A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I'm glad that people have been enjoying it. And a special thanks to Bonnie and Mainsail for beta reading this and thus improving on the original. If you have questions or concerns about what's going on, feel free to include them in a review or a PM — I'll try to answer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.

Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "The Strange Disappearance of SallyAnne Perks" by Paimpont. Do you remember Sally-Anne, sorted into Hufflepuff in Harry's first year? Harry and Hermione remember her, but no one else seems to, so they decide to find out what happened to the missing witch.

Italics: a person's thoughts.

Chapter 17 - Somebody's Watching Me

Saturday, September 11, 1995, Morning.

It was a rather tired Albus Dumbledore who looked around the table as everyone waited for the staff meeting to begin. Usually he was much more awake for these meetings, especially the first of the term, but lately his workload had gotten significantly worse and he was chronically short on sleep.

Rather than waste time, he quickly got things started by making the necessary announcements and officially introducing Fleur Delacour as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She'd already met most of the staff informally, but he felt that formal introductions at the first staff meeting were important to help establish a new professor's authority in the castle.

Next he went around asking everyone if they had any concerns they wanted to raise. Aside from a few minor issues, the only real concern was the one they all had in common: Chief Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge.

"She is a menace," Snape said flatly, surprising everyone because he rarely spoke out during staff meetings unless it was to complain about Jasmine Potter or the Weasley twins. "It's absurd that we have to put up with her simpering and scratching whenever the mood strikes her to evaluate one of our classes."

"I'm sorry to say that I must bear some of the blame for her being here," Dumbledore confessed. "Some of my actions over the years have given the Ministry enough excuse to insert her into our lives. That said, the Ministry would have been searching for any excuse regardless, so even if every single decision I'd ever made had been completely beyond reproach, they probably would have found something they could twist to suit their purposes."

He looked around at all the faces — faces of colleagues who trusted him to lead the school, to support them in their jobs, and to protect them from the storms that passed by outside the castle walls.

"I tell you this not simply to confess my own failings," he continued, "but to make sure you understand that she is here pursuing an agenda, and she will stay until that agenda is completed. Nothing you say or do — or don't do — will matter: the Ministry is intent on getting its way in the end. So I recommend that you do your best to keep your heads down and avoid attracting... that woman's attention. The longer she goes without noticing you, the better off you'll be."

Dumbledore paused for a few moments to let that bad news sink in. "Aside from that, I recommend that you do what you can to protect your students because they are our primary responsibility. Unfortunately, I must also advise caution in this: if you push too much, too soon, you risk being slapped down so hard that both you and those you want to protect will probably end up far worse off. So pick your battles, and if you have any concerns, please bring them immediately to either Minerva or myself. If necessary, one of us will step in and... take the heat, as the muggles apparently say."

"I recommend that all heads of house take their prefects aside and talk to them," McGonagall added. "We can't be everywhere, and the prefects are supposed to serve as an extension of our authority. They won't be able to step in and stop this individual from abusing her authority, but they can get a member of staff if they see anything questionable occurring."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement and noted that Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape were all doing the same. "That is an excellent suggestion, thank you. One last thing before we all return to our regular Saturday: please watch yourselves around Argus. He's spent quite a bit of time talking in hushed tones with... her. I do not know what they are discussing, but I think it would be prudent to leave him in the dark about what we have talked about here."

Saturday, September 11, 1995, Afternoon.

Gabrielle barely noticed Hermione's bone-crushing squeeze of her hand because she was returning it just as strongly. Neither of them cared, though, because they were both too focused on the insane aerial maneuvers Jasmine was performing high above the Quidditch pitch. Gabrielle had heard stories about Jasmine's skills on a broom, but the stories didn't compare to seeing her in person.

"I'm going to kill her for trying that," Hermione hissed after watching Jasmine perform a Wronski Feint, pulling up so late that they could see her toes skim the low-cut grass.

"Not eef I get to 'er first," Gabrielle muttered, her accent growing thick in her anxiety.

