When the exam ended, Daphne hurried as quickly as she could to the Hospital Wing. Where else would Harry have gone, with the way that he was crying out? But he was nowhere to be found in the empty infirmary, just an irate Madam Pomfrey muttering in irritation.

"Is Harry here?"

The mediwitch, in the midst of withdrawing potions vials from her stores, was barely paying attention. "Who is it you're looking for?"

"Harry Potter, ma'am."

Pomfrey spared a glance over her shoulder, looking directly at the green and silver trim of Daphne's robes, her gaze trailing up to the golden Inquisitor's badge. "Well, he's not here."

Huffing in frustration, Daphne left the way she'd come, walking slowly back to the First Floor, worry and fear tightening her insides. It would be all right if she knew he was okay, that it was just a headache or OWL anxiety. They'd been exchanging letters for more than a week, was it so hard for him to let her-

'Of course!' Why didn't she think of it sooner? Here she was, wandering around an immense castle full of secret passageways and locked dormitories, ignoring the method she'd used just the night before to contact him! Daphne changed directions, heading for the kitchens. Hopefully Dobby wouldn't be too busy preparing the evening meal.

"There you are!" So focused on her destination, Daphne didn't immediately acknowledge the voice calling out. "Daphne!"

"Huh- Pansy? Milly?"

"We've been looking all over for you! You ran out of the Great Hall like a spell from a wand. What happened?"

She struggled to disguise her vexation at their sudden appearance. "It was nerves, the exam was harder than I expected. I needed some air."

"'Some air'?" Pansy repeated, her tone light and jovial. "Usually people go outside for that, not to the basement."

"You were looking for me?" Daphne asked, eager to end this conversation and get to Dobby.

"Yea, Draco's having us form up. The Headmistress wants us ready, she thinks the troublemakers will get right back to it now that OWLs are finished."

"What? But- I mean, the exams finished not more than a half hour ago! What about dinner?"

Pansy lightly slapped Daphne's stomach with the back of her hand. "It won't kill you to skip a meal," she started, pausing to laugh when Daphne scowled, "and that badge you're wearing carries responsibility. I'm sure Professor Umbridge will arrange for us to have some food later."

She couldn't think of any other excuse. "Fine. Let's get this over with already."

Tagging along with the other two, they linked up with Theo, heading upstairs to Umbridge's office. Daphne couldn't believe that she had to waste time with this, patrolling the corridors like a wannabe auror. Sure, she could admit that in retrospect joining the Inquisitorial Squad was the right move, as it had provided an avenue to friendship with Harry, but Merlin, she could do without this chore!

They exited the staircase, and her boredom vanished at the scene that awaited them. Ron Weasley, blood dripping from a split lip, was being vigorously restrained by Clarence Warrington, a Sixth Year; next to him with her wand drawn was Professor Umbridge. Moments after they arrived, an elated Draco, accompanied by Vincent and Gregory, appeared.

"You were right, Headmistress. Lovegood and the Weasley girl are there, warning away other students. I think we've found who's been pranking your office!"

"It's much more than that, Mr. Malfoy. I placed wards around my Floo connection, to alert me when it was activated. You and… Miss Bulstrode will accompany me to catch the intruders in the act. The rest of you, capture the lookouts and bring them to my office. If this is what I think it is, you'll all be greatly rewarded!"

It hardly required much in the way of imagination to guess who was in her office, given the identities of the lookouts. "Headmistress, why don't I come with you, as well? You might need more help-"

"No. What's important is making sure no one escapes. You have your orders, carry them out."

"Daphne, you, Theo, and Vince take the side corridor to grab the Weaselette. Greg, and I will take care of Looney," Pansy looked excited at the prospect, and Daphne bit down on her lip to keep from begging her to go easy on Luna. "Well? What are you waiting for? Hurry!"

She jogged alongside the two boys, taking a side passage that would dump them out on the other side of the Fifth Floor. Weasley - Daphne struggled to remember her given name - did a double-take as they approached, worry flashing across her features then disappearing in an instant.

