Dragon Council wanted us go back to our territories and prepare against the Dark Dragon's return, but Jake was able to…convince them otherwise."

The news didn't seem to change Dominic's forlorn expression. "Well at least we've got them off our backs, now we just have to worry about the Ministry."

"Stout warned us of the rumors concerning our involvement in the attack," Lao Shi said. "Hopefully our actions at the school will keep these false suspicions within the Daily Prophet and out of the minds of the students."

"There haven't been any more sightings of the Dark Dragon or his demons?" Sun asked, looking over her shoulder at the path towards Hogsmeade.

"Not since the attack," Haley answered, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn. "After we helped clean up the town, we started searching for any sign of them in the forest, up in the mountains, even by the lake, but we didn't find anything. None of the centaurs or sprites in the Forbidden Forest have seen anything either." If the defeat in her tone weren't apparent enough, her exhaustion certainly was.

"I am not surprised," Lao Shi grumbled with his arms crossed. He looked at his grandson and continued, "He was likely only testing us, and no doubt trying to create distrust with the wizards."

"I don't suppose the council figured out how he escaped?" Dominic asked.

Lao Shi shook his head. "The current Chinese Dragon confirmed that Victoria Peak is still vacant and the first Dragon Temple remains sealed away. Whatever managed to retrieve him did not break the dimension the temple resides in, but rather must have only partially opened it. Until he reveals himself once more, we will need to establish regular patrols and…"

"Yo, G, can we worry about all that business later? We're gonna miss breakfast," Jake interrupted, nodding up to the windows of the Great Hall where flocks of students could be seen bustling within. His grandfather gave him an annoyed look but followed with the others as they walked up the lawn towards the castle.

"And Hales," Jake said to the pink dragon walking beside him, the uncontrolled laughter already beginning to leak out of him, "you are not gonna believe who the council got to cover for us…"

He should have known better. It was silly to think he could go more than an hour without a headache these days. He'd managed to catch up on his homework over the weekend and, despite the chaos of the past couple of days, somehow fell asleep at a normal time last night without waking up once with sweaty, jarred shakes. A good night's sleep meant little, however, when there was a ring of panicking faces all talking at once and filling your head so full of sound that you couldn't even think properly.

"She must know, there's no other way," George whispered.

"But how could she? Did someone rat us out? I bet it was that git Smith…" Fred said eyeing the table of yellow and black clad students.

"Trust me, no one said anything. One of the villagers at the Hog's Head probably told her," Hermione interrupted.

"Or maybe she did it because of the attack? You know, use it as an excuse to force us to do what she wants?" Neville said.

"I really doubt it, Neville," Ron responded. "The Hogsmeade trips are already cancelled, but going after clubs? Fat chance, she knows."

"Oh for heaven's sake, they're going to draw attention to us," Hermione hissed, seeing a couple of the Hufflepuff students approaching and waving them away frantically. A few of the Ravenclaws were also nervously looking at their group and Ginny left to keep them in their seats with an exasperated sigh. Dean motioned them all in closer, their heads all huddled into a tight circle.

"So then, what about our meetings? What'll we do?" he asked aloud while looking at Harry. The others shifted their gazes as well, all focused on their would-be instructor.

He didn't spare a second to even consider his answer. "We're still gonna do it, of course," he whispered, a sly smile pulling at his cheeks. The expression passed to everyone in the circle until he continued with, "That is, once we've figured out a place to practice."

"What about the astronomy tower? It's usually empty in the evenings," Neville suggested.

"It's also not terribly spacious, not to mention the whole 'falling-a-hundred-feet-if-you-mess-up' thing," Fred commented.

"The library then?" Dean proposed

Hermione sighed, "We already talked about the library, Dean, and Madam Pince will never let us practice magic in there." Their faces all fell to look at the table below, both in thought and despair.

"Y'all look way too guilty about something," a familiar voice whispered down to the group.

Harry, along with the others, flinched backward from the head that had just spoken above the center of their ring. Ron's goblet of orange juice spilled over the table, Dean swore loudly, and Hermione quickly jumped to her feet, though Harry didn't immediately register why she seemed to do it out of excitement.

"Jake!" she laughed loudly, throwing her arms around the cloaked body of the tall red dragon that had been standing by their group.

"Good to see you too," he returned equally happy. The Weasleys were all ecstatic, and Dean and Neville seemed unchanged, but the rest of the nearby students were giving him shifty looks. Seeing the dragon in good health gave Harry a bit of relief that he desperately needed, but he hadn't forgotten their talk with Sirius and felt his joy and suspicion of the dragon warring within him.