Gabrielle wasn't surprised by Hermione's reaction — her best friend, lover, and soon-to-be soul-bonded partner was out there risking permanent injury or even death... and all for a silly game! It was Gabrielle's own, similarly strong reaction that had her slightly confused. She could feel an almost literal tugging on her chest every time Jasmine did something dangerous, and it was all she could do to not go out there and stop her.

Whenever asked, she'd always insisted that she was fine after going through an early and fast maturation, enduring all the rigorous training, and learning about the prophecy. The truth was, though, that she hadn't been entirely fine, and she knew it.

She'd kept quiet about it at first, because for the longest time she'd had no idea what the problem might be and so had no way to describe it. Her moment of revelation had come when she heard the others talking about the implications of their divided loyalties in the wake of the holiday rituals, and Fleur explaining how her own attitudes had shifted after the second task, causing her to feel uncertain and conflicted.

That was when Gabrielle realized that she had never felt uncertain. She had never felt conflicted. After emerging from the Black Lake, she had latched on to Jasmine, and soon thereafter the bond had tied the two of them together forever. She still didn't understand why she had been affected differently from her older sister. Perhaps it was because she was too young when the bond formed; perhaps it was something else.

This was what she was born to do, however, and she was at peace with her destiny, no matter where it might lead her. She still cared about her family and the veela community, but her loyalty was with Jasmine, and there was nothing she wouldn't do in order to protect the auburn-haired witch.

Sometimes the ferocity of that loyalty scared her a little, but she shoved that fear aside because she was sure Jasmine would need her loyalty to survive. She also knew that she and her sister, out of all of the witches in the world, had been chosen to provide that loyalty, just like Jasmine and Hermione had been singled out by the goddesses to be their vessel at Beltane, and that made her even more resolute in her dedication.

She knew it wasn't love that she felt for Jasmine — not like Hermione did. It was adoration. Jasmine Potter had been chosen by the goddesses to fulfill their will on earth, just as she herself had been chosen to be Jasmine's sword and shield. For Gabrielle Delacour, Jasmine Potter was as good as the Goddess incarnate, and Gabrielle would serve her with all the dedication, devotion, and loyalty she deserved, no matter what the cost.

She felt Hermione squeeze her arm and turn her head into her shoulder as Jasmine made another suicidal dive.

Just because I am loyal, though, doesn't mean I won't hex her into next week for scaring us like this!

On Hermione's other side, Neville and Luna were also watching the Quidditch tryouts. Since they assumed Jasmine would once again be named Seeker, they focused on Ginny and Ron, who were trying out for Chaser and Keeper, respectively. Because the two Weasleys weren't prone to insane, suicidal acts while flying several hundred feet in the air, Luna and Neville were considerably more relaxed as they watched events play out high above them.

"When are you and Ginny going to become an official couple, Neville?" Luna asked at one point.

"Oh, uh, well..." he stammered as some of the old, uncertain Neville showed through.

"You do want to become a couple, don't you?" Luna asked.

"Yes!" Neville responded quickly. "I just, uh... well, I'm not sure how to go about it."

"Really? I thought it was just a matter of asking a question," Luna said serenely.

"Easier said than done," Neville muttered.

Luna's eyes refocused as she looked closely at him. "You're definitely suffering from wrackspurts. They're making you confused about something that should be obvious."

Neville blinked a few times at that, then exhaled heavily. "Maybe you're right. I'll have to think about it."

Luna shrugged as she turned back to the Quidditch tryouts.

Neville kept watching her, though, and after a few moments he prodded, "What about you and Ron? I've seen the way you look at him."

Luna's face darkened slightly as she shrugged again but didn't immediately answer. For a moment it seemed as though she wouldn't answer at all, but finally she sighed. "I don't know. I don't think he even knows if he'd want any sort of romantic relationship at this point. To be quite honest, Neville, I doubt that he's ready for one anyway."

Neville nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, he's not the most mature bloke in our dorm — and that's including Seamus."

