The days went by as they were busy cleaning the house. Harry did do his best to spend time with Ella and talk to her about his parents. It was times like those that he cherished the most. "The one thing I loved about Lily was how she was willing to go out of the way to help those who needed it. Everyone liked her… well, everyone except the House of Slytherin, that is," she said with a sly wink, which made Harry laugh. "Also, she defended our friendship. Many people teased her for being friends with a vampire. You see, not many people showed animosity towards vampires. Your mother refused to believe that all vampires were evil beings." She continued to tell Harry about her relationship. Before he knew it, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. They had gone to Hogwarts Express. A black dog had walked by Harry and he immediately knew who it was. Moody saw the dog and said, "Padfoot. Are you barking mad? You'll blow the entire operation." The dog had walked into a room and changed. Harry walked into the room and closed it.

"Sirius, what are you doing here? If somebody sees you..."

"I had to see you off, didn't I? What's life without a little risk?"

"I don't wanna see you get chucked back in Azkaban," he said as he sat down next to Sirius.

"Anyway, I wanted you to have this," he said pulling out a picture and handed it to him. Harry opened the picture and Sirius said, "Original Order of the Phoenix." He pointed out who was who and what had happened to them.

"Do you really think there's going to be a war, Sirius?"

"It feels like it did before," he said. Harry gives the picture back, "You keep it. Anyway, I suppose you're the young ones now. Ella couldn't be here. She's getting weaker for some reason, but she wanted me to give this to you." He pulled out a folded parchment. Harry took it after seeing his name elegantly written on it. "Read it when you get to Hogwarts. There is some important information in it that will help you."

"What's happening to Ella, Sirius?"

Sirius thought for a moment, "I really don't know, Harry. Her father, Carlisle and her family, apart from Edward are looking for half-witch/half-vampires out there to see if they can help. There's no magic that can heal her."

"Do you think that Voldemort has anything to do with it?" Harry asked.

"We've discussed it and agreed all around that he does have some impact although we don't know how much of an influence. But importantly we think it's because her body can't handle the aging process."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Harry. She was born in 1903 and became a vampire in 1920. Its 1996 now. Do the math, Harry."

"It's been 76 years since she became a vampire. That means she's really 94 years old," Harry said startled.

"Yes, Harry, that's one of the reasons why she looks tired all the time. Carlisle and her family are trying to find an antidote to help her stop aging and to help her be strong enough to help you fight against Voldemort."

"What happens if they don't?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. Harry, it's time to go now. I've lingered too long," Sirius said. Harry got up from where he was sitting and walked towards the door. He turned around and saw that Sirius had turned back into a dog. He opened the door and left. When they got to Hogwarts, they immediately went into the Great Hall and waited for the first years to be sorted into houses.

Once that was finished, the feast began. Halfway through the feast, Dumbledore spoke up, "Good evening, children. Now, we have several changes in staffing this year. The Cullen family is no longer working here at Hogwarts due to personal and health issues, but we will make do without them."

"What's happened to all of the Cullens?" Ron asked. Harry knew immediately but said nothing. The students in the Great Hall looked at one another and started to ask each other if anyone knew what happened to the Cullens.

"Silence!" Dumbledore called out. "Please do not worry about the Cullens. However on a good note, we're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the Professor good luck. Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you…"

Dolores had cleared her throat and waited for Dumbledore to look at her. Once he did, she got up from her seat and addressed the students. Harry told Hermione, "She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge."

"Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely to see all your bright, happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."

The Weasley twins said "That's likely."

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what must be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited," she said and went back to her seat.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge. That really was illuminating," Dumbledore said.

"Illuminating? What a load of waffle," Hermione said.

"What does it mean?" Harry asked.

"Magic is forbidden in the corridors. It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts," she replied. "Have you seen Miss Cullen or any of the other Cullens?"

"I know that Ella quit. She announced it at my hearing. The rest of the Cullens left to support her," Harry said.

"What's going on, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I want to tell you but this isn't the time or place to do it," Harry responded. Hermione nodded and continued to eat. After they had eaten, they went to their dormitories and had started to unpack their things. There was a knock on the door. Harry looked up and saw it was Hermione, "I'll meet you in the Common Room in a few minutes, Hermione." She nodded and left quietly. After straightening out the last of his belongings, he went downstairs and found Hermione and Ron in the far corner where it was most quiet in the Common Room. The moment he sat down, the two became quiet and waited for him to start. "Fudge asked me if what had happened was true but he wouldn't let me explain anything else until I informed them why I did what I did. Fudge doesn't remotely believe that Vold—" he stopped what he was saying and looked around, "You-Know-Who came back."

