Chapter 3

"Oh Harry!" Hermione twisted her hands together. "How could you get a detention already?"

"Just my usual luck, Hermione." Harry was watching the Slytherin table, where some students were flaunting silvery badges.

"What's that about?" Ron wondered aloud.

Neville leaned forward. "Professor Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. She says discipline in the school is lax, so her special squad is going to help enforce the rules. They can take points and everything!"

"What!" Ron was outraged. "What does Dumbledore say about that?"

But Harry already knew the rest of the staff would say or do nothing, since Umbridge had the Ministry behind her. His resolve hardened.

"Hey, Scarhead!" Malfoy yelled, as Harry got up to leave the hall.

"Malfoy," Harry said softly. "And, let's see…Parkinson, Nott, Bulstrode, Crabbe, Goyle, Warrington, and Montague? Is that everyone?"

Malfoy looked confused. "What d'you mean?"

"Everyone on the Squad?" Harry persisted. "Just so I know."

Pansy Parkinson's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare threaten us, Potter!"

"Threaten?" Harry raised one eyebrow. "Why what threats have I made? I'm just curious."

"Well, your curiosity cost Gryffindor fifty points!" Pansy retorted.

"Only fifty?" Harry acted shocked. "Oh Parkinson, you can do better! Why not take them all? You know you want to!"

"Fine!" Pansy shouted. "Every point from Gryffindor!" She flounced away, and Malfoy and his cronies followed, sniggering.

"Really, Potter?" A blonde Slytherin lingered. "If you think by goading them into exceeding their brief, you'll stop them, you are wrong! They have no brief, Umbridge is allowing them to do as they like!"

He nodded. "I get that, Greengrass. But where's your badge?"

A girl with a short dark bob stepped up behind Greengrass protectively. "We're not stupid, Potter. We know you will retaliate, sooner or later."

"Make that sooner." Harry flashed them a quick smile as he walked away.

Harry tipped off the twins, and left them to deal with the Squad while he headed to detention.

"I think, Mr. Potter, you may write lines tonight. How about: I must not tell lies?"

Harry sat down quietly. He couldn't believe he had once meekly written with the blood quill that awaited him, but he knew better now. He knew what Umbridge was, and the misery and pain she'd been responsible for.

"How much shall I write?"

She smirked. "Oh, until it sinks in."

It wasn't an easy matter to snap a blood quill, but Harry knew just how much magic to channel into it.

"Oh, Professor, I'm afraid I've broken your quill!"

Umbridge's broad face turned an alarming shade of red.

"Don't worry, though…I have plenty of quills in my bag." Harry reached inside, and his wand sprang to his hand. He brought it up just as Umbridge began to shout "Cruc…" and stunned her easily.

"Not this time, Professor."

He gathered up the broken pieces of the blood quill, and rifled the desk to discover any others. He found three, and tossed them all into the fire.

Then he transfigured Professor Umbridge into a ferret, donned his cloak, and headed for Hagrid's hut.

The hippogriffs would eat well tonight.

"What have you done, Scarhead?!" Malfoy was livid.

"Done?"

"To Pansy!"

"Me? Not a thing. Haven't even seen her today!"

"That's fifty points from Gryffindor!" Malfoy shrieked.

"But Malfoy, you're forgetting….Gryffindor doesn't have any points left to lose," Harry remarked.

"I'm reporting this to Professor Umbridge!"

Harry allowed Malfoy to see his amusement. "Are you?"

"Yes! You'll have detention from now until the day you graduate!" Malfoy ran off.

"Oh Harry," Hermione sighed. "You know he will do it, and you'll get another detention."

"Guess I'll have to cope." Harry said indifferently. "What did happen to Parkinson?"

"She…"Ron was choking with laughter. "She's all orange and green stripes, with Snitch written all over her face!"

"Potter! Do you want to get expelled?" Daphne Greengrass confronted him, her arms folded angrily. "You know the Squad will tell Umbridge, and you'll get punished."

"Umbridge is nothing more than a bully, Greengrass," Harry stated. "Bullies I know well, and they cave when someone stands up to them."

She looked as if she intended to say more, then followed him into DADA.

Malfoy was still glaring at Harry, who sat down next to Neville.

He decided to have a little fun. "You know what muggles often say, Nev?"

Harry grinned at Malfoy. "Snitches get stitches!"

Hermione couldn't let that go. "Two wrongs don't make a right, Harry."

"I'm not so sure about that, Hermione. Another saying is: What goes around comes around! Think Parkinson would like that one?"

Malfoy jumped to his feet and started for Harry, but just then Professor McGonagall walked in. "Mister Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?"

"Nothing, Professor." Malfoy resumed his seat.

"It seems that Professor Umbridge is not in the castle this morning. Has anyone seen her?"

"Potter had detention with her!" Malfoy exclaimed.

Harry was prepared. "That was last evening, Professor. After I left her office, I never saw Professor Umbridge again."

It was quite true, since she was a ferret when he'd left her in the hippogriff's food pail. He wasn't…technically…certain what had become of her.

"What did you do, Potter?" Once again, Greengrass was waiting after class.

He studied her carefully. "Why do you even care, Greengrass? Don't tell me you are fond of her?"

She grasped his arm. "Potter! Umbridge has a lot of power at the Ministry! She could hurt you!"

Harry glanced out the window where he could observe Hagrid feeding the corral of hippogriffs. Buckbeak, now known as Witherwings, reared up to snatch a ferret out of the air, and made short work of it.

"I really don't think so, Greengrass."

She frowned, and her bright blue eyes flashed. "You're not untouchable, Potter."

"I know." Harry glanced down at her hand on his arm. "Why, you're touching me right now!"

Daphne gasped, dropped her hand, and fled.

Her dark-haired friend stepped up. "Did you have to do that?"

"No," Harry admitted. "It was fun, though."

She gave him a glacial look, then raced after Daphne.