Luna smiled thinly. "I think he has a lot of potential, but I'm not sure if or when he'll realize it. If he ever does, though, I'd like to be around."

"I think that's a good goal to have," Neville replied, and after that they both fell into a comfortable silence as they watched their friends. None of them noticed a short, pink-clad witch observing them from the shadows.

Sunday, September 12, 1995, Morning.

Jasmine smiled as she watched everyone huffing and puffing from the dodging practice which Fleur had just put them all through. She and Hermione were tired too, but they'd had more training from the veela, so they'd been able to get through that morning's sessions a bit better than the others. The others couldn't help but notice and recognized it as proof of the value of their training. They were already better than they had been the week before, and the witches especially were improving dramatically.

"Alright, everyone," Hermione said, getting the others' attention. "We're stopping early for a couple of announcements. First, there are four bags for you over by the door. Like last time, there's one for each house, and they're filled with individual bags. These are the booklets that you all created during the summer. However, don't give these out just yet — we want to wait until after we hold the first mass DA meeting, where we can enforce some secrecy on them. We also need to find out how many firsties want the set of books everyone got last term."

"We don't want some of that information to get out to just anyone," Jasmine added. "The spells on eavesdropping, for example, should not fall into the wrong hands. Granted, others could research them, too, but let's not make it easy for them."

"Next is, I'm afraid, something just for the witches," Hermione said with an apologetic look at the boys. Neville and Blaise were by this point getting used to witches discussing things that didn't involve them, so they just rolled their eyes and left without further complaint.

"Ginny, Luna, this is going to be new to you, and we need you to promise not to say anything to anyone," Jasmine said once the witches were alone. "You don't have to participate, but you'll find that the others here will be eager to. Regardless, whether you do or not, this has to remain our secret." The excited looks on the faces of the others made it clear that Jasmine wasn't exaggerating.

When the two younger witches agreed, it was Fleur who spoke next. "Ze Autumnal Equinox falls on ze 22nd of zis month, and I am arranging for a holiday ritual to celebrate it. You are all, of course, invited to participate if you wish." A couple of the witches squeed in excitement, and Tracey started bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Ginny was clearly surprised, yet Luna, for some reason, appeared as unruffled as ever.

"You don't look surprised, Luna," Ginny said.

"I suspected that Jasmine and Hermione had started adopting some of the old ways," Luna replied placidly. "I'm curious, though, why Neville and Blaise were excluded," she said as she turned to Fleur. "Did you not think they would be interested?"

"Ze rituals we hold are veela in nature, and are thus limited to just ze witches," Fleur explained.

"Oh, that's interesting," Luna said, her already-wide eyes growing even wider. "I've never been to a veela ritual. or any sort of all-female ritual. I'd love to participate!"

"Have you taken part in magical rituals before?" Padma asked. Jasmine was surprised by the question, but then she realized that if anyone was going to ignore what the Ministry condemned, it would probably be the Lovegoods.

"A few, yes," Luna answered. "My family never entirely stopped following the old ways, but now that it's just Daddy and me, it's hard to do many of the rituals anymore. We try when we can, but it's just not the same. They are all much better when done as part of a larger community because that's what they are mostly intended for."

"Is it... is it dangerous?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, no," Daphne immediately answered. "We all participated in a Midsummer's Eve ritual near the end of last term, and it was incredible! I've never felt magic like I did then... I mean, it was almost like discovering magic for the first time!"

"Or seeing color for the first time," Susan added. "Even now, I feel like magic is easier for me. Casting new spells is easier, and most spells seem to be a little stronger."

"The one thing you need to be aware of," Hermione said, "is that these rituals apparently... well, they seem to speed up your physical development."

"Development?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Magical boo—" Tracey tried to say before Daphne gave her a stiff elbow in the side.

"Into a woman," Susan explained. "We've all gotten... curvier. Plus taller and stronger as well."

"No wonder you all look so good!" Ginny exclaimed as she gazed around at all the fit witches. "I thought that your looks and doing so well during these practice sessions was simply because you were older, not because you were... well, enhanced, I guess. Are you sure it will happen at this equinox ritual, too?"