"How could he not believe that he's here. We all saw him," Hermione responded.

"I don't know. Miss Cullen says that he's afraid," Harry commented.

"Who's afraid?" Ron asked.

"Fudge, who else?" Hermione responded snarky. Ron stuck his tongue out at her. "Go on, Harry."

"Well, Dumbledore came in and spoke on my behalf. He even tried to convince Fudge that You-Know-Who is back but nothing. Miss Cullen came in as a witness as well as Mrs. Figg," Harry explained.

"Who's Mrs. Figg?" Hermione asked.

"A neighbor at my uncle and aunt's neighborhood. I didn't realize that she knew about this…" he said motioning to the world around him, "…our world. Anyways, majority of the wizards and witches voted to clear all of the charges against me."

"But you haven't even begun to explain what had happened with Miss Cullen," Hermione responded.

"During Mrs. Figg's testimony, Fudge kept interrupting her and refused to believe what had happened and Miss Cullen interfered by saying how she witnessed what happened and ended up quitting. Obviously, with her not being involved here at Hogwarts, the rest of the Cullens followed her," he responded.

"What do you think will happen to them now?" Ron asked.

"I don't know but I have to believe that whatever they're doing, they're going to be doing a lot of research," Harry responded.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"At my hearing, Miss Cullen looked… weak, which is odd for a vampire," he said. "But I think You-Know-Who did some kind of magic to make her human somehow and it's making her weak. I can't explain it. It's like… seeing her become a year older every time I blink." Before they knew it, they were the only ones in the Common room and it was time for bed. They all went to their respective rooms and fell asleep. Harry had gotten a nightmare that night and didn't know what to make of it and decided not to tell anyone about it. He just gotten dressed and headed to class. Students had started arriving and seated, they were waiting for Umbridge to start class. When she arrived, she explained that they were going to be taking their O.W.L. exams at the end of the school year. She started talking as she magically started to pass out books, "Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you will be pleased to know from now on, you'll be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic. Yes?" she asked, addressing Hermione.

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells," she said.

"Using spells? Well I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

"We're not gonna use magic?" Ron asked.

"You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

"Well, what use is that? If we're gonna be attacked it won't be risk-free," Harry pointed out.

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class. It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all, is what school is all about"

"And how is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?"

"There is nothing out there, dear! Who do you imagine would want to attack children like yourself?"

"I don't know, maybe, Lord Voldemort!" Harry countered.

"Let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It's not a lie! I saw him. I fought him," Harry reacted.

"Detention, Mr. Potter!"

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord."

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder! Voldemort killed him! You must know!" he said, angrily.

"Enough! Enough. See me later, Mr. Potter. My office."

By the end of the day most of the students were in their common rooms of their Houses. Ron and Hermione were talking before they had joined Harry. Hermione noticed that Harry was acting weird as of late and noticed that there was something wrong with his hand. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"Nothing," he said showing his right hand.

"Your other hand. You've got to tell Dumbledore!"

"No. Dumbledore's got enough on his mind right now. Anyway, I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction."

"Bloody hell, Harry, the woman's torturing you! If the parents knew about this..."

"Yeah, well I haven't got any of those, have I, Ron?"

"Harry, you've got to report this! It's perfectly simple, you're being..."

"No, it's not! Hermione, whatever this is, it's not simple. You don't understand."

"Then help us to!" Hermione wasn't sure what to say next but remembered that she had gotten a post while Harry was in detention, "Harry, have you read Miss Cullen's letter?"

"How did you know that she wrote me a letter?" Harry asked.

"Padfoot sent a post. He asked if I could find a way to encourage you to read her letter. Something about what she said in it will help you," she replied. Harry didn't respond. "You didn't read the letter, have you?" Harry shook his head. "Harry, please do it. If Padfoot wrote to me, then the letter must be important for you to read." With that said, Harry had sent a letter of his own to Sirius stating how alone he felt despite what Hermione told him.

The next day, Edward and Ella had come to the Hogwarts, looking for Harry. When they found him, they talked to him outside, "Harry, why haven't you read my letter yet?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I'm afraid of what you wrote, really."

"There shouldn't be any fear, Harry."

"It's just that I feel alone, feel angry all the time," he said.