"Look out ahead, someone released Garrotting Gas outside of Umbridge's office. You'll need to take another-"

Theo raised his wand, and a Silencing Charm cut the girl off. Daphne glanced over her shoulder and, after seeing Vincent's eager expression, moved in front of him, blocking his access to the girl and shouting "Expelliarmus!"

Her spell staggered Weasley, her wand flying into the air and landing near Theo's feet. Daphne hurried over and held onto the girl's upper arms. "I've got her, let's go meet the others."

The look that Weasley gave her was so baleful, the fury in her brown eyes so palpable that Daphne reflexively tightened her grip, fearful of what she might do if she weren't restrained.

"Ginny!"

Before any of them could move, that enraged shout sounded from behind them. Longbottom, of all people, came charging directly at her. He bulled his way through Theo, sending the spindly boy flying back against the wall, and made it within six paces before Vincent clotheslined him, the blonde Gryffindor collapsing to the stone floor. With surprising speed for a young man of his size, Vincent immediately wrapped him up, jerking him to his feet with a chokehold.

"Let him go! He can't breathe!" Weasley cried out, pulling hard against Daphne's grip.

"C'mon," Theo said, back on his feet, stuffing a handkerchief into the girl's mouth to muffle her voice and gesturing for them to follow. "The others are waiting."

The first thing Daphne saw when they entered Umbridge's office was Luna on the ground, Pansy's knee on the small of her back. Despite how painful it must have been, her silvery eyes were clear and unencumbered by discomfort and her face relaxed, looking for all the world like she was lying on the stone floor by choice.

Dragging Weasley away from the entrance, she absently noted Granger smushed against the wall by Milly's bulk, Warrington still with a hold on the bleeding Weasley, Draco standing near the fireplace. She catalogued all of this in an instant; her focus falling on Umbridge with a fistful of Harry's ash-strewn hair, pulling so hard that his neck nearly drew parallel with the ground.

A whimper escaped her throat, her shock such that her grip fractionally lessened. Weasley took advantage of this momentary lapse by slamming her heel into her left shin, struggling to free herself. The pain was useful, serving to vanish the surprise at seeing Harry in that situation.

"Who were you attempting to contact? Answer me!" Umbridge was shouting.

"Who I- talk to- is- none of your- business!" Harry ground out through clenched teeth, practically hissing. The lightning bolt scar on his head was bright red, vividly contrasting with his skin.

"We got them all, Headmistress," Theo said proudly, holding up Weasley's wand. "Fatbottom tried to interfere, so we brought him along."

"Good, good," said Umbridge, throwing Harry into her desk. "It seems Gryffindor won't have many students returning for their Sixth Year!"

Draco laughed, a cruel expression of joy, and Daphne dragged her eyes away from Harry's angry face to glance at her Housemate. This was someone she'd known since she was a little girl, since he was a little boy. Draco had always been something of a ponce, but Daphne knew him, was familiar with his attitude and his personality. She tried, in vain, to match the sneering vindictive young man before her with the boy whose voice cracked during puberty, who quietly approached her for advice with Pansy.

"Your last chance, Mr. Potter: who were you speaking with?"

"No one, I was looking for my Firebolt."

"LIAR!"

And Pansy, how could she hurt Luna like that? Sure, she - along with Daphne - spared little concern over the feelings of others, but pranks and teasing were a long way from deliberately inflicting physical harm. Daphne wanted to scream at her, at all of them; wanted to wake them from whatever insanity gripped them.

"Draco, fetch Professor Snape. I find myself in need of some potions."

He left, passing between Harry and Umbridge, but neither of them wavered in their staring match. Harry was shaking, like he was struggling to keep from launching himself at Umbridge and attacking her bare-handed.

While the two of them were still and silent, the same could not be said for the rest of the office's occupants. Longbottom flailed against Vincent, his reddened face slowly turning purple; Granger, pressed against the wall, threw herself at Milly in a vain attempt to shift the much larger girl. Ron Weasley was firmly restrained, and despite his grunts could do nothing against Warrington but bleed onto the floor, while Ginny Weasley stomped all over Daphne's feet.

Through it all, Luna remained motionless, even when Pansy draped her forearm against the blonde's neck, putting her weight onto the slight girl.