"We cannot be absolutely sure," Fleur answered with a shrug, "but it is likely. You should not participate if zat would bother you."

"I think I'd be interested regardless, but if it'll help me in all those ways, I'm definitely doing it," Ginny announced.

"That sort of thing has never happened to me," Luna said with a frown. "I wonder if it's veela magic? Well, I don't care either way."

"Just be prepared to either use magic on your clothes or to buy new ones," Daphne informed them, "because if it does happen, your current clothing will start getting tight and uncomfortable in as little as a couple of weeks.

"Do not worry, I will help — I have lots of practice," Gabrielle whispered to Ginny when she saw the other witch's anxious expression. She was aware of the Weasley family's financial situation and so understood how this might create hardship for her.

"Zen it is all settled," Fleur said. "We will still need a plan to get out of and back into ze castle zat night, but I will tell you more when ze date approaches."

It was an extremely bubbly and excited group of witches that exited the Room of Requirement to get cleaned up before lunch that day.

Sunday, September 12, 1995, Afternoon.

"Congratulations on making Seeker again, Miss Potter," Minerva said as she poured herself some tea. "Not that there was any doubt, of course." Jasmine beamed at the compliment. Even Hermione smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was also pleased to see that both of the youngest Weasleys made it onto the team as well," she continued, "even if Miss Weasley is only a backup Chaser. That makes four Weasleys on the Gryffindor Quidditch team at once — the highest number ever, as far as I know."

"It will be interesting to see how they all get along when on an official team, instead of just playing casual games at the Burrow," Hermione said.

"The only real competition for Ron as Keeper was Cormac McLaggen, and he wasn't quite as good," Jasmine put in. "To be quite honest, he's more than a bit of a braggart, so I wasn't keen on having him join the team anyway."

"And he wasn't happy about that," Hermione muttered.

"Well, I fully expect to see the Inter-House Quidditch Cup on my shelf at the end of the year," their professor said briskly.

"Yes, ma'am!" Jasmine replied with a cheeky grin. Then she sobered. "So... we have a few things we need to tell you," she ventured a moment later. "Things we thought we'd get to last week, but didn't." At Minerva's questioning eyebrow, she continued, "In addition to all the other things that happened to us this summer, we were informed about a couple of matters that impact our future."

"Put simply," Hermione cut in, "we learned that we are the subjects of two prophecies." Minerva gasped and almost dropped her teacup. "Well, technically Jasmine's the subject of one, and we're both the subjects of the second," Hermione corrected herself, "but given the soul bond, it's hard to look at the first as only being about Jasmine."

Hermione then proceeded to explain everything in the order that it happened: Gabrielle's prophecy at Imbolc, the animated snake's comments, Fleur's revelation of the Great Prophecy this past summer, the training which Fleur and Gabrielle had undergone, and finally Dumbledore's revelation of the prophecy which had caused Voldemort to kill Jasmine's parents.

Throughout the entire explanation, Minerva grew more and more shocked. She didn't even touch her tea, she was so engrossed in what they were telling her, and she finally had to set the cup down.

"And that's not even everything," Jasmine said once Hermione was done. "Sirius has offered to adopt me. Officially."

Finally they had news Minerva could smile about. "That's wonderful! You intend to accept, I assume?"

"I haven't made my decision yet," Jasmine admitted, "but I expect to. Probably make it official next summer. But what makes this relevant is that by being a Black — by being the official Black heiress — I'll eventually control the Black seat on the Wizengamot. Assuming Sirius doesn't have any kids, of course."

"And that's important because...?" Minerva asked, wondering where this was going.

Jasmine took a deep breath and let it out. "It's been made clear to me that having political power would help me — help us — make changes in society. There's too much wrong with magical Britain, and I don't just mean how couples like us are treated."

"If magical society in Britain is going to change," Hermione said, "it would be better if it happened with as little violence as possible. Working inside the system gives us a chance to achieve that. If we have to work entirely outside the system, well..."