"It's because of Voldemort, isn't it? You feel his power, don't you?" Harry nodded. "You know that I feel it too. Edward has been giving me trouble because I wanted to come here and talk to you. He thinks it's dangerous," she smiled at him. Harry smiled a bit. "But I suppose that's how he wants you to feel."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, if I were Voldemort, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else because if it's just you alone, you're not as much of a threat," she explained. "Read the letter. It's not only my letter but it's also your mother's letter. She knew that there would be a time where Voldemort would be after you and would want you to feel alone. Plus I've included some things in it that you need to know. Please read it." With that said, Edward and Ella left towards Hogwarts. Harry went with them and went towards the Great Hall to talk to Hermione and Ron. When he did, the students have heard a conversation in the foyer of the Great Hall and went outside.

"Pardon me, Professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" Umbridge asked.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGongall replied. Students were gathering around, curious as to what's happening. Ella stood by, leaning on Edward.

"So silly of me, but it sounds as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom, Minerva."

"Not at all, Dolores, merely your medieval methods."

"I am sorry, dear, but to question my practices is to question the Ministry, and by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty."

"Disloyalty?" McGonagall was shocked. Ella was fuming, despite her lack of energy.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared."

"Is that what you think, Dolores?" Ella asked.

"Of course, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, you filthy half-blood!" she replied, shocked at her own outrage but quickly composed herself. The students gasped.

"Filthy half-blood, huh?" Ella asked. She stood up straight as she faced her. "I guess I am… at least I'm not some brown-nosed control-freak pink-loving hypocrite!"

"How dare you say that to me! Just you wait until Cornelius has heard of this!"

"Oh, Cornelius, huh? What do you think he's going to do to me? He has no authority over me! Do you not recall what happened at Harry Potter's hearing? Do you not recall that I had resigned from my position from Hogwarts and from the Ministry of Magic? What will your precious Minister Cornelius Fudge do to me?" she asked and heard nothing from Dolores. "That's right! Nothing. He can't punish me or fire me or whatever else you can think of!"

"I'm sure that the Ministry of Magic can do something to the likes of you," she replied coolly.

"What can they really do, Dolores? If I remember correctly that your number one fear is seeing a half-vampire/half-witch will come into existence especially in Hogwarts and in the Ministry of Magic, isn't it?" Ella asked. Dolores didn't say anything except to stand there somewhat ashamed but quickly masked it by standing up more confidently but Ella knew different. "I thought as much. Well, guess what, Dolores? There is one in existence and she's standing right in front of you! Your worst nightmare has come alive, Dolores! And if I hear one more time that you have harmed Harry Potter or try to dictate Hogwarts, I guarantee you, you… will… hear… from… me!"

"You can do nothing to me," she said and started to walk away.

"You're not damage-proof nor are you death-proof, Dolores and I promise you one way or another I will hurt you," Ella said and turned around. The students started cheering and were thrilled that someone outside of Hogwarts had stood up against Umbridge. She leaned into Edward and walked towards the students. They had walked towards Harry and Ella grabbed his arm, smiled and winked at him. For the first time, she had seen a real genuine smile grace his face.

"Miss Cullen," Hermione called out. She wanted to talk with her briefly before going off to class.

"Hello, Miss Granger. How many I help you today?"

"I just wanted to see you and say hello," she informed her. "Harry told me what had happened at his hearing. I would have done the same thing, if it were me."

"I know, Miss Granger," she said as she cupped her cheek. "Now, I do need to ask you a favor."

"Anything," she responded.

"Since I won't be here around Hogwarts to protect and encourage Harry, I need you to be my eyes and ears and do what you can to be there for him. I believe that you are already doing just that," she said, coyly.

"I promise to do everything I can for Harry," she promised easily.

"Good," she said and motioned to Edward for a piece of parchment, "Here's my contact information. Also, if there ever comes a time, please do come and see me, will you?"

"I will, Miss Cullen," she said as she accepted the parchment.

"Now, off to class," she said. Hermione ran to her class. Ella turned around, in time to see McGonagall standing by, waiting for her time to talk with Ella. "Professor."

"Miss Cullen, inasmuch as I dislike seeing you being ill, it is good to see you," she said.

"Thank you, Professor. It is good to see you and Hogwarts as well."

"I have to say, I'm glad that you're here, defending us," she said as she grabbed Ella's hands and held them.

"I would die first before I see someone, in the likes of Dolores, destroy this world," she responded as she looked around her.

"I agree," she said. "I must leave now to teach class. I will miss you, Miss Cullen. I do hope that we see each other soon."

"One way or another, I will do my best to visit Hogwarts again," she said. With that said, they both parted. McGonagall had an extra bounce in her step, even though she didn't show it, she was thrilled that Ella was there and verbally fought against Dolores. She knew that Hogwarts needed someone who was not bound to the school or to Ministry of Magic to fight for it and she was glad that it was Ella. She wouldn't trust anyone else for with that matter.