For those of you in our facebook group - Bubbleybear & Pienuniek's Story Nook - this news will come as no surprise. But I recently lost a very dear friend to cancer who was also an unofficial Pre-Reader for the Under Her Spell Series. Leonie Price, I miss you, so very much but I hope that you are free from pain, wherever you are.

In her honour, I am dedicating this entire book to her. Her enthusiasm helped me continue to write on many days where I felt ... lost. In fact, one of the last emails she sent me was that she wished that these books had been on the big screen; that they were better than the originals. I know it will never happen, but the thought was enough to encourage me. Please keep her in your thoughts as we continue with this story. Cheers.

I'm so glad that I can finally give you the next in the series. Just know I've already read Book Six and have taken my notes. Now ... I can say that I've started to write!

Thanks must go out to my team. My pre-reader Pienuniek and my Beta Alice's White Rabbit. I would be lost without the pair of you, truly.

I don't own Twilight, or Harry Potter, I'd be a richer person if I did. But I do so love to create my own places for them out in the world. No copyright infringement is intended.

See you at the bottom ...

Chapter Seventeen ~ Dumbledore's Army …

The first meeting of Dumbledore's Army came around really quickly after we'd decided when it was going to be. After that decision, Hermione had described how she was going to alert the other members. She had taken the idea The Truth used and managed to convert it to a coin to be worn on a corded necklace.

The coins looked to be ancient Chinese, the ones with the square hole in the middle and gave the cord a place to loop through. When we were going to be holding meetings, the coin would warm against the wearer's skin, and then the person would know to head to a meeting that night. All Hermione had to do was place a spell on her coin and that would spread to the others. It was a brilliant idea. But they wouldn't be given out until our first meeting, so Hermione and Bella had to get word to the members via an encoded letter that only they would be able to understand. Then they would get their necklaces.

The three days leading up to that first meeting were chaotic, to say the least. Fred and George were testing out all sorts of pranks to see which ones would keep the teachers the busiest while we were trying to keep them out of trouble. Not that some of the teachers were trying all that hard to give them shit because most of their pranks were aimed at Umbridge. Even Professor McGonagall felt they were justified.

Over the summer, Fred and George had been introduced to old-style cartoons. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and their favorite—Wile E Coyote and Road Runner. After watching them for a week straight, they began to devise a plan. A very meticulous plan, but a great plan all the same. And by that Wednesday afternoon, the boys attempted their biggest prank yet. Somehow, they had managed to make a tunnel—that looked like a corridor of the castle—AKA Acme. It had been deployed in a corridor that was a shortcut between Umbridge's office and the defense classroom. One that was used most often by students and Professor Umbridge.

The twins had devised a brilliant spell to make it work. They had used Dumbledore's age line spell, that was around the Goblet of Fire but had managed to tweak it so that as you deployed the wall you placed a parchment on it that activated the spell. The deployer would write the names of the people he wanted to prank on the paper, and those were the ones that weren't allowed through the wall. In this case the only ones not allowed through the wall were Umbridge, Snape, and Filch. And they were not happy about it. I could hear more laughter coming from that end of the castle than anywhere else, but that could be because whenever someone walked through the wall itself, they became a cartoon character. The only ones it didn't work on was Fleur, Gabrielle, Bella, and me.

It was something that Emmett would get plenty of entertainment out of, and from their thoughts, they planned to give him one. It would, no doubt, keep Umbridge busy well into the night.

By six-thirty, we were all ready for the training session to begin. So much so that we were in the corridor, opening up the room, by six-forty-five.

"Are we going to start with a particular spell or charm, Harry?" Bella asked as she dropped a few things off in the potion part of the room.

"Um … I'm not really sure. I've thought about it, but I wasn't sure where to start. I had an idea I wanted to run by you though?" he said, although it came out sounding more like a question.

I placed a few of my newer, more obscure, potion books—ones that I had bought copies of for this room—before looking at Harry. "What's that?"

"Should we, meaning me, test the others? Find out what they know?"

I thought over what he was asking, and then what Opi had done with us when he first took over our classes. "It might be a good idea to see what they know. Then we can devise a plan of attack. Don't expect them to know much more than what we've learned. They haven't had our advantages."

"Talk to them first," Bella interrupted. "Ask them what they know rather than testing them. We want to treat them like equals. Not underlings."

Ginny joined in the conversation as she dropped off a few more things for the potions corner. "Maybe demonstrate too. Ask about certain spells, and if they're unsure what you mean, perform it. At worst, they'll wonder what they've been learning; at best, they'll know that you can teach them more."

"I do know that some of our classmates can't even perform a simple stunning spell," Hermione said from over by the bookcases. "I don't know how the hell the professors can pass them if they can't perform even the simplest of spells."

"That's exactly why we are here, isn't it? Why you wanted me to run these sessions?" Harry spun to face his, now, girlfriend.

Hermione nodded. "We need to learn how to defend ourselves. Because as much as Fudge wants to bury his head in the sand, Voldemort is coming for us." Here Hermione shrugged. "Besides, I'd like to pass my OWLs. And to do that, we need to learn how to perform the spells from defense class. Speaking of, does someone have a copy of the proper textbook for this year?"

"Right here!" Bella held up the copy we bought last year. "Opi has been teaching us in, what should be, our defense lessons."

"Excellent." Harry turned back to me. "How are we going for time?"

I smiled. "It's five to seven, and everyone who signed up at the Hogs Head is waiting in the corridor, wondering what's about to happen and where this meeting is going to be held."

It was at that very moment, that second in time, that I saw Harry step into the persona of a leader that he would grow to become. His head was held high. His shoulders were up, and he walked straight. He strode to the door with a confidence I had never seen before. It was like Harry was made to do this very thing.

I couldn't help but smile. He was going to be a very strong person to contend with. Voldemort wouldn't know what would hit him.

The rest of us took up relaxed positions around the room as Harry reached for the handles and pulled the doors open wide. "Come in, come in."

There were a lot of wide-open mouths and whispers as those who had signed up walked through the doors to the Room of Requirement. A lot of them were wondering why they had never found this room before or even why they had never seen the door in the corridor. But the undercurrent that was running through every single one of their thoughts was that they couldn't wait to get started learning.