Minerva nodded sadly. "I think I understand. This is about S.P.E.W., then, but with real political muscle and money behind it rather than just a covert school organization with grand aspirations."

"It's about S.P.E.W.," Jasmine conceded, trying to ignore Hermione's huff, "but it's also about the Great Prophecy. And it's about Voldemort. And it's about his supporters — marked and unmarked. The more we look at it all, the more tied together it all seems to be."

"We won't be able to truly deal with any one of those issues without dealing with the others as well," Hermione said. "We told the founding members of S.P.E.W. last term that the goals of the group wouldn't matter if Voldemort wasn't stopped. Now we've found that the web we're caught in is a bit larger than we realized."

Minerva cast a small heating charm on her now-cold tea before picking it back up and taking a sip. "What do you intend to tell your friends? You can't keep all of this from them, you know."

"We intend to start telling them some of it soon," Hermione responded. "Probably the Voldemort prophecy, since that deals with the largest, most immediate threat to them. We've already told our closest friends, but we'll have to tell our study group, too."

"It's also something they're already dealing with," Jasmine pointed out, "so that prophecy doesn't involve dumping a lot of new information or expectations on them. It's... well, I guess it's mostly just confirmation that ending Voldemort is definitely something that I'll have to do."

"As for the rest," Hermione said a bit hesitantly, "we don't know. We can't tell them the Great Prophecy without telling them about the soul bond, which means telling them about our relationship. And that... that may be too much for some."

Minerva paused to consider that. "You make a good point, Miss Granger, but at the same time, such big secrets are corrosive to any friendship. Even if they don't notice that you're keeping something from them, when you do finally tell them, they'll wonder why you waited. It's probably fine to wait for a bit as you all get used to working together again, but waiting too long would be a bad idea. At some point, you'll have to take a chance and tell them."

Jasmine sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'm just worried about being able to pick the right time."

"Worry about improving the relationships first," Minerva said. "The rest will come. In the meantime, you have my full support. If there is anything I can do to help you with either of those prophecies — even if it's just to provide an ear to listen to your concerns — don't hesitate to ask me."

After a bit of small talk, Hermione raised an issue that had been bothering her since the ride on the Hogwarts Express. "Professor McGonagall," she started, "I've been wondering... uh, that is, we've been wondering... um, after the Midsummer's Eve ritual last term, did you notice any, you know, changes? Physically, I mean?"

Minerva raised one eyebrow, and her teacup froze part way to her mouth. Slowly she set it back on its saucer and placed them both gently on the table. She then folded her hands in her lap and looked over her glasses at the two squirming witches. "Midsummer's Eve?" she asked slowly. "That sounds about right. I think you two have some explaining to do."

Both Jasmine and Hermione shrank back in their seats, completely at a loss for how to explain any of this to their much-older professor.

Sunday, September 12, 1995, Evening.

Minerva McGonagall stared at herself in the full-body mirror — a mirror she'd had to conjure because it had been years since she'd last looked at herself this way. Normally the mirror above her sink was more than enough to ensure that her hair was set right, and she could look down to verify that her clothes were straight. What else did she need to look professional? She hadn't tried to look attractive for someone else in so long, she could barely remember it.

Now, though, she was amazed at what she was seeing. I knew there had been changes, she thought as she kept slowly turning in one direction and then the other, but until I talked to the girls, I hadn't realized they had become so... extensive. I'm pretty sure that my body hasn't looked like this since... well, since most of my current students' parents were in school themselves.

McGonagall's expression slowly turned into a smile as she began to appreciate how much better she looked. Then abruptly, the smile fell. With a wave of her wand, she vanished the mirror and put back on her dressing gown, cinching it with a harsh tug on the thin belt. She slowly sat down on her couch and reached for an old photo album she'd been looking at more and more often in recent months.

Monday, September 13, 1995, Morning.

Scritch. Scritch. Scratch. Scritch.