It felt like mere minutes went by before Draco returned, leading Professor Snape into the office. He glanced around, looking bored at seeing students hurting other students. "You summoned me, Headmistress?"

"Potter refuses to comply with a lawful investigation. I require more Veritaserum."

"I told you the last time you wished to question him, that was my last bottle. If you applied the proper dosage, it should have been enough for more than a half-dozen interrogations," he replied. "Crabbe, loosen your hold. I'm not eager for the parchmentwork you strangling him would require."

Umbridge's nostrils flared. "Then make me more! Potter broke into my office to use my Floo; I must know who he was in contact with!"

"Madam, surely a learned educator such as yourself is aware that Veritaserum has a brew time of more than a month. If you'd like, though, I can begin the process tonight."

"You- you are obstructing a Ministerial investigation! There will be consequences!"

"I'm certain there will be," he said, no longer disguising his sarcasm. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I have exams to-"

"He has Padfoot! At the place, the one where it's kept- He has him there!"

Harry's desperate outburst halted Snape in his tracks, one foot out the office door. Umbridge rounded on Harry, taking two steps closer. "What is 'Padfoot'? What is being kept? Professor Snape, what is he talking about?"

"I haven't a clue. The boy is unstable, prone to bouts of incoherence. Surely you know that as well as I, after a full year of dealing with his delinquent behaviour. Do with him as you wish, I have no desire to spend any more time listening to his nonsense." And with that, the door closed behind him and he was gone.

Daphne shifted her gaze back to Harry, who now looked more defeated than desperate. 'What is happening?'

Umbridge stared at him, her beady eyes dull and unfocused for several moments. She seemed to reach some sort of decision, though, when she drew her wand and paced back and forth in front of him.

"There's no other option, is there?" she muttered, talking more to herself than anyone else in the room. "Whoever it was on the other end of that firecall, they exhibit a clear and present danger to the lawful government. No disciplinary issue, this is far more consequential-"

Abruptly, she came to a halt right in front of him. "I don't want to do this. Don't make me do this, Potter. Tell me what you know."

He raised his chin, meeting her expression with a defiant and hateful glare. He did not respond.

"Very well. I'm certain the Cruciatus Curse will change your mind."

'The Cruc- NO! She couldn't!' Daphne couldn't just stand here and watch him tortured! This was- she had to stop this!

"NO!" Granger screamed before Daphne could speak. "You can't! It's against the law!"

"I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister himself!"

"The Minister wouldn't want you to torture him! It- think of what the Prophet would say!" Granger continued, desperation evident.

"Cornelius need not know. The information is the only thing that matters. Just as he didn't know it was I that sent the dementors last year; he was happy enough to have an excuse to file charges. But the Boy-Who-Lived had to weasel his way out of that, didn't he?"

"That was you?" Harry asked. "You sent the dementors?"

"You had to be silenced! You and Dumbledore were attempting to incite a panic, to bring down the Ministry!"

Daphne was in shock. Umbridge, she- she tried to kill Harry. Dementors were reserved for the worst of the worst in magical society, and she sent them after a fifteen-year-old boy. She sent them after the only person that could save Astoria! And now she was going to torture him, while she stood and watched. Her fingers tightened around her wand.

Harry displayed no fear, standing proud while Umbridge pointed her own wand directly between his eyes. "Cruc-"

"STOP!" Granger's shrill voice cried out once more. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"Shut up, Hermione!" 'What are you doing, Harry?!' Daphne thought, 'Let her help you!'

"I can't let this go on. We have to tell her." Both Weasleys stopped struggling, and everyone in the office, bar Luna of course, turned to face the muggleborn, who sobbed against Milly's robes, all resistance gone. "We wanted to talk to-"

"Er-mine-ee!" Weasley tried in vain to speak through his gag, but Granger ignored him.

"Please don't, we have to! I can't let her hurt Harry like this!" Some of Daphne's relief abated, and an ugly feeling welled up inside her at the way Granger sobbed for Harry's protection. "We were trying to contact Dumbledore."

"Go on, Miss Granger. What about?" Umbridge still held Harry at wandpoint, but now her eyes were locked on Granger. "Tell me where he is, now!"