Once Harry had closed the doors, he spun around to face the gathered crowd. "Welcome, everyone, to the Room of Requirement and Dumbledore's Army."

With those words from Harry, the whispers started up again in earnest. They went from awed to scared. From excited to worried.

"Army?" Cho asked. "I thought we were here to learn. Not become an army!"

"Room of Requirement? I thought that was myth!" Colin said from nearest me.

Harry smiled at everyone. "We're just a group here to learn, but we thought it might be easiest if we had a name. Dumbledore's Army, or DA for short, is a dig at the ministry. They think Dumbledore is building an army with the students here at Hogwarts. We're just being facetious. And as for the Room of Requirement … not a myth. Shall I prove it?"

There were murmurs of agreement. They all wanted to see what the room could do.

Instead of speaking out loud, Harry thought about what he wanted. Simply, he asked for a vase of flowers to appear on the floor in front of him. He didn't move. Just stood still with his arms crossed as the vase appeared on the floor. There were gasps all around as Harry walked to the vase, picked it up, and presented the daisies to Hermione. They, apparently, were her favorite.

Aww, that's sweet, Bella cooed. Showing what the room can do and staking his claim. Smart man.

I snorted quietly at her thoughts before answering her softly. "Not everyone has our advantages, sweet girl. But I could claim you if you wanted."

Bella smirked and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. As much as I would love for you to … hmm, claim me … the way I'd want you to do it would not be suitable for viewing eyes.

I leaned down and growled lowly in her ear. With a slight growl to my voice, I answered her with, "You name the time and place, and I'll claim you."

Good to know, Edward. Good to know. But the way we both want it, we'll have to wait. You have plans.

I chuckled at her wry tone. "That I do, sweet girl. And you know we both want it that way."

Our banter was interrupted by Harry, who had made his way back to the front of the group. "Does that satisfy your curiosity enough?" Harry waited until he had received several nods before he spoke again. "Great. Now, I know we're all here to learn, but shall we talk about what we know first?"

For the next forty-five minutes, Harry, and the rest of us, went through a list of spells that we should have learned—and mastered—throughout our previous four years here at Hogwarts. Harry asked several of the people gathered to prove if they could complete a spell that he was demonstrating for them.

For the most part, they were comfortable watching Harry perform the spells, sometimes in awe, sometimes with jealousy, but one thing was obvious—they didn't want to perform them themselves. And the reason was quite obvious once Harry asked them too because not everyone there could perform the spells, well or at all, that we were supposed to know.

That was not acceptable.

Hermione was right. Less than half of our classmates, in any year, can perform these spells. How are they supposed to live well, let alone defend themselves or pass their exams, if they can't perform the spells necessary? Bella turned to look at me, a frown across her beautiful face. The professors, McGonagall included, should be ashamed.

"Ah, but these spells are mostly from defense class. Should the professors from the other classes be held responsible for what happens elsewhere?" I asked. I didn't necessarily disagree, but someone had to play devil's advocate. "It doesn't help that we haven't had a consistent teacher for the last four years."

Bella huffed as she crossed her arms and looked me square in the eye. When she spoke, it wasn't in her mind; it was loud enough that everyone in that room could hear her. "It's the responsibility of every teacher to make sure that all the students can perform the required spells in that year. It only reflects poorly on the entire school if they can't. How are we supposed to maintain being the best wizarding school if over half of our graduating students can't perform simple, everyday spells?"

"Excuse me!" someone shouted from the other side of the room. I rolled my eyes when I placed a name to the voice. "How dare you say that we can't perform these spells?" Justin Finch-Fletchley demanded as he came closer to where Bella and I stood.

Bella spun around to face Justin as a smirk crossed my face. Bella's hair had begun flying slightly around her face, and just before she lost eye contact with me, her eyes had changed from the brown I loved so much to the white inner glowing of my magical princess. "How dare I, you ask?" Bella glowered at Justin, who took a couple steps backward. "I didn't see you performing any spells during the last little while. In fact, why don't we have a little competition right now?"

"Bella," I scolded half-heartedly. Justin needed to be put in his place, but I wasn't sure Bella was the best choice.

"No, Edward. If Justin wants to speak his mind and make an ass of himself, then he should be given the opportunity. No matter who he goes up against." Bella looked around. "To make it fair, Susan, will you judge this little competition?"

Susan looked surprised. "Uh … sure, Bella. Where shall we start?"

Everyone there parted as Bella stalked to one end of the room while Justin—who had gone surprisingly quiet—walked to the other, looking more than a little defeated. I couldn't help but snicker at his posture. He hadn't suspected that someone would call him out like that.

"Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"Call out the defensive spells we should have learned over the last four years. Let's see how many of them the pair of us can perform."

I smiled. "You got it, baby. Shall we start easily? Disarming Charm." As soon as the words had left my mouth, two of the dummies from the corner rolled out into the middle of the room. One was facing Bella, and the other faced off against Justin.

"Please, Justin." Susan indicated the dummy in front of him. "You first."

With a lax wave of his hand, Justin completed the spell with a soft, "Expelliarmus." The spell that shot out of his wand was faint in color. Where it should have been a bright scarlet, the spell was barely a red. It was closer to orange. When it hit the dummy's wand, it only just pushed the hand backward. It didn't even release the wand.

"Bella? If you please?" Susan now indicated.

The wind surrounding Bella whipped up, causing her hair to fly all around her but keeping her face free of hair. Instead of taking the stance we had learned in dueling club, Bella flung her wand arm over her head, slipping the wand free from its holster as she did so. She performed the required action while she stated, "Expelliarmus!" with flair.

Her spell was much brighter than Justin's had been. Hers was a scarlet and brighter than any spell I had seen today. The spell flew out of her wand at a speed that was almost too fast for the normal humans to see. It hit the wand the dummy was holding, flinging it out of his hand, as well as pushing the dummy back a couple of meters.

"Edward, another!"

"Knockback Jinx."

Instead of waiting for Justin to complete the spell first, Bella launched into the next spell. She flicked her wand in a tick formation that had a short tail, causing a brilliant yellow to shoot from the end of her wand. She said, clearly, "Flipendo!"

The spell hit the dummy in the chest, once more knocking it back. Only this time, instead of a few meters, the dummy was forced all the way to the end of the room. It stopped right next to Justin.