Jasmine kept grinding her teeth, and she was holding her quill so tight that she was about to break it in two. Only Hermione kicking her under their desk prevented her from jumping up and screaming. Does that witch have to be insanely annoying in absolutely everything she does? Jasmine wondered furiously. Even Binns occasionally stumbled over his words and looked as though he wanted to say something, but dared not lest his facade of immutability take a hit.

They hadn't been surprised to see Umbridge enter the class shortly after it started. She was supposed to inspect all staff and all students, so it only stood to reason that she'd show up in all of their classes sooner or later. It was the feeling that she was constantly watching the two of them from the back of the room that was slowly but surely pushing Jasmine and Hermione to the brink.

It was the loud scratching sound she made when writing that had given Jasmine a good, swift kick right over the edge.

By the end of class, even Binns looked like he was glad it was over (though it was hard to tell by his face), and almost everyone acted like they wanted to run as far and as fast from the experience as possible.

Unfortunately for Jasmine and Hermione, there was nowhere that they could run.

Umbridge thankfully didn't show up for the double Potions lesson they had before lunch, but she was there for Runes right after lunch, and they kept seeing her in the corridors in between classes all day. It wasn't that she was following them, exactly; instead, she somehow managed to already be wherever Jasmine and Hermione were going. Sometimes she seemed to be waiting for them, and sometimes they would turn around and find her standing there, staring at them.

That was perhaps even creepier than her constant presence: the staring. She didn't say anything. She didn't even do anything overt. Instead, she just kept staring at them, as if she thought her eyes could bore holes straight through them.

Jasmine and Hermione were on edge the entire day, worried about finding Umbridge around the next corner. By the time the day ended, they were too upset to bother with their regular mind magics practice and just held each other in bed, lying awake for hours before they could sleep.

Tuesday, September 14, 1995, Morning.

Luna's eyes lit up Tuesday morning when she saw two owls carrying a large package head straight for her. She was almost bouncing in her seat as she untied the string while Ron and Neville offered bacon to the owls, It was only when she pulled off the wrapping parchment that everyone else found out why she was so excited: her father had sent her several copies of the September issue of the Quibbler.

Across the top of the front cover screamed the headline:

POTTER & GRANGER DEFY MINISTRY PERSECUTION

Along the bottom was printed:

Hogwarts Witches: Unbowed! Unbroken! Unashamed!

And in the middle was a magical photo of Jasmine and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room. It showed them both with defiant looks on their faces, and Hermione recognized it as having been taken around the time Professor McGonagall had come to get Jasmine to meet with the Headmaster about the fight with Malfoy.

"My father purchased that photo from Colin Creevy," Luna said, as if she had been reading Hermione's thoughts. "I think it came out rather nice, don't you?"

"It is amazing," Gabrielle said as she gazed at the photo. "Do you have an extra copy, perhaps?" she asked as she looked at Luna hopefully.

"Of course," Luna said sweetly. "I made sure to ask Daddy to send enough for us all."

Hermione could only nod in agreement with Gabrielle's opinion and watched as Luna passed out free copies to members of their study group. They had all welcomed her and Ginny warmly, and she was clearly feeling a bit indebted to them. Observing the effect of this gesture on everyone in their small group gave Hermione a warm, fuzzy feeling... a feeling which was quickly shot down by Jasmine.

"So," she asked, "how long do you think it will be before any of the professors reads this? Before Umbridge reads it?"

As the day progressed, the answer to Jasmine's questions appeared to be: quite a while. Only a few students at Hogwarts and no one on staff subscribed to the Quibbler, apparently. Just about the only copies in school were those that had been handed out to members of the study group, none of whom were prepared to part with the magazines. They were willing to let others read their copies, however — under close supervision, of course.

The reaction among the Hogwarts students was decidedly positive. Most witches were pleased by the favorable coverage of how they'd stood behind Jasmine and Hermione, despite being aware of the potential backlash. They were also outraged, however, to learn the details of how the Ministry had treated the girls over the summer. It was exactly such unfair treatment that they had organized against in Hogwarts, and here was the Ministry trying to do even worse!