"We don't know! We Flooed anyone we could think of, to try to reach him. He left us a mission, and we- we needed to tell him it was completed!"

"Miss Bulstrode, release her." Milly stepped back, and Umbridge beckoned Granger to come closer. "What was the mission?"

"We had to- uh, we had a weapon, but he left before- before it was finished. It's done now, so we needed to tell him!"

"Of course, of course," Umbridge said, wearing a maniacal expression. "Take me to it. Take me to this weapon, and you won't be harmed."

The almost sexual delight Draco displayed at the prospect of Harry being tortured slowly vanished. "It's a trick!" He pronounced, but was ignored by the Headmistress.

"Let the rest of them go, and I'll take you."

"You are in no place to negotiate, Miss Granger," Umbridge said sweetly.

"If you want to know where the weapon is hidden, you'll let them go."

"I think not. You will take me there if you don't want your friends to be hurt. Mr. Malfoy, if I'm not back in fifteen minutes, I trust you'll deal out appropriate punishment to these criminals."

"I should go with you-" he started, but Granger interrupted them both.

"It's well hidden, deep in the forest, that's not enough time!"

Umbridge was, by now, growing frustrated, her face growing blotchy and red. "Very well! Thirty minutes, then. Potter will accompany us. If you try anything, believe me when I say that you'll regret it!" She grabbed Harry's arm and shoved him towards the door. "Move! Now!"

And with that, they left.

That stupid, idiotic- what was Granger thinking!? Neither of them had a wand, and Umbridge was obviously violent and unstable! She had to go after them, had to protect Harry!

Still, she needed a way out of this office first. There were seven obstacles standing in the way, though. Her Housemates would need to be distracted somehow, preferably in a manner that didn't ensure she'd spend the rest of her time at Hogwarts in constant danger.

Seven versus four weren't great odds. Daphne looked over Weasley's shoulder, trying to catch Luna's attention, to no avail. She was facing the wrong way. The other Slytherins were at least relaxed, wearing victorious grins on their faces. Milly was chatting with Greg by Umbridge's desk, and Draco was hyper-focused on the clock above the fireplace. Warrington looked like he was tiring from holding Weasley the way that he was, sweat plastering his hair against his forehead. Only Pansy and Vincent seemed aware and fresh, Pansy scanning their captives attentively and Vince looking at ease with Longbottom still in a headlock.

Withdrawing a few inches so that Weasley's hair masked her mouth, Daphne whispered, "Get ready," sliding her hands from the girl's upper arms down to her wrists, crossing them behind her back. Pulling her wand from her robes, she pressed it into Weasley's hands, holding onto her wrists with her free hand. "Make it look real."

She felt Weasley stiffen, and all resistance against Daphne's hold stopped. Daphne took Weasley's left hand and wrapped it around her own forearm. She peeked around Weasley's wild red hair for one last look, flinching as she met Pansy's piercing dark eyes. After a few seconds, Pansy looked away, and Daphne leaned back once more.

"Push me towards your brother."

There was no hesitation. Weasley jerked Daphne forward, swinging her around and launching her in the direction of Warrington and her brother, raising Daphne's wand and blasting Pansy with an Impediment Jinx.

Daphne bowled over the two boys, trying to ensure that her Housemate took the brunt of her impact. She must have succeeded, for quick as a flash, the other Weasley had rolled away and launched himself towards Vince, freeing Longbottom.

Spellfire flashed around the cramped office, but Luna was on her feet and armed with a wand, and she and Ginny Weasley were easily deflecting incoming spells with flawless Shield Charms. Draco went down, horrifying mucus blobs from his nose attacking him, and Longbottom came out from beneath the dogpile with his own wand, incapacitating Milly and Greg with two quick spells. Daphne pushed off of Warrington, rolling away just as the red jet of a Stunner hit him.

Just like that, it was over.

Longbottom and Ron Weasley had their wands pointed at her, and Daphne held her hands out, showing she was unarmed.

"Leave her be," Ginny Weasley ordered, throwing a disdainful glance at her as she cast a spell that tied up Vincent. "C'mon, we have to go, Harry and Hermione need us."