"Another!"

"Reductor Curse."

Bella smirked, pointing her wand at Justin. Instead of a fancy wand movement, Bella moved her wand in a "greater than" triangle. As she did so, she stated, "Reducto," and a blue light exited her wand. Everyone thought the spell was going to hit Justin—including the boy himself, who ducked and covered his head—but it didn't. It hit the dummy and turned it into dust, which melted through the floor. "So, Justin, want to give that a try?" Justin just shook his head and slinked off to the back of the group once more. "Did I win, Susan?"

Susan snorted. "Without a doubt, Bella." She turned to Harry. "I take it you were assessing our abilities to give us a place to start. All of you?"

"We were." Harry nodded. "Bella's right though. The school has been lacking in our defensive lessons. With the only exception being Professor Lupin. The next meeting, we'll be teaching you guys a spell. We'll start with one spell a week, starting with Expelliarmus, and moving forward from there. Is that okay with everyone?"

There were nods from everyone. From Bella's demonstration, they could see how woefully underprepared they all were. They wanted to be better, and they were willing to put the work in to get there. Justin included.

"Great. We can't all hope to be as good as Bella, but we hope to give you the tools to be the best that you can be. All the great witches and wizards started somewhere, and that somewhere is right here at school. If they can do it, so can we." Harry smiled at the hope and determination on those who had come. "Are there any questions?"

Hands rose all over the room. Harry pointed at Katie. "Are we always going to meet on a Wednesday night? And how will we know if it needs to be changed?"

"I can answer that one," Hermione said as she stepped forward. "We will endeavor to have a meeting every Wednesday night at seven. However, there might be times when that needs to change. To help keep us connected I've made necklaces that will heat when I cast a spell on mine." Hermione held up the necklace she was wearing. "You can all get one on the way out the door. I'll cast that spell a half-hour before every meeting. That way, if it changes, you'll always know."

Harry pointed at Cho. "What if we have friends who want to join later on?"

We had anticipated this question, so Harry knew how to answer it. "We should discuss this group as little as possible, just in case the information gets out to the wrong person. However, if someone talks about wanting to learn more, or learn the practical that goes with the theory, then by all means, feel them out. See how they would feel about learning behind Umbridge's back before letting them in. We need to make sure that we keep this secret." Harry smiled. "Anything else? Susan?"

"You've shown us some of the spells that you cast really well today. You showed us your patronus at the meeting, but I've heard that you all can produce a fully corporeal patronus. Is that true, and can you show us?" Susan blushed a little at being singled out, but her curiosity overrode her shyness. Besides, she knew if she wanted to be as good as her …

"Your aunt, right?" Harry asked, interrupting her thoughts. "She's part of the Wizengamot?"

Susan laughed lightly but nodded. "She also said that she wants to recruit you, Edward, and Bella after you finish school to work in the ministry as aurors. That she would help the three of you become one if that was what you wanted."

The three of us laughed as mouths, once again, dropped open in shock.

"She did say that, yes," Harry answered. "I'm not the only one who can perform a patronus charm. How would you like to see all of them?"

"You all can produce a patronus?" Lee Jordon asked as he looked around at the misfits, including Fred and George. "All of you have a fully corporeal patronus?" Every single one of us nodded. Lee gave Fred and George a challenging look before issuing a challenge. He didn't believe the twins could have learned that spell and kept it quiet. "Well, come on then, show us."

With a smirk, the eight of us—Bella, me, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Neville—all cast the Expecto Patronum spell. Almost in sync, eight patronuses leapt from the ends of our wands. Everything from Bella's and my snow leopards, to Harry's buck, Hermione's otter—although that seemed to glitch for just a moment—Ginny's horse, Fred and George's matching but ever so slightly different foxes, and Neville's rottweiler.

There were excited gasps and appreciating murmurs at the fact that we could all produce what was considered an extremely advanced spell.

"This spell is supposed to be far more advanced than even our N.E.W.T year level," Dean said with awe. "How and why did you learn to do that?"

My leopard sat and watched the other patronuses with a regal air as Bella's pranced around the room, giving kisses to the girls' patronuses and frolicking with the twins' foxes as they loped and danced around together. While Bella's patronus, and even her animagus form, had been a young snow leopard that was beautiful but very fluffy originally, they both were now turning into a sleek, stunning leopard. Hers was almost as big as mine but still with a much more feminine build.

Harry watched with amusement as both foxes launched at the snow leopard, only for her to duck and have them collide mid-air. "As you can see, they're not only a charm or spell, but they can have their own personalities. Sometimes taking on the personalities of those who cast them."

Everyone laughed as the snow leopard ducked and weaved as the foxes chased her all over the room.

"Patronuses have two distinct forms. A corporeal—this form," Harry explained. He really was starting to relish this new role. "And a non-corporeal form." There were several frowns directed his way, causing him to continue explaining. "Essentially a wisp of smoke."

"What are they for?" a voice called from the back.

The girls who had come in to learn how to defend themselves awww'd as Bella's leopard ducked the now fighting foxes and came to snuggle up under the chin of mine. Bella smiled and leaned into my arms at the same time.

Harry snickered. "Patronuses are mostly used for defense. And mostly against dementors. They can also defend against another dark creature called a Lethifold. Both forms can be used as a defense against these creatures. But the corporeal forms can, and have, been used as a form of communication. I mean, you all saw the one that approached Bella last year when you were all in the stands during the third task, right?" Where once that question would have been said with a large amount of bitterness, I was glad to note that it had all faded. And as he pointed out my leopard to those around us, he graced me with a smile that was full of forgiveness.

Several, who hadn't been looking at the patronuses but at Harry, spun to the see two leopards together. While they had never seen Bella's before, several of them recognized mine right away. All of their eyes shot in our direction, causing Bella to tighten her hold on me.

Susan frowned at what Harry was saying. She tilted her head, looking around at all of us. "You never did answer, Harry. Why, and when, did you learn how to cast these patronuses?"

"You all know what Edward and I have been saying since the end of the tournament last year. That Voldemort has come back?" he asked, causing several heads to nod. It was the reason that most of them were here to learn. "Well, we've seen the signs for some time now. In fact, we've been fighting his return since our first year here at Hogwarts. Edward has fought him off on two separate occasions in first and second year."