By late afternoon, Luna had received payment for over four dozen subscriptions and expected more the following day. In each case she promised that their subscription would include a copy of the September issue; little did she know that outside Hogwarts, this newest issue was selling so fast that her father had already started printing a second run and was contemplating whether he'd need a third.

Padma looked down at her brand-new copy of the Quibbler and thought about how much her life had changed over the past few months. Originally she had just wanted to apologize to Jasmine Potter (and with any luck, get in on a study group that looked like it had a lot of potential); it really hadn't been that big of a deal. Now, though, she seemed to find herself on the forefront of a revolutionary movement that was dedicated to first eliminating You-Know-Who, then to reforming magical society.

How did I get myself into this? she wondered. When she was alone, she couldn't see how she was cut out for such a monumental task. She wasn't brave or powerful enough to fight dark lords or challenge magical governments. She'd always felt more at home with books in the library than with politics or fighting.

When she was with her new friends, though, she often felt that she could do anything. She was faster, stronger, more accurate, and just better overall. It was scary, yet she found that she generally liked who she was becoming.

But is this what I want for myself? she asked. No easy answers came to her.

By dinner time, it didn't appear as though anyone on staff had become aware of the journal's contents or of the feelings being generated by it. Jasmine and Hermione finally decided to take pity on Professor McGonagall and at least alert her, worried about her potential reaction if she were surprised by someone else telling her. So after dinner they got an extra copy from Luna and delivered it to their head of house's office. She took one look at the cover and sighed deeply.

"Didn't I tell you something about keeping your heads down?" she asked with a touch of asperity as she ushered them to their usual seats.

"Luna wrote this for her father," Hermione protested. "We offered some quotes and background information, but that was back in August!"

Minerva shook her head reproachfully and started to skim the main article. Then she reread it more closely and followed it up with the accompanying article that detailed events surrounding the fight with Draco Malfoy as well as her kidnapping by "dark wizards."

"I'm curious," she said. "Why didn't you tell the truth about the return of You-Know-Who?"

"We thought about it," Jasmine admitted, "but in the end we concluded that too many wouldn't believe it, and that would cast too much doubt on everything else. We can achieve what we want without naming the 'dark wizards' who kidnapped me. And since I already told the Ministry that one of those wizards identified themselves as Voldemort, it's not like anyone can accuse me of trying to conceal that."

"Quite the opposite, in fact," Hermione pointed out. "Since Fudge denied that he could have returned — and in front of witnesses — Jasmine here is arguably conforming to Ministry policy."

Minerva snorted. "Clever — though I doubt that your enemies will be persuaded."

"I doubt anything I say or do would persuade them," Jasmine replied.

"True enough," Minerva said with a sigh. "You know that that witch will try to crucify you over this article, right?"

Hermione shrugged. "Everything here is the truth. They won't be able to cite anything in the trial record to contradict anything in the article."

"Luna is probably at greater risk than us," Jasmine pointed out. "Her name is on the article, after all. And if anything is done to us, it will cause even more people to think that the Ministry has something to hide."

Minerva nodded in agreement. "Very well, I'd better let the Headmaster know about this. I'll have to call Filius into the meeting as well, I suppose, since Miss Lovegood's involved."

She watched the two of them closely as they left her office. May you live in interesting times, indeed, she thought.

The Hogwarts owlery was almost completely empty by curfew that night because so many students (mostly witches) had written strongly worded letters back home (mostly to their mothers) about how horrible it was that two witches could nearly be expelled and their wands snapped simply for defending themselves and their families.

This was linked in many people's minds to Jasmine's defiant retaliation against Draco Malfoy's rape threats, even though the two incidents had nothing to do with each other. As a result, many witches spent the next morning giving their husbands an earful about how important it was that their daughters be allowed to defend themselves, and by the end of breakfast, the Minister for Magic's office would be inundated with unexpected howlers from all over Britain about the Ministry making it easier for young witches to be sexually assaulted by dark creatures.