They filed out of the office and Daphne hurried after them, shouting as they ran through the corridors. "Wait! Take me with you!"

"Piss off, Greengrass," the female Weasley said, but Daphne continued her pursuit.

"I helped you! I gave you my wand!"

Luna reached out and pulled Weasley to a halt. "Is that true?"

Weasley scowled, but nodded anyway. Ron, at the entrance to the Grand Staircase, shouted back at them. "For Merlin's sake, let her come. We don't have time to waste!"

Daphne held her hand out, and Weasley reluctantly passed her wand back to her. The three girls ran after the boys, down the stairs and through the Entrance Hall.


She tossed her robes not long after they crossed into the Forbidden Forest. Even in Scotland, running at full speed in June had her soaked in sweat. She still ached from where Weasley had kicked and stomped at her legs, but Daphne pressed on. At least she was faring better than Longbottom, who looked on the verge of collapse.

Daphne was too smart and too responsible to have ever come to the forest before. Part of her was grateful for the heavy breathing of the others; better to listen to them huffing than gods only know what was lurking just out of sight. The other, more logical side of her wished they'd stop making so much noise so she'd have some warning before something attacked them.

There was an immense roar and several loud crashes further ahead. Daphne slowed down, but the Gryffindors seemed determined to live up to their reputations, charging forward without hesitation. And Luna, well… she was Luna.

Just as she was ready to demand they stop and provide some explanation that the others had any clue they knew where they were going, raised voices caught her attention. They'd found Harry and Granger.

In the darkness, all she could make out at first was that they were arguing, and a wave of relief washed over her as Harry berated Granger for not thinking things through. He was incensed, not calming himself even when Ron greeted them and returned their wands.

"-your plan to get to London, anyway?" she asked as they approached.

"I'd like to hear that, too," Ron said.

"Ron! How-?"

"C'mon, you taught us yourself. D'you really think a bunch of snakes could stand up to us?"

"Daphne helped us," Luna added, lighting her wand so they could see each other.

Daphne gasped as she took in Harry's bloody clothes. "What happened? Are you okay?" She reached for him, touching his face and running her hands down his chest, seeking the source of the sticky crimson liquid.

"It's not mine," he said, grabbing hold of her hands and gently pushing her back. "It's giant blood, I'm not hurt."

"There are giants in the Forbidden Forest?" Daphne asked. "We have to get out of here!"

Everyone ignored her. "What about Umbridge?" Ginny inquired, lighting her own wand and raising it over her head. "How'd you deal with her?"

"We didn't, the centaurs did," Granger responded, a trace of smugness trickling into her words. "They carried her off just before Grawp arrived."

"Forget Umbridge! Harry, what about Sirius? Was he at headquarters, or not?"

"He's at the Ministry, but still alive, I'm sure of it. I've got to find a way to save him!"

Daphne had no idea what was going on, but didn't like what she was hearing. "Sirius Black? Why would he be at the Ministry?"

"This has nothing to do with you," Harry said. "Go back to the castle. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"I suppose we could fly there," Luna offered.

"I could fly there, but Ron's the only one with a broomstick-"

"No, he's not! I have a broom!" Ginny interrupted.

"So? You're not going," her brother immediately replied.

"And why not?" she angrily asked. "You think I don't care about Sirius?"

Harry added to her brother's protests. "You're too young, there's no way-"

"Save it!" The girl's temper easily matched Harry's own. "You were eleven years old when you fought You-Know-Who for the Philosopher's Stone-"

"And I shouldn't have been there, either!"

"Stop it, both of you," Neville cut them off, speaking more authoritatively than Daphne had ever heard him before. "We knew what we were getting into when we joined the DA. The whole point was to rely on each other, wasn't it? Or were you making all that up?"

Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair, raising the fringe off his forehead as he did. His scar was still pronounced, an angry red colour in the wandlight. "No, I wasn't- this isn't the point. We still need a way to London-"

"I already told you," Luna said, serene and unperturbed. "We'll fly."

"Look," Granger started, "If you don't have anything useful to contribute, can you stop interrupting? We're trying to be serious!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Daphne said, her earlier ire at Granger rising up.