"Professor Quirrel?" someone shouted at the same time as we all heard someone else gasp loudly, "the Chamber of Secrets?"

Harry nodded. "Exactly. On those two occasions, Voldemort attempted his return. But it wasn't until the summer before our third year that we knew it was inevitable. Thanks to Rabastan Lestrange breaking out of Azkaban, and a little insider knowledge, we knew there were going to be dementors posted around the school grounds. And our family members Sirius Black and Remus Lupin thought it best we knew how to defend ourselves from them."

"So, they taught you how to cast a patronus charm," Susan surmised with a thoughtful look on her face. She thought things through for a minute before she faced Harry with her shoulders and head held high. "Well, if you can learn how to cast magic far beyond your years, all of you, then we can learn how to use the spells we should already be casting." She looked around the room once more as some of our patronuses faded away. "And maybe, just maybe, we can all learn how to cast one of those."

Cheers rent the room as they all shouted their agreement. They were all in. They wanted to know what we knew. They wanted to learn how to do every spell that we could conjure. And they were all willing to put in the hard yards to do so.

Susan Bones stepped forward once the cheers had settled and circled the patronuses as they now stood tall and regal. Especially Bella's and my snow leopards. "Is it true that a patronus matches someone's animagus form?"

"We can't confirm or deny that," I stated from my position next to Bella. "But from the research we've done, that would be correct."

"Have none of you become an animagus?"

Bella and I shook our heads. "It's not something that's recommended by the school."

Hmm, Susan thought while looking at us. That wasn't an answer. Why would they not … Susan mentally rolled her eyes at herself as she walked around the room again. Our patronuses had dissipated. All things must remain a secret. The war effort may depend on it.

I could understand how Susan reached that conclusion. Her aunt Amelia was on the Wizengamot, after all. Amelia wasn't a silly woman, and it seemed, neither was Susan.

"Great!" Harry said after they had all calmed down. "For now, homework!"

Where usually there were groans at the idea of homework. Every single one of the students who had joined us had their game faces on. They wanted this. I couldn't help but smile at how Harry had commanded the entire room.

"I want you all to go over any notes, any books, anything that we were given about Expelliarmus. We're going to start with the early stuff. I want everyone to be able to cast the spell before we move on to bigger and harder spells and charms." Harry smiled as everyone nodded in agreement. "See you all here next Wednesday. Grab your necklaces on the way out."

All clear? Bella asked as she made her way to the door. I nodded, letting her know that there was no one in the corridor. Good.

Bella and Hermione handed out the necklaces as the other students left the Room of Requirement until all that were left was the misfits, including Gabrielle and Fleur.

"Zat …" Fleur paused and shook her head. "That …" she said more pronounced, "went very well, Harry. I have no doubt you will do a good job."

Harry nodded in her direction. "Thank you, Fleur. I don't think I'd be here without all of you. That was actually really exciting. Maybe I'll have a future in teaching if being an auror doesn't pan out."

"I think you can be anything you want to be." Hermione smiled up at Harry, causing the twins to gag jokingly. I think.

Harry snickered at them as he pulled Hermione into his side. "On that note, I'm going back to the common room. I still have some homework to do, especially if Angelina is going to have training tomorrow night too."

We all decided it was best to do the same thing and followed Harry and Hermione to the door. After a nod from me, we all left the Room of Requirement and headed back for a night of study.

Although, I was hoping for some quality make-out time with my girl before she had her few hours of sleep. If her thoughts were any indication, I was in for a great night.

~*~UHS~*~

Over the next couple of months, Dumbledore's Army met with great success. It didn't take Harry long to become the task master we always knew he could be. He was tough but fair, and he didn't move on from a spell, jinx, or charm unless everyone in the group was able to perform it consistently. He wanted to make sure that Umbridge and the ministry had no reason to hold back anyone.

We had many noteworthy experiences in that time. All of them were worth celebrating. Neville, who could perform spells well, had never actually disarmed anyone in practice. So, the day that he was able to disarm Hermione was one that I'm sure he'll never forget. We held a party in the Room of Requirement that would rival any in the muggle world.

Colin, who had made quite a living last year taking photos for The Truth and now had his future ready to go when he left school—even if he was planning on attending a muggle university or college for journalism—puffed up with pride when he was able to cast the impediment jinx for the first time. And his pride grew every time he was able to cast it after that. Being able to master a spell that had alluded you was a great boost for your self-esteem, it seemed.

Pavarti Patil had been able to cast previous spells and incantations with little difficulty, but when she came up against the reductor curse, she hit a wall. The problem was that she lost all her confidence when the first try failed. It took her the better part of three session to build that confidence back up enough to give it another go. And even then, she failed the first few times. But once Pavarti got off the first successful one, her reductor curse became one of the best.

Unfortunately, Umbridge decided to get stricter when it came to our quidditch team training sessions. We had been allowed to train up to three nights per week, but once she saw what our training sessions consisted of, she put the kibosh on that. That meant we had to organize a night when we were all available for quidditch training, and the only one had been on a Wednesday. So, to make sure we could get in our practice sessions, we moved quidditch to Wednesdays and Dumbledore's Army to Fridays. It was a bit of an adjustment, but we made it work.

Another thing to note was that Hermione had given the necklaces an upgrade. Instead of just being able to let everyone know when the meetings were going to be held, Hermione added a small curse, you could say. If someone who was wearing a necklace spoke about the group to someone who shouldn't know—say Umbridge—the Protean Charm that Hermione had found in a NEWT level spell book would inflict the wearer with some pain and leave a pretty gnarly looking scar.

It made me think about what Bella did to Brunhilde in first year. Bella's magic was instinctive. She perceived a threat and her magic worked with her to counter it. She could have left a scar, and I have no doubt that had she gotten mad enough, that's exactly what would have happened.

The reason for the spell was because, outside of us misfits, the group had grown from roughly twenty to over fifty soldiers. And, yes, I said soldiers. We are an army. Dumbledore's Army, not that he knew that. We called ourselves, our students, soldiers. Out of range of Umbridge's nosy ears, of course.

But we used the spell to weed out those who weren't there to learn. Those who were there to rat us out. Hermione hadn't made the spell common knowledge. Nor did anyone besides her know what it would do exactly. All she would say was that it would be obvious if someone had betrayed us.