Hermione finally relinquished her embrace and took a step back, eyeing him with concern despite her small smile. "We were so worried when you disappeared, are you alright?"

Jake gave a little huff. "Everyone keeps asking that, it really wasn't that bad. I feel great!" The dragon's eyes looked away from Hermione's and found Harry as he added, "And you," he said, approaching him and stopping just inches away, "are my dawg, yo! You busted out some sick moves back in Hogsmeade!"

Their escape from the village flew through his mind, and Harry was surprised to find the dragon thanking him for anything. "What are you talking about? You're the one that fought off all of those…things."

"A few more hits from those creeps at the end and…" Jake dragged his finger across his throat, the euphemism clear. "So thanks. You know, for saving me and stuff," he thanked Harry, his clenched fist extended from beneath the grey cloak.

Harry didn't understand the gesture until Ron nudged him in the back and muttered, "Fist bump." Embarrassed by his obliviousness, he quickly matched the dragon's gesture, glad that his earlier attempts at apologizing for the past couple of weeks proved unnecessary.

Jake turned back towards the rest of the group now, asking in a low voice, "So, what was up with the shady cult ring?"

"Umbridge is what's up," Ron answered, pulling a slip of paper out from his bag and handing it to the dragon. Harry recognized it as a copy of Umbridge's new Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, which had been plastered throughout the halls and dormitories just that morning. She had disbanded all student organizations throughout the school and prohibited the formation of any new ones not approved by her personally. Those ignorant of their group (or simply too naïve, in Neville's case) believed she was merely making a power play. Harry could see, however, that Jake was not as easily fooled, his expression growing more serious with every line he read.

He handed the paper back to Ron with a whispered grumble of, "This is so rank, yo, she's totally on to us."

"It'll be that much more difficult to meet without her noticing," Hermione responded. She paused and a thought crossed her mind as she continued with a smirk, "And what exactly do you mean 'she's on to us'?"

Jake mirrored her prying look and smiled. "Let's just say that what went down at Hogsmeade helped me see just how badly y'all need this little study group." He snatched a sausage link off of their table and tossed it in his mouth, asking in between chews, "So…y'all are still lookin'…for a crib…to practice in, right?"

"I don't suppose you've got any good ideas?" Harry asked halfheartedly, knowing full well the miniscule chances of the dragon thinking of anywhere they hadn't already considered. Jake scratched the length of his jaw with a claw in thought, absentmindedly tossing another morsel from the table into his mouth.

"You know," he started, swallowing the mouthful and staring at the partly cloudy ceiling above, "the Den would make a great practice room, but Dumbledore put some kind of mojo on it to keep non-dragons out. Maybe…" he trailed off until the bell began ringing in the distance. The tones yanked Jake out of his thoughts, shaking his head swiftly and bidding farewell. "A'ight, so it's a work in progress, but no worries. I'll think about it and get back to y'all!"

Harry watched him join the other dragons and leave the hall as the rest of their group also stood and sluggishly headed to classes. People with secrets to keep don't make for loyal company, Harry, Sirius's voice echoed in his mind. Jake's enthusiasm was unusual to say the least, certainly welcome but undoubtedly unexpected.

"You going to come with us to History of Magic or just stare off all day?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Sorry…" Harry answered, picking up his things and debating whether or not to voice his suspicions. "Does it seem odd to you that Jake's all of the sudden interested in helping the defense group right after Umbridge puts up that new Decree?"

Hermione gave him a scolding look, the implications of his question clear to her. "No, it doesn't, actually. He'd never tell her about it, the dragons hate her just as much as we do."

"But if he did, we wouldn't know, would we? Whatever hex you put on the charter would go off if anyone who signed it ratted us out, but we didn't get around to it until after the attack. He was already gone, he never signed it," Harry pointed out. Ron started to look a bit concerned, but Hermione didn't falter, maintaining her disappointed, defensive attitude as they walked up the staircase towards the classroom of Professor Binns.

"I can't believe you, Harry! After all they've done for us…" she protested heatedly.

"What if that's the 'secret' they've been going on about?" Ron interrupted in a hushed tone with wide eyes. He continued despite Hermione's incredulous look, "You remember, don't you? That Stout bloke was in on their secret, so what if Umbridge is too? Maybe it's because they're in close with the Ministry of Magic, trying to find other ways of getting to Dumbledore and Harry!" Harry nodded fervently, gratefully clinging on to Ron's argument.

"But…but Ron! Jake helped you get the Keeper spot! And the Ministry…they barely know them…and they're blaming the dragons for Hogsmeade and…and Fred! He…" she answered in a garbled mess.

"I don't like it either but you've got to admit it's a bit suspicious, and it's a secret, Hermione, the Ministry's got to play the part, don't they?" Ron answered. Hermione looked increasingly offended as he spoke, stomping off ahead and entering the classroom without them as he finished. Exasperated, he dropped his head and followed her, Harry closing the door as he walked into the room after them.

As usual, he tried to listen to their opaque professor but was quickly lost to his thoughts, Sirius's words once again dominating his attention.

Be careful who you count as your friend, Harry.

"What about the Forbidden Forest? Okay, wait, that's bad, forget I said that," Jake dismissed after seeing Lao Shi's response to his absurd suggestion.

"Remember, Jake, you cannot be responsible for these meetings, even if the students are unable to orchestrate them on their own. If you're implicated as being the antagonist for their actions…"

"I know, I know, G, chill! I just really want to see this work out," he almost giggled with excitement as they waited for the students to leave Professor Snape's dungeon of a laboratory. Their potions lesson for the morning had just ended with minimal excitement (not counting the one Ravenclaw's concoction that had somehow become sentient and crawled out of his cauldron while making ear-splitting screeches), and they were preparing to make their way to History of Magic.

"Just think about it, they all show up to take their exams at the end of the year, the C.R.O.W.S. or whatever, and they blow the roof off the place, even with Umbridge's terrible teaching," he laughed, the pair now taking their turn to leave, Jake opening the door for them to exit. "The look on her face would be…" he halted suddenly, dumbfounded at the sight of the short woman he'd just been discussing standing only inches in front of them. Unlike the first day they'd met personally, Umbridge hardly reacted, looking up at the red and blue dragons with a cold, stony expression rivaling that of a concrete wall.

"Oh…it's you. I wasn't aware that you two had returned," she said, icy and devoid of emotion. She found her familiar, sickening grin and said, "But no matter. It won't be long before Cornelius and the Ministry have the situation…resolved." She gave a little girlish giggle before brushing past Jake and entering the dungeon beyond.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, yo?" Jake asked, both bemused and afraid.

She stopped and carefully turned back to them. "Well, of course you must understand," she laughed as though she were lecturing a toddler, "Or perhaps you don't, I wouldn't be surprised. Hogwarts is a school for teaching our youth how to become proper witches and wizards. There is nothing here for your kind, and it's time you all learnt your place." The fake smile slowly slid away as she finished and turned to continue approaching Professor Snape at the front of the room.

It took Lao Shi's hand on his shoulder to snap Jake out of staring after Umbridge with furious eyes and a dangerously contorted maw. His rage went so deep that he didn't speak to Lao Shi all through History of Magic, the silence between them only breaking as they sat down in the Great Hall for lunch.

"Woah, what's got you all riled up?" Fred asked, not entirely in a joking manner.

Jake was thinking of some witty sass to answer with, but stopped short when he turned to Fred. A consuming desire for scheming and humiliation that had once been frequent but now rarely surfaced was bubbling out from the back of his mind, and the one person who'd sympathize with his impulses had just taken the seat next to him. The yellow dragon eyed his friend's sudden gleeful expression with uncertainty. "Uh…you alright Jakeroo? You're starting to weird me out, mate."

"Nerk, my friend, take a walk with me," he said as he stood and headed for the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Jake?" his grandfather asked, but he got no response. Fred sat confused for a moment and looked between the two dragons before quickly getting up and following the red dragon, searching as he went for some clue to Jake's odd behavior. Once they'd passed beyond the doors, Jake leaned against the wall outside with Fred stopping beside him.

"Okay, now I'm worried, what's going on Jake?" Fred asked, the hump in his cloak moving gently as his wings fidgeted with nervousness.

"Umbridge crossed the line. Get this…" Jake answered, retelling what had transpired earlier in the dungeons below the castle with the High Inquisitor. By the end of his story, Fred looked more sick than upset, the edges of his mouth downturned in a disgusted grimace.

"She's a right beast, that filthy, ugly…" Fred sneered while eyeing the doors to the Great Hall.

"What she needs is a little attitude adjustment, and being guardians of the magical world don't you think it's our responsibility to help her see the error in her ways?" Jake suggested, every word dripping with false sincerity. Fred watched him through squinted eyes, a wicked grin slowly spreading along his narrow snout.

"I think I've got just the kind of rehabilitation she needs," Fred snickered. "I mean, I brought most of my little toys to get a few laughs out of you at some point, but sacrifices have to be made I guess."

"Same here, Nerk, same here," Jake laughed, the two walking back into the Great Hall to finish lunch. The meal passed quickly, the two of them having missed a good portion of it, and soon Jake and Lao Shi were once again alone in the large room with their own books opened to fill the time during their free period. Jake spent the majority of it concocting plans for his future exploits against Umbridge, realizing quickly that he'd soon have a prime opportunity in just a little less than an hour.

"Yo, G, I uh…forgot my book for the next class back at the Den! I'll go grab it and meet you there, cool?" Lao Shi still looked distracted from their earlier altercation and simply nodded in understanding. Jake made the trip quickly, snatching a few choice packages from his suitcase and stowing them carefully in the depths of his bag before flying back up to the castle. He met his grandfather outside the classroom and the two took their usual seats at the back of the room.

Jake retraced the steps of his plan as students slowly began to enter the room, most of them with understandable looks of foreboding and reluctance. He watched carefully as they passed until the one girl with tan skin and long, dark hair that always sat in the front row finally walked past him. He carefully slid his tail out and ever so gently tugged on one of her ankles mid-step, tripping the poor girl to the floor with a yelp of surprise.

"Ouch, nice wipe out, you alright?" Jake asked as he helped her to her feet and picked up the belongings that had fallen out of her bag, carefully slipping a golf ball-sized blue capsule amidst the papers and quills. She brushed herself off and thanked him carefully before rushing away to her desk. Phase One complete, he thought to himself as he sat in his own overly large chair. He leaned down and reached into his bag to pull out their boring textbook when a voice distracted him.

"Jake?" Hermione asked, looking nervous about something.

Oh crud, I completely forgot, he thought. "Sup Hermione! Sorry, I still don't have any ideas for the…thing," he apologized.

"Oh, right...that's fine! I just saw this on the floor nearby and thought you dropped it," she said, slipping a paper into his hand.

"Uh…I don't think…" he started, but she had already turned away and started walking back to her desk. Curious, he unfolded the paper carefully, finding it blank but for a few words scribbled into one of the corners, reading Meet me tonight in the first-floor girls bathroom at 8. Jake quickly crumpled the note and stuffed it in his cloak, feeling his grandfather's curious eyes watching him.

Jake's mind was a blur. If she wanted to talk to him, why was she being so secretive about it? Better yet, why decide to meet in a bathroom? Of course, the clenching in his stomach made it clear what Jake was hoping the intent of the note was, but still it was so peculiar coming from Hermione. Compared to the 'kissy-kissy closet', though, it really isn't that strange, he reasoned, feeling the heat rushing into his face and the slight shaking in his hands at the thought.

Lao Shi nudged his arm and nodded to his unopened textbook. Jake looked around and saw the class was already immersed in the chapter for the day, Umbridge sitting at her desk in the front and watching over them all. Phase Two, he reminded himself and opened his book, pretending to take part in the reading. He looked at the strange skeleton that hung from the ceiling above them and focused on what he thought resembled a rib, pointing a concealed hand at it from beneath his cloak. It took a few tries, Jake feeling terribly out of practice, but eventually he managed to break the bone free, the rest of the skeleton shaking on its chains and the now detached rib crashing to the floor below between two rows of desks to the startled cries of nearby students.

Umbridge immediately stood up, her mouth pressed into a thin line, and looked around the classroom before hurrying forward to the fallen bone. Lao Shi had also stood in surprise and Jake mimicked him for the sake of avoiding suspicion. Everyone watched with rapt attention as Umbridge took out her stubby wand and worked to repair the ornament above them, Jake turning to the girl in the front row and aimed his hidden claws at her bag. It rocked until it fell with a thud on its side, a speck of blue within peeking out from the clutter of books.

The red dragon contained a smile, Phase Three. His excitement dulled the sensation of a building migraine as Umbridge, with rib firmly reattached, trotted back to her desk instructing the students, "Return to your reading, there will be no further disruptions." As she passed by the front row, Jake steeled himself and focused on the tiny capsule in the bag, manipulating it off of the floor and deftly maneuvering it into their professor's back pocket.

He watched with unbelievable apprehension, just waiting for her to feel the disturbance and unfold his entire scheme, but Umbridge failed to notice and simply continued to walk forward. Jake might have cheered aloud had the subtle migraine not suddenly turned into numb prickling throughout his body. He fell back onto his chair in sudden fatigue, failing to see Lao Shi's concerned look as he watched with unadulterated glee as Umbridge finally took her seat.

The effect was immediate. Sounds of party favors and miniature firecrackers exploded out, the tiny woman actually being lifted off of her seat and flinging forward onto the desk in front of her in a shower of sparklers and confetti. Everyone in the room froze solid, terrified as she flailed off of the desk and looked at them all with accusatory, furious eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" she snarled, her usually girlish voice quite distorted. No one responded, refusing to answer their soot-covered, streamer wrapped instructor. She turned back to her desk to look for evidence on her chair, but swiftly turned back around as the class erupted with laughter. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?!"

One of the girls near the front tried to stop her giggling long enough to form a coherent answer. "I-It's your...your sk...your skirt, professor!"

"What? What do you mean my..." she said patting the fabric around her waist until she froze, petrified with her hands behind her back and feeling the edges of the gaping hole in her pants over her rear. Another round of pointed laughter spread throughout the room, Umbridge developing a radiant blush that easily overshadowed the thin makeup covering her powdered cheeks.

It was far more satisfying than Jake had anticipated, but the numbing sensation was growing stronger, his fatigue refusing to subside. The feeling reminded him of the attack a few days ago, and he realized with a start what was almost guaranteed to follow soon.

"No, no, no, this is SO not a good time!" he groaned.

"What is it, young dragon?" Lao Shi asked, worried at Jake's apparently unprovoked panic.

"I think…I….I need to go," Jake whispered before quickly undoing his cloak and leaving the room. Hide, I need to hide but where? he thought, frantically looking around him as he felt his dragon chi slipping away with every passing second. The Den? No, I'll never make it, aw MAN. Without direction, he took flight and soared past staircases and hallways, trying desperately to find some alcove or room to hide in but being rewarded only with used classrooms and armored statues that turned as he passed. He was careening down a random corridor on one of the upper floors when his stretched, tiring efforts at focus failed and the flames finally engulfed him.

Jake rolled to the stone floor below him and quickly got to his feet, dread flowing through every vein in his body at the sight of his jeans and red jacket. He searched the dead end of the corridor he'd landed in, finding nothing but a window and a large tapestry of some ogres with clubs. There was nowhere to go, and he could hear voices beginning to fill the air beyond the hall as classes came to an end.

"C'mon, I just need somewhere to hide, is that so much to ask!" he begged aloud, running back and forth along the corridor hoping to find some crack in the wall or hole in the floor. He tried to transform back into a dragon, but pain surged through him and he fell to his knees, just like he had earlier that morning. "This is messed up, yo!" he gasped, clutching at his chest. "There's got to be something...they can't see me like this, I can't...!"

"I thought she was going to strangle Pavarti after she told her about the hole in her skirt!" a distant voice laughed, the sound echoing down the hallway. He raised his head, desperate and seriously considering leaping out through the glass window, when he noticed a door sitting plainly in the wall in front of him.

"Say what?" he whispered, but the encroaching sounds just around the corner gave him little time to contemplate the miracle. Jake rushed forward, crashed into the room beyond, and hurriedly slammed the doors shut behind him.

Harry was climbing the stairs with the rest of the Gryffindor students heading to their dormitory after Defense Against the Dark Arts, feeling marvelously uplifted after Umbridge's little trouser celebration. The spectacle was superb, a feat that he knew Fred and George would have certainly appreciated. Though no one had a clue what had actually happened, he had a feeling he knew the one responsible. Yet when he'd turned back to look at Jake and confirm his suspicions he was surprised to see the red dragon gone and Lao Shi sitting alone, looking intently at the slightly ajar classroom door.

A loud slam to his left drew Harry's attention. He looked down the corridor ahead, however, and saw only an empty hallway with a hanging tapestry. The throng of students brushed against him and he turned once more to resume his climb, the wonderful memory of Umbridge's furious, burgundy face covered in strips of colored paper with her velvet bow dangling limply from her hair carrying him all the way up to the tower.

There you have it. As usual, please leave a review if you had any opinions or thoughts on the chapter, or the story itself so far! Reviews encourage me to continue, and they give me fresh ideas, so lay it out there. Even if it's negative! I have thick skin, I can take it.