"Why are you even here, Greengrass? This has nothing to do with you!"

"If you don't stop shouting, you'll scare them away, and then we'll really be out of options," Luna said, staring vacantly off into the distance.

The strange thing was, Harry was staring as well. "Luna," he breathed, "you're brilliant!"

"What? What is it?" Longbottom asked.

"Thestrals!"

"Hagrid said they're quite good at finding things. We can take them to the Ministry," Luna said, making a petting motion with her hand.

"How many are there?" Ginny asked.

"Just two," Harry said, moving closer to where Luna was standing.

"We need three," Ron said, looking around, clearly just as lost as Daphne was.

"We need four," Ginny corrected.

"I believe that there's seven of us here," Luna said.

"Seven-? You can't mean to bring her along!" That was the youngest Weasley, who Daphne was really beginning to dislike.

"She's my friend, and she already helped us tonight," Luna replied.

The section of the woods where they stood exploded into an argument. All the while, Harry was edging closer to where the invisible creatures were. Daphne followed.

"Let me get this straight: You-Know-Who and Sirius Black are at the Ministry, and you- you want to go there to help Black? Why?"

"He's my godfather, I have to save him."

"So it's a trap set just for you, then."

"It doesn't matter, I can't abandon him!"

Daphne heard Luna behind them, announcing that a sixth Thestral had arrived, but she could only stare at Harry in abject terror. He knew that the Dark Lord was at the Ministry waiting for him, and he was still going to go?

"You can't, he'll kill you," she said bluntly.

"Maybe so, but Sirius needs me."

"I can't let you go!" Daphne grabbed his arm, holding onto it tightly. "I won't let you!"

"Get off me!" Harry shouted, pulling his arm loose only for Daphne to wrap both arms around him.

"You can't! I need you, you can't die!"

"C'mon Harry, it's now or never!" She looked over her shoulder, seeing the others all floating several feet off the ground.

"NO!" She cried, holding onto him even more desperately. "Please, please don't go!"

"Stop it! Leave me alone!"

"I won't! It's too dangerous!"

Harry forced himself from her grasp, pushing her to the ground and leaping astride the invisible creature. "Let's go!"

They started to fly away, and Daphne scrambled on all fours after him, desperately trying to stop him.

She was too late. Harry and his friends rose into the sky, swiftly flying out of sight in mere moments.

Daphne collapsed to the ground, pounding the soil with her fists, sobbing all the while. She'd failed. Harry was gone, off to confront You-Know-Who. A teenager, challenging the most fearsome Dark Lord in British history.

She'd failed her sister.


The night sky had given way to the encroaching dawn when Daphne returned to the Forbidden Forest. After the others flew away and left her, she'd stayed out there for hours, desperately hoping that Harry would return, and was still there when Professor Snape had found her.

He'd questioned her, and she willingly confessed what she knew. Maybe he'd be able to summon help, to save Harry? Snape had said something to that effect earlier in the year, after all. It was all she had, the only positive shred of hope she could cling to. She followed him back to the castle, where he immediately ran off, ordering her to go to bed.

Daphne didn't want to go back to her dorms, too intimidated by the thought of her Housemates possibly lying in wait for her return. Instead, she went straight to the kitchens and cried over a cup of tea, all the while Dobby twisted his hands in anxiety over his inability to help.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. Why couldn't Harry understand she only wanted to protect him? That she was - based on the way his friends enabled his risk-taking - the only one that wanted to protect him?

Eventually, Daphne wandered back to the forest in search of her discarded robes, more out of the desire to do something besides worry. She hadn't forgotten the tales of giants and centaurs told last night, but she'd tossed her robes soon after crossing into the woods. Surely it wouldn't be that dangerous.

During her walk, she reflected on the events of the night before. Sirius Black was Harry's godfather - this apparently was just one more gigantic lie no one bothered to correct. How many secrets did Harry hold? How could a young man, younger than herself even, be so heavily involved in the most important events of the last several years?

No wonder he was so bloody secretive.

'That's going to have to change' she thought to herself in irritation, stepping carefully through a section of underbrush. One way or another, she was going to make him level with her. It was really the only way to guarantee she could look out for him.