We had come a long way from our first training session, but I couldn't be prouder of all of them. None more so than Harry. He had really stepped into the position of teacher and leader, better than I had ever hoped for.

But time has a funny way of getting away from you. October passed us in a blur of training, practicing, and learning all we could. In fact, October left us with howling winds and driving rains, only for November to blow in as cold as frozen iron, with hard frost and icy draughts. Kids came down with colds, and even Hermione was struck down with a mild case of the flu. I forced her into the hospital wing for treatment even though she thought she was okay. I was so glad Bella couldn't get sick. I wasn't sure I would have been able to handle it.

It wasn't just the weather that changed as we grew closer and closer to the first quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Professor McGonagall gave less and less homework leading up to the match while Professor Snape ignored any and all reports of the students in his house attempting to jinx the Gryffindor players.

I say attempting because during one of our training sessions, the group decided that we should give the team members a way to protect themselves. As evidenced in years past, the Slytherin team—and their housemates—had no scruples when it came to winning. And because Umbridge had been a member of Slytherin House, we had done some research into her and found out her school history; we had a feeling that Slytherin would be able to get away with a lot more than ever before. And they did. The pranks. The spells. The attempts at sabotage were ramped up to an all-time high.

We fought it and ignored them as much as we could. But by game day—which dawned bright but cold—tempers were running high. Draco had tried to head off a lot of it but couldn't always get the other Slytherins to change their minds.

I had left Bella asleep in my trunk to stare out the window of the common room. We had spent the night practicing spells before making out. We were both wound so tight with everything that had been happening that we needed the stress relief. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that I'd been able to give my girl her very first orgasm with nothing but my fingers. The way she'd melted into the pillows afterward had been what had kept me by her side until early this morning. Well that and the way she had reciprocated with her hands. I was so glad that my brain was now on board with the rest of me, and I was no longer alone. Although, I was glad that I hadn't known what I'd been missing out on.

"Edward?" Bella asked sleepily as she climbed out of my trunk, wearing nothing but one of my dress shirts and her underwear. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just watching the sun rise and wondering what the day will bring," I replied as I wrapped my arms around her.

Bella kissed the underside of my jaw before she murmured, "Worrying about the match?"

"Maybe a little." I shrugged around her as best I could. "Tempers are going to flare today."

"We've done all we can to help them prepare for this match. What happens will happen. Nothing we do now will stop it."

"I know." I sighed. "Although, you in my shirt is a big distraction."

Bella giggled, turning in my arms, only to jump up and wrap her legs around me when I loosened my hold. "Well, you would have had a bigger distraction had you not left the bed."

"Which is why I left! I was having a hard time keeping my hands to myself, and you needed to sleep." I snorted.

"Sleeping is overrated. Come back to bed," Bella whispered seductively before kissing me enticingly. "We've still got time before breakfast."

I growled. I couldn't help it. In the time since we'd had our argument about Bella's age and how I saw her, she had become a sexual temptress. Though, she never pushed for more than we could handle. Granted, she wasn't the only one. Once we took those first steps at intimacy, there was nothing that could hold us back. The only reason we hadn't made love yet was a mutual understanding that there were some things that we wanted to save for when we got married. But we had begun to explore each other thoroughly. I think I very nearly wept the first time I saw her naked. A feat for a vampire, let me tell you.

"Minx." I growled again as I carried her back toward my trunk. I was just about to leap inside when we heard a pop from behind us, and Kreacher's thoughts invaded my mind. "Damn," I whispered into the side of Bella's neck, only to hear her mental groan as well.

"Sorry to interrupt, Miss Bella, Mister Edward," Kreacher said, actually sounding remorseful.

Bella rested her chin on my shoulder. I stayed facing away because I would scare the old house elf should I turn around. "It's okay, Kreacher. What can we do for you?"

"Master Draco came to Kreacher a short while ago and asked him to pass on a message. It seems that overnight the Slytherin team has replaced some of their players."

I frowned, confused. I knew I'd been distracted last night but not that distracted. Surely, I would have heard something like that. Unless it was all done under the cover of Silencio, which meant that Umbridge was probably in on it. I ranged out my hearing but couldn't hear anything amiss. "Who have they replaced, Kreacher?"

"Graham Montague, a nasty child from nasty parents, has been made the new captain. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle have been made beaters." I groaned at Kreacher's answer. "This is bad, yes?"

"Yeah, Kreacher." I sighed as I turned to face our loyal elf. "This is bad. Umbridge has had a hand in this. She's paid attention to those who are nasty to Harry. This isn't going to go well. Thank you for letting us know."

Kreacher bowed and with the usual click of his fingers was gone. I placed Bella back on the ground. Both of our faces were showing the frustration of not only being interrupted but by the turn of events now staring at us in the face.

"We need to tell Harry," Bella murmured, sitting up on my desk.

"I know." I flopped down into the seat in front of her. "I have no idea how he's going to keep his temper with those two gunning for him. I have no doubt this is a Snape/Umbridge setup to make him look bad."

"You think she wants him off the team?"

"Yup. She wants her team to win. It would be one small victory in a barrage of moves that she's made against him—and lost—since the dementor attack at Emmett and Rose's house." I ran my hand through my hair, pulling on it slightly in frustration. It wasn't fair. We all just wanted to have a peaceful journey through school, but we've been thwarted during every school year.

"What else are we going to have to deal with?" Bella asked on a sigh. "I mean, isn't it bad enough that we're having to defend ourselves against those who don't believe that Voldemort is back … even with all the evidence to the contrary … but now we have to deal with saboteurs at school, trying to derail our education and our fun?"

"A war?" I suggested helpfully.

Bella groaned and sat back, resting on her hands. "You know, there are some days where I wish Voldemort would just get it over with. Start the war, let us beat him, and then for him to die or cower away, never to be heard from again."

I snorted. "He won't disappear if someone doesn't kill him. He'll continue to fight until he has no breath left to fight."

Bella sat up and looked at me. "And you think Harry is the one who's going to have to do that?"

"I don't think; I know. And so does Harry."

"What about the horcrux in Harry? Voldemort won't die unless they're all gone."

"We have to destroy it first."

"How?" Bella asked aghast. "What could possibly destroy a horcrux?"

"That, my dear, is a good question. And maybe one we should start to research." I pulled Bella onto my lap and kissed the top of her head.

~*~UHS~*~

A few hours later, we were heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. We had managed to gather all of the quidditch team into a huddle in the common room and let them know what Kreacher had come to tell us.

They were pissed, to say the least. Harry, by far, the maddest. They all knew Umbridge, and possible Snape, had a hand in it. It was a thought that had crossed every single one of their minds as soon as Bella and I had given them the news. We had implored Harry to keep his cool. Not to lose his temper on the pitch because there was no way of knowing what was going to happen. Or what Umbridge would do. But I wasn't sure it was only Harry we had to worry about.

Fred and George seemed to be on the warpath too.

I hope they don't do anything stupid, Bella thought, eyeing the twins. They were conversing in a way that only twins seemed to understand. I knew they had something up their sleeves, but they were even thinking in code, so I wasn't sure what they were going to do.

"I'm not sure we have much hope of that," I whispered to Bella as we sat down on the bench at our table. "We can't stop everything, Bella. They need to learn on their own."

She sighed. I know. Let's just keep our fingers crossed.

I couldn't help but agree. I leaned down to whisper in Bella's ear. "If they get kicked off the team, maybe Madam Hooch would let us play?" I pointed out the teachers at the table. Madam Hooch was glaring down the table at Professor Umbridge, who was sitting right next to Snape. They weren't talking, but they weren't glaring at each other. "Think she'd want to stick it to Umbridge?"

Bella watched the happenings at the table. It seemed that a majority of the teachers were trying to sit as far as possible from where Umbridge was sitting. Snape and Umbridge were down one end, an empty chair, and then Professor Sprout, although she was leaning toward Professor McGonagall. But Madam Hooch? She was down at the other end, as far away as she could get. The whole table was tense, except for Snape and Umbridge.

"Perhaps," Bella whispered. "She seems like the type to want to stick to the rules, but maybe she'll break them to work against Umbridge."

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Bella nodded. Instead of continuing our conversation, Bella and I reached for some breakfast food. It would be an interesting match, that was for sure.

For some of us, breakfast was quiet. For the rest of the school, breakfast was one of razzing and trash talking. I listened to it all with a quite contemplation. School sports, no matter what world I lived in, garnered the same response. The players were revered for their prowess—either girls or guys—while all being secretly jealous of them. Some of the players reveled in the attention while others hated it and just wanted to be left alone to work through their before-game nerves.

The chatter was at an all-time high as we made our way down to the pitch. The children were letting off a lot of steam after the stress since school had begun.

Bella and I couldn't help but laugh when we met up with Luna. Her Gryffindor lion hat had grown since the last time she wore it. She smiled at our reaction. "That's not the only thing," she said as she pulled a part near her chin. The damn thing let out the realest roar I had ever heard, causing several people around us to jump. We couldn't help but laugh and laugh hard.

"Phew, I needed that." I huffed with a small chuckle when I was able to stop.

"Me too." Bella smiled. "When did you do that, Luna?"

Luna spun around with a smile on her face, making her way into the stadium. We followed along with her. "Thanks to all the extra help, I've done some extra research," Luna said as we walked up the stairs. "With a little tweaking to one of the charms I found, I was able to do this. Cool, huh?"

"Very cool, Luna." I smiled at her. She had come a long way in the years we had known her. She'd been shy and extremely awkward when we first met. Luna had been picked on and her things stolen by others. Now, although still awkward and sometimes shy, Luna was much more comfortable in her own skin.

"Thanks!" She beamed, leading the way through the children seated on the stands around us until she found the rest of our friends who weren't playing.

The first match of the season was always an exciting time. The students are all decked out in the colors of the team they want to win, and as I look around, all I see is a sea of red and gold and green and silver. While the Gryffindor supporters seem to outweigh the Slytherin ones by a sheer number of three to one, the Slytherin supporters are seemingly louder. At least, for the time being.

"Edward! Bella!" Gabrielle hugged us as we approached them. "Is it always this exciting?"

Bella laughed. "Just wait until the game actually starts."

The noise level was akin to the concerts we went to in the muggle world. The kids were excited to finally do something fun. Something that couldn't be or wasn't being controlled by Professor Umbridge.

At least, for now.

"Good morning, Hogwarts!" Lee Jordan called into the microphone to capture the crowd's attention. He sounded very similar to Robin Williams's character in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam. "Welcome to another year of Hogwarts quidditch!" Cheers rent the stadium, including mine and Bella's. We were all excited about a new season. "As is the tradition, our first game is going to be between Gryffindor …" Nearly two thirds of the stadium cheered as loudly as they could possibly cheer while the others booed. "… and Slytherin!" This time, it was the other way around; Slytherin cheered while the rest of us booed. "Shall we get started?"

There were more cheers, so much so that Lee laughed and paused in his announcements. With one more laugh, he shouted, "Let's meet this year's Slytherin team. Seeker Draco Malfoy and Keeper Miles Bletchley!" Lee paused as the members of the team entered the stadium and for the Slytherins to cheer before he continued. "Their beaters, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. And their chasers, Cassius Warrington, Adrian Pucey, and captain Graham Montague!"

The Slytherin team mounted their brooms and took off for a lap of the stadium. They were cheered and booed in equal measure, depending on who they were passing.

Draco looked me in the eye as he passed by. I hope Harry and the others are ready. Crabbe and Goyle are going to push, and push hard. On his second lap, Draco looked at me once more. I nodded to him to show that I'd heard. Bella and I had given the boys as much information as we could. There was nothing more we could do at this point.

After the second lap, the Slytherin team raised their hands in a fist pump with a rebel yell. They were in it to win it this year. I smirked; they had another think coming if they thought we would make it easy on them.

Lee commanded everyone's attention once more with, "And this year's Gryffindor quidditch team. Your seeker, Harry Potter! Your keeper, Ginny Weasley! Your beaters, Fred and George Weasley!" Here Lee paused to take in a deep breath as the crowd roared their approval. They all loved who Angelina had chosen for the team. None more so than Bella and me. "And your chasers, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and your captain Angelina Johnson!"

Instead of flying around the stadium, the Gryffindor team decided to run sprints on their brooms. It showcased the speed that Bella and I had been working on with them.

"Woooo!" Bella shouted, cheering at the top of her lungs. They look fantastic. We've really taught them well!

I laughed. I couldn't help it. Bella was right though. "We really have, sweet girl. Let's hope it helps during the game."

"I have no doubt that it will. I've never seen any of the other teams moving as fast as ours now does."

Luna leaned over. "What have you done to them?"

"Nothing!" Bella and I said together, causing the others around us to laugh. "We just helped them to practice," we continued.

"Don't even!" Fleur laughed. "You've put zem through their paces!" she said with almost perfect English and a finger pointed in our direction. "You are going to make it hard for ze rest of the teams."

"That's the whole point," Bella sang. "We want to win!" We both cheered together once more.

By the time the banter had finished, the Gryffindor team was on the ground in an epic stare down. Madam Hooch was watching both teams as she made her way onto the grounds to Lee's introduction.

"I want a good clean game. From all of you." Madam Hooch stared down both teams but lingered on the Slytherin team. She wasn't going to stand for anything nefarious this year. "Mount your brooms."

With one final glare for their opposition, both teams jumped onto their brooms and flew to their positions above the pitch.

I had a feeling this game was going to give us more than we expected. I just hoped that it was going to be good.

"All right, teams. Let's play!" Madam Hooch kicked the trunk and jumped onto her broom. Once she was in the air, she blew her whistle for the game to begin.

As soon as the shrill sound came from Madam Hooch's whistle, both teams' chasers shot off their mark. But there was a difference in where they went. All three chasers from the Slytherin team flew hard and fast, straight for the dropping quaffle. From the concentration on their faces, they were determined to outfly Katie, Alicia, and Angelina.

What they hadn't counted on was the three Gryffindor chasers splitting up. The whole crowd was stunned into silence as Alicia, the shortest and smallest of the three girls, dove for the quaffle by herself while Katie and Angelina took off toward the goal posts but in different directions.

Fred and George were covering Alicia, making sure there were no bludgers pelted in her direction. When they were, the boys made sure to send them back in the direction of the Slytherin chasers, making them veer off course instead of making it to the quaffle first.

"What are the Gryffindor chasers doing?" Lee asked when the girls made their moves. He seemed to be in as much shock as the rest of the spectators.

Bella and I looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes and smiled. The team had practiced this move against us. It was quite ingenious really. It was something they had come up with while trying to counter our speed.

The whole point was to align themselves with the goal posts, so the minute Alicia got her hands on the quaffle, she could complete the maneuver and pass it along, leaving the opposing team playing a game of catchup. While it didn't work well on us because Bella and I were that much faster, it should work on the opposing team. At least, when they weren't expecting it.

Alicia flattened herself against the broom, creating the least amount of wind resistance possible, and dove. Her speed was incredible. And thanks to Fred and George running interference, she was the first one to the quaffle. Cheers exploded out of the spectators as she caught it in her hands, but they turned into gasps when she continued on her downward fall instead of arcing back up again.

Bella and I watched with unrestrained glee as those in the front rows of the stands hung over the edge and those in the second rows tried with all their might to see around them to watch as Alicia continued her nosedive until the very last second where she pulled up, shooting straight up, and aiming for the Slytherin team chasing her.

This was a tactic that they had discussed with us. A game of chicken essentially. Once they had the quaffle, instead of flying away from the opposing team, they wanted to fly toward them. They hoped that it would make the chasers scatter, giving Alicia room to throw to the next one in line.

"Spinnet has her hands on the quaffle," a stumped Lee spoke into his microphone. "But instead of getting rid of it, or racing away from Slytherin, she's flying right at Pucey, Warrington, and Montague. What does this mean? Where is she going?"

Luna's hat roared when more and more cheers rang out from the Gryffindor supporters as Alicia barreled toward the boys. Even more sounded out as, one by one, each of the Slytherin chasers changed direction in the face of Alicia's unrelenting speed and determination not to veer off course.

"Oh, my Merlin!" Lee shouted when the noise level exploded as Alicia shot out of the danger zone and into open air. Bella and I were cheering along with them because it worked better than ever before. As soon as Alicia was free, she smiled and pelted the quaffle in the direction of Angelina, who had been waiting for her turn.

Angelina didn't wait for the Slytherin team to play catch up. She shot off her mark and flew with haste down the pitch toward the Gryffindor goals defended by the Slytherin keeper. He scowled around at his team, Draco chasing Harry as Harry sought the snitch, and the Slytherin chasers trying to catch up to ours.

"Look at Angelina go!" Lee said loud enough to make some of us cringe at the volume. "I have never seen the Gryffindor team working so well together. Their speed is unparalleled this year! What has Angelina been giving them?"

Bella snickered. She hadn't given the team anything but a regimented training regime with a new outlook on teamwork.

"Angelina takes a risk running straight for the goals, only to be cut off by Bletchley. Angelina dodges around him, taking aim at the goals, only to be thwarted by a bludger hit by Crabbe." Lee was finally able to catch up on his commentary, and he continued to narrate the game. "Angelina dodges the bludger as she spins around on her broom, only to throw the quaffle to Katie as her head is pointing toward the ground! She made that pass upside down!"

"Woooo!" Bella cheered, her hands in the air. "Well done, Angelina!"

Katie caught the quaffle as it was thrown to her, and without hesitation, she popped it through the goal while the keeper was summarily distracted.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee shouted once more at the top of his lungs. "Ten points to Gryffindor, and what a play!"

The entire stadium lit up with the first goal scored. The cheering was nearly deafening, especially to my sensitive ears even though I was cheering right along with them.

"What else will we see today?" Lee asked as Madam Hooch reset the quaffle into play.

"And that's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" Hermione looked at us. "What else will we see today?"

Bella and I just smiled as the game continued. As we watched the two teams trading goal for goal, with Gryffindor getting the occasional extra one, I thought over some of the training practices we'd had. Angelina had come to me between practices and asked about some of the sports I had seen and played in the muggle world.

I grinned with unrestrained glee as I watched the Gryffindor team incorporate some of the tactics I had seen and used throughout my many years on earth. We had talked football, basketball, hockey, and soccer. We had talked strategies. We had talked about placements of all the players, and we had talked about how we could incorporate those strategies into quidditch or whether it was indeed possible. As we watched all of them, including Fred and George, using the strategies we had talked about, I was happy to see that they were working.

We had even managed to incorporate the "Flying V" from the movie The Mighty Ducks. Angelina lead the charge at the tip of the V. She started with the quaffle. Katie and Alicia flew on either side of Angelica, and they passed the quaffle between themselves as needed. And the last two positions in the V were made up of Fred and George. Not only did they protect the girls from the bludgers but used them to help pave the way to the goal posts by pelting them at the other team, trying to take control of the game.

They flew down the pitch at breakneck speed. Fred and George defending their chasers with a ferocity I hadn't seen before. They would only break the V to smack a bludger that was aiming for one of the girls. Once they had pelted the bludger away, they swooped back into position. All the way down the pitch, the girls threw the quaffle back and forth, the Slytherins unable to even get close. Until, with a swift dive, Katie scored us another goal.

The shock of the move and subsequent goal had another massive round of cheers explode from around the stadium. Including from Lee himself. I think at this point he had almost given up on his running commentary because there was more "Oh, my Merlin's" and "what kind of move is that?" than anything else coming from his mouth.

Fred and George were grinning as the plays reset, batting the bludgers back and forth between them, distracting everyone, so much so that when Harry took off, the only one who noticed was Lee. That was until Lee shouted out, "Harry's seen the snitch!"

Bella and I had been keeping track of it. It's why we'd never be able to be a seeker if we were allowed to play at Hogwarts. I snorted quietly. Unless we played blindfolded. I wonder if that would even be possible. Something to try at a later date.

We all looked up, almost in one synchronized movement, to see that Harry had taken off after something that only he could see. Draco didn't waste a second and took off after Harry. Every single time it was announced that a seeker was after the snitch, it was like the world stopped to watch.

Both boys weaved and bobbed around the other players on the pitch as they chased down the snitch. Draco was only just behind Harry but was steadily gaining ground. The pair of them ducked and dodged in between the uprights of the stands as the snitch tried to fly away from them. It was like it had a mind of its own. It didn't want to get caught. I tracked the snitch, as well as Harry and Draco as they all sped their way across the pitch until I caught the thoughts of Fred and George.

Instead of sitting idly by, Fred and George decided to take a more proactive approach. They didn't stay just watching Harry and Draco chasing the snitch, no, they stopped lobbing the bludgers to each other and used all their strength to pelt the bludgers in Draco's direction. Crabbe and Goyle didn't wait for the bludgers to hit Draco—even though they didn't know that Fred and George would never actually do it. Crabbe and Goyle took it upon themselves to hit the bludgers back in Fred and George's direction. But instead of just lobbing them in our team's direction, they smashed them with every ounce of power they could. They had hit them so hard that Fred and George didn't have time to defend themselves. The bludgers hit the twins dead on. One in the face and the other in the stomach.

"Booo!" The Gryffindor crowd roared their disapproval even as Fred and George managed to cling to their brooms without falling off.

"Bad sportsmanship!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as Crabbe and Goyle chased after the bludgers, only to pelt them back in Harry's direction. Crabbe missed by a mile, but Goyle was able to get really close, so much so that Harry had to dive to dodge it. He used his incredible seeking skills to keep the snitch in his sights, so he was able to zoom back up and continue the chase almost as though the deviation never happened.

Bella snorted. "Is it any surprise that they aren't playing fair? It's Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle especially." Bella smiled at me as she looked at me through the corner of her eye. She pointed at Harry. "He's got it handled. Look."

I turned back to the pitch in time to see that Harry had once more pulled ahead of Draco, even as Fred and George flew toward Crabbe and Goyle as fast as they could, and Harry was reaching out for the snitch that was mere feet in front of him. Draco was barreling down behind him, trying to stop him from reaching out for the snitch, but it was too late. Harry looked over his shoulder at Draco with a smirk while he wrapped his hand around the snitch and holding it high into the air.

The stadium went absolutely nuts. Cheering, screaming, and the noise of celebration reverberated through the air. Harry circled around the stadium as everyone celebrated his win, but we were all rendered silent when a bludger came out of nowhere, hitting Harry on the side of his head. Harry was knocked completely off his broom and fell to the pitch below. Luckily, he hadn't been very high off the ground.

"What … where?" Lee sputtered in shock, echoing the rest of our thoughts as we all looked around. "Where did that come from?"

What could only be described as a battle cry sounded from above us. "The game was over," Fred yelled as he flew toward Crabbe.

"That was uncalled for!" George continued as he flew as fast as he could behind his brother.

Crabbe and Goyle were already on the ground, laughing and jeering with some of the other Slytherin players when the twins landed. Fred and George didn't wait. They dropped their brooms and launched themselves at the perpetrators even as Katie, Angelina, and Alicia all called out for them to stop.

There was a lot of pent up anger being thrown about with the punches the twins were raining down upon Crabbe and Goyle. The pair of them had been tormenting Gryffindors left and right and not only the players. They had been picking on the younger children as well as "pranking" the older ones.

Bella and I could hear the insults flying, even as Madam Hooch made her way to the fight, blowing her whistle.

"Harry, no!" Bella suddenly shouted so loud that it echoed around the stadium. There was no way Harry hadn't heard her, but he continued moving toward the fight regardless. Harry was so furious and moving so fast that he beat Madam Hooch to the fight taking place. He immediately joined in, punching Crabbe square in the nose, causing blood to squirt everywhere.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Harry shouted, getting right up in Goyle's face when he stood to defend his friend.

"Because we can," Goyle answered. "Because it doesn't matter what we do, we won't get in trouble for it." Crabbe spread his hands out wide. "Can't you tell? The balance of power is shifting at Hogwarts, and none of you are going to be able to do anything about it."

Fred, George, and Harry all stood in front of the Slytherins, covered in mud with their fists clenched. "Oh yeah?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Crabbe and Goyle said together.

"Watch us," Harry hissed, and with those words, he pulled his fist back before throwing it forward and breaking Goyle's nose as well.

~*~UHS~*~

OHHHHHH! Go Harry! Ah but did he just make shit worse for himself?

Let me know what you think. See you in a fortnight!