"Finally!" There were her robes, wet with morning dew but otherwise undamaged. Folding them carefully over one arm, she froze at a sudden noise. It was a high-pitched, animalistic groan, accompanied by clear rustling close by. Withdrawing her wand, Daphne took slow, careful steps backwards, scanning the woods around her for any sign of movement.

"Who's there?" A faint voice called out.

It was Umbridge. Her robes hung from her in shreds, and her clothes beneath had been torn apart, baring more of her dumpy figure than Daphne had ever wanted to see. She bled from multiple wounds and likely sported several broken bones from the way she was crawling. Still, she was in far better condition than Daphne would have expected after a night being held captive by a centaur herd.

"Miss Green- Daphne!" The Headmistress sobbed in relief, fat tears sliding down her scratched, dirty face. "Oh, my dear, you don't know how grateful I am to see a friendly face."

Momentarily taken aback by this greeting, Daphne belatedly realised that Umbridge was unaware of what had transpired in her office following her departure. "What happened to you, Professor?" she asked, stowing her wand in her pocket.

"Those- those criminals led me deep into the forest and handed me over to a bunch of filthy half-breeds! You can't imagine the things they did to me-" She cut herself off with loud, gasping sobs for several seconds. "It was horrible! Those savage beasts!"

"How did you escape?"

Umbridge propped herself up with one arm, using the other to wipe at her nose and face, smearing more dirt as she tried to brush away her tears. "Those animals eventually tired of me and I was able to sneak away. Believe me, they haven't seen the last of me! I'm going to return, with hitwizards and aurors, and I'll see them pay for what they've done to me!"

Daphne didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. "And Potter and his mudblood will get theirs, too. Assaulting a Ministry official? Azkaban is too good for them!"

"Ma'am?"

"Oh yes, I made many mistakes last night, but the greatest by far was with that little attention-seeking brat! I used the wrong Unforgivable and paid for it. It won't happen again!" Soon enough, the pain snapped the Headmistress out of her revenge fantasies, and she reached out to Daphne. "I need your help. My wand is broken, and my legs are injured. I can't walk! Please, help me back to the castle."

The same cold determination she'd felt the day before washed over Daphne. Umbridge wasn't going to give up, not after being beaten and humiliated in this way. She'd sent dementors to try and murder Harry, she'd attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse to torture him, and now she was openly talking about trying to kill him again. Dolores Umbridge wanted to kill Harry Potter.

If Harry died, so would her sister.

Umbridge wanted to kill Astoria.

"We'll stop off at the Hospital Wing, and I'll summon the aurors from there. I won't forget your loyalty, my dear!"

Her baby sister.

Dolores Umbridge wanted to kill her sister.

Daphne took slow, steady steps to where her teacher lay. Umbridge was vicious, cruel, and unrelenting. She wouldn't ever give up, she'd only try harder and harder until Harry was gone. Umbridge may not have been much of a witch, but she had other kinds of power, power that she'd use to bury him. She was the High Inquisitor, the Headmistress of Hogwarts, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic himself.

Umbridge would never stop.

Not while she was alive.

"Use your wand, please, my legs- even if you help me up, I cannot stand." Daphne circled the prone woman, standing behind her and wrapping her recovered robes tightly around her fists, pulling the fabric taut between her hands. "Daph- urghh!"

She slipped the wound robes beneath Umbridge's neck and pulled, pulled with all of her strength, pulled so hard that the heavy woman's midsection actually lifted off the ground. The Headmistress flailed, clawed and tore at the strangling cloth, but Daphne's parents always ensured that her robes were of the highest quality, and the fabric held fast. Crippled as she was, Umbridge could do nothing to stop her.

Daphne held on even after she stopped struggling, for several more minutes. Eventually, she relaxed her arms, and Umbridge's body flopped limply back to the dirt. Breathing heavily, Daphne looked at the robes wrapped around her hands, shedding them and letting them fall over her former professor while she drew her wand.

"Incendio."


The Astronomy Tower was empty, the quiet solitude wrapping around her like a thick blanket. Daphne stared blankly over the parapet, gazing down at the Forbidden Forest. A numb emptiness throbbed inside her, memories of what she'd done barely an hour before flashing in her mind on a continuous loop.

Tomorrow they'd board the Express and this year would be over. Daphne thought back to Yule Break, when all of this began; she felt like a stranger in her own body. Was she really the same person who had claimed that teenagers shouldn't have to worry about the real world? Had she changed that much in just a few short months?

She thought she just might have.

"Oh," someone said from behind her, and Daphne turned to see Harry standing at the top of the stairs. "It's you."

She didn't immediately reply, instead staring intently at him from head to toe. There were more bloodstains on his clothes, additions to the ones he wore last night. "Are you hurt?"

He gave a passing glance to his clothes. "It's Hermione's, not mine."

"I'm glad you're okay," she said, slowly approaching him. "I was so afraid you wouldn't come back."

Harry was quiet. "Did she- what happened? Did you make it to the Ministry?"

He raised his arms, the motion halting and hesitant. It took her a moment to realize that he was reaching out to her. She closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him, feeling his hands close around her back holding her.

Their embrace was tight, suffocating; Harry held onto her like he was drowning. "Was it really that terrible?" she murmured into his ear, and she felt his chest, pressed against her own, hitch once.

Yes. It must have been.

They stood together for some time. The shadows of the early morning steadily receded as the sun rose further, bathing them in warmth.

"You were right," he mumbled into her hair. "It was a trap."

If she were being honest, after everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, Daphne would have been fine just staying like this a while longer. But she needed to know what happened. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Harry was strong, stronger than his slim frame would have led her to believe. She found that she rather liked the feel of his arms around her. "I was so stupid. I should have listened to Hermione, should have listened to you. If I had practised my occlumency, if I had just worked harder…"

"Is Granger- did she make it?" Daphne asked carefully.

"She was badly hurt. Dumbledore told me- he said that she'll recover. But Sirius-" Harry let go of her, head slowly bowing and she watched his lips move without making a sound, like he was trying and failing to get the words out.

"Can you tell me about him?"

Harry's lip trembled, but his eyes were dry and when he spoke his voice was firm. "He was my godfather, my dad's best friend. Sirius didn't do any of the things he was accused of; he didn't betray my parents."

Daphne opened her mouth to express her outrage at the idea of an innocent man spending more than a decade in Azkaban, but Harry continued, looking over her shoulder out at the expanse of the azure sky. "Sirius wanted me to come live with him. He wanted to take care of me, he-" Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. "He loved me. And he died last night, because of me."

"I'm sorry," she offered, knowing how inadequate those words were.

He stared at her, and Daphne felt- she didn't know what this feeling was, but seeing the desperation and longing written on his features, something in her moved. "Harry," she started, but he cut her off, taking a step back, increasing the distance between them.

"I should go. I want to go check on the others. They- they're all in the Hospital Wing."

She nodded, watching him turn to leave the Astronomy Tower. For both of them, last night the world tilted on its axis, and Daphne realized in that moment that she needed him by her side as much he needed her at his.

Harry paused on the steps when she caught up to him, matching her stride with his own, but didn't resist when she grasped his hand, their fingers interlocking as they walked together towards the infirmary.

A/N: Wow. What a chapter :D

I liked this chapter a lot, not just because it was very "Frickles-like", but also because at last, FINALLY we're not going to be following canon any longer. Like having a chain around your neck unclipped.

No fic rec this time, but a quick note RE: Dumbledore at the end of OOTP. I re-read the book (obviously), and holy mackerel - Dumbledore is an *ASS* to Harry after the DoM. He talks shit about Sirius but gives Snape a pass (explicity making the argument that Sirius mistreating Kreacher is worse than Snape mistreating Harry bc of James), and the entire speech can be summed up as:

"Harry, don't blame yourself, it's all MY fault because I thought you weren't a completely incompetent idiot that would get people killed. You're totally innocent because you're such a dummy. I really should have known better. Blame me for what happened."

It's really messed up. I generally had a pretty positive view of DD (minus the whole throwing an orphan to an abusive home), but wow - that part of OOTP really was abject cruelty.

Anyways, review if you enjoy!

Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles