Ninja Wizard V 06
By David
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and crew belong to JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.
Author's Notes: These marks '[ ]' indicate Japanese spoken
Ninja Wizard V 06
'Professor Umbridge'
Harry pondered Dumbledore's lesson that morning as he sat at the Ravenclaw house table having lunch. Harry wondered if Dumbledore was trying to send a message out to everybody, and if he was, what was he trying to say? Snape had been in rare form that morning. The first potion of the year was something called the Draught of Peace. Harry made every effort to follow what Snape had written on the board but wasn't able to due to all of the colored fumes in the classroom and had blown the third line of the instructions completely. Snape had given Harry a hard time over it and used Evanesco to clean out Harry's cauldron, leaving Harry in a not so good mood. Harry finished lunch and went out into the grand foyer seeking solitude. He went up the stairs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts floor and sat down in an overstuffed chair in a dark corner and closed his eyes. He could hear the whispers going on in the dark, heard the paintings talking, and most importantly, heard the soft whispers coming from Hogwarts. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that Hogwarts was a living breathing sentient being, the magic here saw to that. It was why Harry considered it very important to keep her alive, to protect her from harm, and from those who wished to cause her harm. If the DE's were ever successful in bringing down Hogwarts, the Wizarding world was finished. Harry wasn't about to let that happen.
He opened his eyes when he heard a crowd of people coming into the area where the Defense Against the Dark Arts was. He discretely joined the group of people going into the classroom and he joined Hermione at the desk they normally shared together. The room was a bit bare, an indication to Harry that Umbridge wasn't much of an interior decorator. Harry's attention was drawn to the large blackboard in the middle of the room. On the blackboard, written in very neat cursive writing, were the words defense against the dark arts, and beneath those words was the words a return to basic principles. Harry frowned at that as it indicated to him that something truly was amiss. The classroom filled up as Harry nudged Hermione.
"Check out the blackboard," he said to her.
Hermione turned to the blackboard and silently read what was written there. "This is so not good."
"I agree. But let's give her a chance and maybe she'll show us her grand plan," Harry said.
Hermione looked at Harry. "Simple. Take over Hogwarts and turn it into something that Hogwarts was never meant to be."
"That's not acceptable," Harry said. "Did you get the message that the Dumbledork was trying to say this morning?"
"I did," Hermione said. "I thought he made it very clear. Read our history and find out who it was that stood up for other people and follow their example. Magical history does have quite a few examples of witches and wizards doing just that."
"Let's just see what Umbridge intends to do and we'll go from there. What's been written on the blackboard is an indicator to me as to what direction she wants to go in," Harry stated as he took his seat. "And speak of the devil, here she comes now."
As usual Umbridge was wearing a nauseating shade of bright pink. What made it worse was that her hair was smashed down flat and he had a bright smile on her face while looking at everybody.
"Good afternoon class," she said brightly.
A few people greeted her. She frowned at that. "Let's do try that again, shall we? With a bit more enthusiasm. Good afternoon class."
People shifted in their seats. "Good afternoon Professor Umbridge."
She smiled brightly. "There. So much better."
Umbridge turned to her purse and withdrew her wand, a short stick, and tapped the side of the blackboard. The blackboard erased the message that had been there and started writing a new one. Harry followed the invisible hand that wrote the message.
"Understanding the principals underlying defensive magic. Two, learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used, and three, placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use," Hermione read.
"Now, it is my understanding that you have had shoddy instructors lacking the skill and knowledge to properly teach this course," Umbridge began as Harry slowly simmered. "I am here to correct that. Now, does everybody have the book Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"
There were a few mumbles of assent. Umbridge sighed.
"Shall we try that again? Does everybody have the book?" she asked.
Harry could sense the level of frustration rising. "Yes Professor Umbridge!"
She smiled brightly. "Oh so much better! Now open your books and start reading chapter one, page five, please."
She went to sit down. Harry had already seen chapter one. In fact, he had read the book already and didn't get anything out of it. All it was full of was talk about the author's personal opinions, something that bored Harry greatly. He wanted to see the practical stuff but there wasn't any of that in the book. Harry glanced over at Hermione and she didn't look very happy with what was going on. She was staring at the toad. Umbridge ignored her. People in the class eventually started paying attention to what was going on rather than reading a very boring chapter in a useless book. Even Harry wondered what Hermione was up to. Finally Umbridge gave in.
"Do you have a question about the chapter we are reading, Miss…" she trailed off.
"Granger, Hermione Granger. No, but I do have a question about the course aims," she began.
Umbridge sighed. "Your question will have to wait until we are done reading the chapter, Miss Granger. In this classroom, anyone who wishes to ask a question must raise their hand first."
"Well, I would like to ask it now," Hermione said, raising her hand up.
Umbridge glared at her. "We are reading now."
Hermione soldiered on. "I am curious about your course aims. Why is there nothing about using and practicing defensive spells in the classroom?"
People perked up at that one and began to reread what had been written on the blackboard. Umbridge ground her teeth in anger. She managed to control her anger for the moment and put on a sickly sweet smile on her face.
"Whatever for? Do you expect to be attacked in the classroom?" he asked.
"Anything's possible," Hermione said.
"We will be learning about defensive magic in a secure, risk free environment, Miss Granger. As long as you have studied all of the theory you should be able to cast a spell in a situation when needed to," Umbridge smiled.
Harry wanted to rip the smile off her face.
"But the usage and practice of spells in a classroom has always been practical," Hermione argued.
Harry mentally awarded her points for that one.
Umbridge put her hands in front of her and smiled down at Hermione. "Miss Granger, are you a ministry trained educational expert?"
Hermione deflated. "No."
"I suggest you leave the teaching to me, dear. There is no reason to be using defensive magic in my classroom when there is no threat present. Nobody is going to be attacked in here," Umbridge stated.
"What if," Harry spoke up and people listened, "oh I don't know, someone like, say for example, Lord Voldemort comes strolling in here now that he's got a body back and living again, and starts throwing spells around in here?"
Umbridge made a huge effort to control her rage. She looked at everybody. The room was very quiet and people were waiting to see what she was going to say next.
"I wish to address this issue right here and now. The rumors that a certain wizard that has come back to life is just that. A rumor. In fact, this is a lie," she said, and Harry got angry.
"It's not a lie," Harry snapped. "I saw him. I fought him. He's back."
Umbridge turned on Harry. "You suffered a delusional episode during the third task at the tournament due to the stress you were dealing with. He does not exist. He has not returned."
"Cedric Diggory was there. He can confirm what it was that I saw, he saw him too," Harry protested.
"Mr. Diggory has recanted his statement due to the confusion surrounding the third task and has left England to recover from the trauma he received from you during the third task," Umbridge hissed. "This Lord Voldemort does not exist. Anyone who has concerns about these rumors can come see me after class. Anyone having information about people spreading these useless rumors around can tell me in complete confidence and I will deal with the situation."
She turned back towards the blackboard. Harry had heard enough.
"I am not suffering from any kind of delusional episode. I saw the man. I went up against him. He is back. Peter Pettigrew was the one to revive him," Harry snapped.
Umbridge turned to face Harry. Gone was the simpering look from her face. "Detention. Here, my office. Tomorrow night, five o' clock. Now sit down."
"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you? For all of us sheep to keep quiet about the big ugly wolf sneaking up on all of us. I am not lying. I am telling the truth," Harry snapped, his temper suddenly running short. "I was there. He was there. We had a fight. He is back."
Umbridge went to her desk and picked up a bit of pink colored parchment and wrote something on it. She cast a spell on it and the parchment sealed up. "Mr. Potter, please take this to Madame McGonagall at once. Do not bother to return to my classroom."
Harry took the note from her and left the class. He headed up the stairs to where he knew the headmaster's office was. Harry sighed as McGonagall looked over the note.
"Lord Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked him.
Harry sat down in his chair. "I'm not sorry for what I said to her. She was accusing me of lying, which I wasn't, and she stated for all to hear that Cedric recanted his story about the events of that night and has left England."
McGonagall leaned forward. "Mr. Diggory did not recant anything. He left England because his father was afraid for their safety. It is my understanding that Mr. Diggory did not want to leave but was forced to. He is very much on your side, as am I. Were you not paying attention to her speech?"
"Yes, I was," Harry said, getting defensive. "The ministry's trying to take over Hogwarts through her. We need to do something about it."
"Apparently Miss Granger wasn't the only one listening then," McGonagall said. "Did you not listen to Professor Dumbledore's class this morning?"
"He talked about studying people who have risen up to fight back injustice in the Ministry throughout history," Harry said.
"I suggest you study them very carefully," McGonagall stated as the bell went. "Now off with you."
Harry stood up and stalked out the door, slamming it as he went. McGonagall just sighed.
Harry went down to lunch. He had the feeling it was going to be a very long year here. Once more he considered pulling out of Hogwarts. He really didn't need to be here, he had adult status due to his Lordship and his having been made an Emancipated Minor. The only reason he was coming here was to learn things about the Wizarding world. Well, that and just to be close to Hermione. She made coming here bearable. Harry looked for her at lunch only to find her sitting at the foot of the Ravenclaw house table. He sat down next to her.
"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked him.
He nodded. "I'm just fine. McGonagall simply told me to watch my temper a bit more."
"My thoughts exactly," Hermione said. "So what did you get out of her class this morning?"
"That she's out to change Hogwarts for the worst," Harry grumbled. "And she's gonna try to make an example of me to get her point across."
"What the others were thinking, Harry. You need to keep a grip on your temper a lot better. I heard from people that she's trying to find out where you sleep at night," Hermione said.
Harry frowned at that. "I bet she's gonna try to plant something on me to get me kicked out of here."
"That doesn't surprise me," Hermione stated.
Harry sighed. "Just means I need to be careful when I go walking round this place."
"I do know that a lot of the pictures are on your side," Hermione informed him. "They're going to inform me of her movements."
"That helps," Harry conceded.
"The Slytherins seem to be a lot more active this year," Hermione continued on. "I've already reported at least a dozen of them to McGonagall for various things.
"Good. Just don't let them get the drop on you," Harry cautioned her.
She smiled. "They can try."
Harry had no doubt that she could take on all of them and win. "Just don't kill any of them. Can't hide all of the bodies round here."
Hermione had to laugh at that one. "I won't, and that goes for you as well."
Harry did his best to look innocent. "Me? Surely you jest, my good lady."
Hermione shook her head as she smiled. Both of them turned to their lunch. Harry had no doubts that what happened in DADA had gotten around Hogwarts as people seemed to be staring at him and Harry could hear the whispers. Once more he had doubts about being here. He simply wished that people would leave him alone and mind their own business. They finished lunch and left the great hall together, Harry wanting to get out of there. It was too cold to go outside so Harry decided to go up to the library and do some reading before his next class. He settled down in an overstuffed wing back chair with a new book, the next book in a series of books that he enjoyed, a series of books about an adventurer who traveled the world and discovered all kinds of amazing things. Harry briefly played with the idea of just simply walking away from the Wizarding World and letting them deal with the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named on their own. As it was the Daily Prophet constantly cast doubts on his sanity, calling him a delusional attention seeker. Harry slowly cracked his neck muscles in an effort to relieve some of the stress and pressure he was under. He glanced at his watch and noted the time. The book he was trying to read lay on his lap unopened. He sighed and put it on the small table in front of him and stood up. He headed out of the library and to his next class. People watched him go and started whispering to each other as he passed by. He arrived at the front door to his next class only to find Malfoy there. That, he did not need at the moment.
"Hello Potty," Malfoy grinned at him. "So nice to see you. Causing trouble again? I hear Professor Umbridge had to slap you down this morning. You really ought to respect your betters, and learn your place is beneath us Purebloods as we are the true rulers of the Wizarding World."
Harry bit back his response as it would have landed him in even more hot water now that Malfoy was prefect, something he had learned yesterday. He simply turned his back on the pale blond and ignored him. Harry once more cracked his neck muscles in an effort to relieve the pressure he was under. Before anything else was said, the door was opened and all conversation in the hall stopped. Harry took a spot in the back row so he could be alone with his thoughts. He began working on his current assignment while listening to the teacher lecture about mathematical equations needed to create spells. Harry decided right then to retreat to his flat right after class and make an effort to relax, put on some quiet music and hope that it would help his mood. He managed to get through the class and left the moment it ended and he handed in his current assignment. He managed to shake off Malfoy by going in different directions than he normally did. By now he knew where a lot of the secret passages were and he used them to avoid trouble. The one he used a lot let him out into the hall next to his private flat. Miyamoto closed the door behind Harry.
[Are you okay Harry?] Miyamoto asked as Harry flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes.
Harry sighed. [No. This is getting way too much. I am tired of dealing with all of this. That Umbridge is going to be a major pain, I know it, I feel it in my soul and spirit. We had an argument this morning, and now I have a detention with her tomorrow night.]
[From what I've heard of her, she is bad news. Harry, you need to fall back on the tactical advice of Miyamoto Musashi in dealing with this woman. You need to play her carefully,] Miyamoto advised Harry. [If not treated like the snake that she is, she will win.]
Harry closed his eyes and smiled, treating himself to the thought of being able to take her head.
[No, you can't take her head just yet. If anything were to happen to her, you would be number one suspect. Allow her to place herself in that position and others will do it for you. Go to the detention. She what it is she wants. From there you should be able to come up with a counter to her plans. She means to discredit you in any way she can. Once she is able to do that, you will appear weak to everybody. That is when you wait for the right time to attack and then you will be strong and will be able to overcome your enemy,] Miyamoto said.
[That is good advice, and one I shall heed,] Harry said as Dobby popped up.
"Master Harry?" the little elf looked up to Harry with hero worship in his eyes.
Harry smiled and leaned forward to pat Dobby on his right shoulder. "Hello Dobby."
Dobby beamed brightly. "Master Harry is a great wizard!"
"Thank you Dobby. Glad you are here, I'm hungry. Can you get me some sweet and sour chicken, salad, a pot of tea, and a bag of soft chocolate chip cookies?" Harry asked him.
"Right away Master Harry!" Dobby exclaimed and popped right out.
Harry leaned his head back and smiled at the elf's enthusiasm. A moment later he stood up and went into his bedroom to change into a plain blue kimono to relax in. He went to the stereo in the corner and turned it on. He dropped in one of his many Kitaro CD's and sat back down on the couch. A moment later the soft music surrounded him and started having an effect on him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and let the soft music take control. Dobby popped back in with the requested items and left. Harry started in on his dinner. The evening was off to a good start.
Flitwick nodded to Harry as he entered the great hall for breakfast the next morning. Harry was feeling much stronger this morning but he maintained he appearance of looking haggard, drawing comments from people present. Umbridge smirked at him triumphantly and Harry nearly laughed. She was taking the bait perfectly. He took his usual place at the end of the Ravenclaw table and had breakfast. His first class of the day, double charms with Flitwick, allowed him to further his appearance of being weak as he sat down in his seat in the back of the classroom. Flitwick looked concerned but didn't approach Harry as there were people around his desk. He tapped his wand against his lectern and the class settled down. From there the day went forward. From double charms Harry went to lunch for a two hour break, and then to double potions where Harry managed to avert a major disaster. Harry had barely turned around when something in his mind screamed danger and he had turned around just in time to see something flying towards his cauldron. Harry lunged forward just as Snape was bringing up his wand to stop the unknown item. Harry barely brushed the item with the tips of his fingers, but it was enough for him to check the trajectory of the item into a new path away from the cauldron. It struck the lip of the cauldron and bounced away. Harry closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. Harry stumbled backwards and sat down hard in a chair behind him.
"Who is responsible for this?" Snape snarled as he held up the offending item. "If this had gone into the potion, it would have caused a very nasty reaction. The potential for a number of you to be hurt would have been astronomical. I demand that person step forward immediately!"
Nobody said anything or stepped forward. Snape glared at all of them.
"Very well. We shall continue the lesson. When the class is over all of you with the exception of Mr. Potter shall remain behind until that person confesses. I will not stand for any kind of shenanigans in my classroom!" Snape snarled.
Everyone slowly went back to work. Harry sighed and stood up. He went back to work on his potion and very carefully followed the directions carefully and added the ingredients carefully to achieve his goal of a near perfect potion. At the end of class Snape nodded to Harry as he drew the potion into the flask and handed it in after cleanup.
"Dismissed Potter," Snape growled.
Harry left the classroom and headed up to the R&R to try and enjoy a bit of free time before dinner. He paced back and forth in front of the wall where the room was thinking about Potter's bar. He hadn't been up here in a long while and now he was in the mood. He decided he was going to start coming up here again. He missed playing his guitars. He didn't hesitate to start the session with Metallica's instrumental "Orion" and go from there. Before he knew it the dinner hour started. He went down feeling a little better. He glanced up at the head table to see Umbridge smiling at him. Harry felt an ice cold chill run up and down his spine. There was just too much wrong with that woman, and Harry had the distinct impression that he would be tangling with her quite a few times before the dust settled. He sat down and ordered broccoli beef with snow peas and a salad for dinner. He took his time with dinner, and then left the hall ten minutes before seven. It was time for him to do battle with the Pink Toad as Ron Weasley called her.
Harry tapped on her door right at two minutes before seven. She beamed at him as he walked in. Harry had the feeling that she was up to no good, and when she opened her mouth, she removed all doubt in his mind that she was evil incarnate. He blinked as he stepped into her office. The DADA instructor's office had changed at the instructor's whim. When Professor Quirrel, Moody, and Lupin had the office, it looked just like a teacher's office should with all the appropriate books and items. When the flashy flamboyant Lockhart had it he made it look like a shrine to his alleged greatness. Now it looked like something out of an old Victorian home, all kinds of lacy stuff all over the place. But what really did it was the pink. Everything had been pinked out. Even Umbridge was dressed in something luridly pink. She beamed at Harry.
"So glad you could make it, Mr. Potter," she began.
Harry nodded to her. "Evening."
She pointed to the small table off to the side. It had a small lamp on the table, sitting on a neon pink cloth. Next to the lamp was a roll of blank parchment.
"I took the liberty of setting this up for you, Mr. Potter," she smiled sweetly at him. "You are to be doing lines. I will not tell lies. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention seeking stories, Mr. Potter."
Harry felt the fire of anger flare up within him and he worked to suppress it. Now was not the time to fight back. Harry nodded and sat down at the little table. Umbridge smiled sweetly as he took up the quill that was on the table next to the roll of parchment.
"How many lines, please?" Harry asked.
"Until the message sinks in, Mr. Potter. Begin," she snapped as she retreated to her desk.
Harry inclined his head slightly in response and picked up the quill. He started to write, and as he did, felt a sharp stinging pain on the back of his hand. He looked in time to see the words 'I will not tell lies' etched into the back of his hand starting to fade. Harry looked up at Umbridge and she looked very pleased with herself. Harry looked back at the parchment and the words were written in red. Harry instantly knew what he held in his right hand.
"Blood Quill," Harry said out loud.
"Very good, Mr. Potter. Now keep going," she said as she turned back to her desk.
So that's how she wanted to play this. Fine. Harry sighed and slid into Getsumi no Michi and continued to write the lines while blocking the pain effortlessly. Harry kept on going until she stopped him. Harry blinked as he looked up, coming back to the moment. He noted the darkness outside her window. A glance at her clock confirmed the time. It was eleven at night. Harry had been there for four hours.
"Your hand, Mr. Potter," she demanded.
Harry showed her the back of his left hand. It was red and raw looking, and the letters were very slowly fading away. She tutted and shook her head.
"It seems you need to return a few more times until the message is made very clear, Mr. Potter. You may leave now," she said loftily.
Harry didn't say a word. He rose and walked out the door without looking back. He was not about to give her the satisfaction that she had wounded him. As far as he was concerned, Umbridge had drawn first blood in their battle between them. Harry was very determined to win the war against her, no matter what. He would bide his time and wait for the right moment to strike.
Harry examined the back of his left hand the next morning. It had nearly healed up except for a bit of red where the words had cut into the skin. Harry rubbed a bit of aloe vera into the skin and then left the flat. He met up with Hermione down in the great hall.
"Harry," she looked up from the Daily Prophet as he sat down across from her. "How did it go last night with the Pink Toad?"
Harry snorted at the name. "Oh just peachy. She had me doing lines with a Blood Quill."
Hermione's eyes got big. "Harry, those things are illegal! She can't use them on you unless the both of you are signing a contract, and then only in front of people who are authorized to posses or use them!"
"Since when has that ever stopped her?" Harry said. "She's got Fudge backing her."
Hermione reached into her backpack and pulled out a small notebook and wrote something down in it. Harry knew she was documenting it for the record in the event that if they ever found a way to take her down they could produce a lot of evidence against her.
"Well she's got me going back tonight," Harry informed her.
Hermione made a note of that. "Don't forget the essays you need to do for McGonagall and Snape."
Harry sighed. This detention business was going to mess things up for a bit. He pulled his schedule and looked it over. He did have a free day in the morning on Friday. He could do it then as the essays were due by close of the school day Friday. Yeah, that would work. McGonagall's essay would be easy to do. He could have that one out of the way in at least a half hour. Snape's essay would take a bit longer as he needed to do a bit of research on it. Hermione handed Harry a bit of parchment with three books listed on it and where he could find them.
"Thanks Hermione. You're a lifesaver," Harry smiled, the first real smile since the school year had started. "And I love you for it."
"You're welcome Harry. Hang in there, okay? She's not going to be here forever," Hermione said.
Harry agreed with that.
By the time Friday night rolled around, Harry was ready to strangle the Pink Toad. He had managed to get his work done and handed the essays in prior to five o' clock. McGonagall thanked Harry for his, glancing at the white bandage round his left hand. By now it had become raw to the touch and had developed a very angry red color. The rumor mill was going overtime with talk about what was going on with Harry. Harry kept it confined to Hermione and she kept on documenting everything going on between Umbridge and Harry. Harry was certain it would end tonight. One way or another.
"Good evening Mr. Potter," Umbridge greeted him at the door to her office.
Harry barely nodded to her as he walked into her office, taking in the small table with the Blood Quill waiting for him. Umbridge took his left hand in hers and brought it up for inspection, seeing the white bandage. She unwrapped his left hand finally exposing the damage to the back of his left hand.
"You may begin," she ordered him.
Harry turned to sit down at the small table, took up the Blood Quill, and began. The pain kicked in after fifteen minutes of writing. Still Harry kept on. He glanced up after the first hour and saw her smirking at him. That was the breaking point for Harry. He put the Blood Quill down and then reached for the white bandage he had with him. He wiped off the back of his left hand, clearing away the bloody mess. He laid his left hand down on the table flat and then picked up the Blood Quill. Umbridge blinked.
"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" she asked.
Harry didn't answer her. Instead he began to write directly on the back of his left hand the words 'I will not tell lies'. Umbridge jumped up, going pale as she saw what he was doing.
"Mr. Potter!" she shrilled, now scared. "Stop! Stop this instant!"
Harry slowly lifted his head to look at her when he finished the line. The look on his face scared her completely and she stumbled back as Harry rose up to confront her. She drew her wand and pointed it directly at him. Harry stopped once the tip of her wand was between his eyes.
"So I'm spreading evil attention seeking stories, do I?" Harry whispered softly as he took on a demented look. "So I'm an evil brat who's losing it because I claim to have seen a dead man rise once more? Am I fucking evil? You and your buddies in the ministry keep telling lies to the Prophet about me on a daily basis, trotting out all of these so called experts that you pay a lot of gold to get them to tell the world just how fucking demented I am."
Harry raised his left hand, now curled into a fist. He looked at the bloody mess on the back of his hand and raised it to his mouth. He slowly licked the back of his left hand clean as Umbridge stared in horror.
"Am I demented? Am I evil? Yes, yes I am, because you keep making me look that way by telling lies about me to the people," Harry said softly as Umbridge trembled in fear. "Oh look, I have a bit of space to add another line for you."
Harry used the Blood Quill to cut another line underneath the first line on the back of his left hand, snarling and looking demented as he did so.
"There. All done. Look how pretty it is. I did it just for you," Harry breathed out.
"Please leave, Mr. Potter. You're done here!" Umbridge cried out, trembling in fear.
Harry leaned in and smiled a very evil smile. "One more thing before I go. You are to address me as Lord Potter, or have you forgotten that little fact? Perhaps I should make you write lines with your own Blood Quill, Umbridge. I will address him as Lord Potter."
She huddled in the corner of her office. "GO!"
Harry left, slamming the door on his way out. He took his time in going back to his flat. He encountered Peeves in a hall and glared at the poltergeist for a moment. Peeves shivered at the look on Harry's face and immediately changed directions. Harry grinned and kept on going until he got to the stairs. He debated on going up to the top of the North tower where the Astronomy class was held and just sit there for a bit, but changed his mind and headed back to his flat. He just wanted to sit down and rest. He had come so close to losing his temper with the woman, and managed to barely control it. He knew now that Umbridge would be watching him carefully from that point on, looking for anything she could use against him. He knew Hermione would not like this once she found out about it, and not just her, McGonagall would have a few words for him as well. Harry sighed as he turned into the hall where his private flat was. A few of the pictures nodded to him and he knew it was safe for him to go into his flat.
[Good evening Harry,] Miyamoto said as he walked in.
The door closed behind him and he sat down on his couch and sighed. He related to Miyamoto exactly what happened up in Umbridge's office. Miyamoto frowned.
[This is not good, Harry. She could use this against you,] he said.
Harry went into the kitchen. [And reveal her actions against me?]
Miyamoto thought about that for a moment. [She could find a way to spin things her way.]
[There is that,] Harry said as he made tea. [People are already speculating about the bandage around my left hand.]
[So I have heard. My friends have told me of what is being said. They also report that she is creeping round a lot more than a teacher would,] Miyamoto said.
Harry took his cup of tea back to the couch and sat down. [Trying to get something on somebody so she can turn them into her spy.]
[That thought has crossed my mind,] Miyamoto said. [Even more reason to be careful of this woman. I fear you may have pushed her a bit too far tonight.]
Harry sipped his tea, feeling the hot liquid run down his throat. He relaxed and concentrated on feeling the heat moving through his body. He liked that feeling.
[Well, we will have to wait and see what happens next,] Harry said. [Be nice if someone tossed her off the North Tower.]
Miyamoto chuckled at that. [Oh yes, heard a rumor that Ronald Weasley is trying out for Gryffindor keeper tomorrow.]
Harry reacted to that. [He is? I'll have to go down and watch.]
[Let me know how that turns out,] Miyamoto said.
Harry raised his cup of tea. [I shall. I'm off to bed.]
[Rest well,] Miyamoto said.
He watched Harry heading into his bedroom and then departed to go visit some friends.
Harry gave the appearance the next morning of being really tired as he headed down to breakfast. He ran into Ron on the stairs and nodded to him. "I hear you are trying out for Gryffindor Keeper now that Oliver Wood's gone."
Ron beamed. "Yeah! I figure I've got a good chance at it thanks to all of the games during summer break back home with the twins."
"Good of you," Harry said. "You wouldn't mind if I come down and watch you?"
Ron shook his head. "No I don't. Be good of you to."
"The only advice I can give you is to be very alert. Try to follow the quaffle as much as you can."
Ron nodded as a few of the Gryffindors nodded. "Good advice, Harry. Thanks!"
Harry smiled slightly as Ron continued on down to breakfast. Hermione caught up with Harry in the grand foyer.
"That was kind of you to say that to Ron," she said.
Harry nodded. "Just helping out a friend."
"Are you going to be there?" she asked.
Harry sighed. "Sure. I told him I would. I'm also going to the Ravenclaw tryouts, too. Gotta show my house support even though they're trying to stab me in the back."
Some of the Ravenclaws that walked past Harry heard that and they seemed to be a bit embarrassed by that. They continued on into the great hall and Harry knew that would get around Ravenclaw House fairly quick. Malfoy's smirking face was the next to pass him by, the ugly pug Pansy clinging to his arm. Harry sighed and turned to Hermione.
"If those two ever get married and have kids, I'm leaving England," Harry sighed.
Hermione had to giggle at that. "Well, time and events in one's life does have a tendency to change them, so that might not be so bad."
Harry shook his head. "We'll see about that. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your Dad doing?"
"Really good. He's bounced back well after all of that business. Everybody that he knows was under the impression that he'd been sick with something serious. When he felt good enough to go back to work, he made it a point to go to his doctor for a full examination and submitted the results to the dental board and they cleared him to go back to work. So he's back doing what he likes to do," Hermione said.
Harry smiled. "Now that's good news. Shall we go in?"
They walked in together and sat down at the foot of the Ravenclaw table. The Daily Prophet was delivered by an owl and Harry opened it up to see what was going on. Other than Fudge grandstanding and the daily poke at Harry, there wasn't much in the paper. He handed it to Hermione and she had her turn at it. Not much was said between them as they ate. The bell rang a few minutes later, and the school day was under way.
Harry sat in the Ravenclaw stands at the Gryffindor tryouts, waiting for Ron to do his thing. He'd never seen Ron's keeper skills, but if he said the twins had more or less trained him for the spot then Ron had a great chance of getting in. He sipped a bit of tea out of his travel thermos mug and watched the Gryffindors arrive. They started with a few simple stretches and then staged a broom race. Ron ended up in the top ten, eighth place. That was a good start. Harry knew from experience the Weasley Twins were unpredictable as beaters and quite often had the chance to handle the quaffle and that gave Ron an edge over the new people. Hermione sat down next to him.
"Number eight in the broom race," Harry said. "Placing in the top ten is a good sign."
Hermione nodded. "Now if he can do well when his turn comes up, he's got it made."
"I am curious if the Gryffindors are going to use the whole team to try and trip him up," Harry said.
Hermione leaned back. "If the twins stuck him there at keeper during their pick up games during summer holiday at home, Ron has a better than good chance of making it."
"I'd ground the twins for that exercise," Harry said.
Hermione glanced at Harry. "So would I. The twins might make an effort to make it easy on him."
They watched the tryouts advance until it was time to test the applicants for keeper. The twins made a show of going over to their bench and sitting down and Harry nodded at that.
"They benched themselves?" Hermione gasped.
Harry nodded. "They did the right thing by taking themselves out. Good men, both of them."
They turned their attention back to the goal rings and watched. Ron's turn came up after five of the applicants failed miserably. He moved back and forth between the goals and watched the team flying round the pitch, and it was obvious to Harry he was watching the quaffle. Suddenly the team came swirling in and attacked. Ron went to work blocking the goals using every move he possibly could, from using feet to kick the quaffle away to using the tail end of the broom to knock it away. Out of ten possible shots, not a one made it in. Harry grinned as the twins and Ron celebrated.
"Too soon yet, Ron. Three more gotta try," Harry said out loud.
The last three took their place and out of the three, only one had a perfect run defending the goals.
Hermione hissed. "You can do it Ron."
Ron took his broom up and did several fly by's in an effort to calm down. He took his place at the goals and once more the team rushed in and attacked, this time a bit faster and blocking each other from telegraphing their moves. The last throw of the quaffle was a near thing, Ron's left fingertips just barely grazing the quaffle, but it was enough to change it's course by inches. It bounced off the rim of the right ring. Harry sighed a breath of relief while Hermione cheered loudly. The other applicant got up there and worked just as hard as Ron did, but a sneak move that the team had pulled off on Ron got in. Ron was the new Gryffindor keeper. Harry smiled and nodded at Ron before leaving the stands. He was glad that Ron had made it in. Now the team would work him a bit until he was well attuned to the post. Harry walked across the grounds up to the great doors and inside. He debated on going into the great hall for hot tea or going back to his quarters for the cup of tea. Watching a growling Malfoy walk into the great hall made up his mind for him. Harry stepped into the shadows and used a secret passageway that took him up to the hall where his flat was. The door refused to open for a few minutes and then popped open. Harry went from that door and through the open one to his flat. That door closed behind him. Harry hung up his heavy outer cloak on the coat tree and turned to find Dobby setting a teapot on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Thank you Dobby. You're a good friend," Harry said.
Dobby beamed joyously. "You're welcome Master Harry!"
He popped out and Harry sat down to enjoy the tea. He relaxed for a bit and then took the next cup of tea to his desk where he spent the next few minutes writing letters to Sirius and the family.
The first real sign of trouble came the next morning when Harry discovered a tiny little blurb about a Sturgis Podmore trying to break through a top security door at the ministry at one in the morning. According to the blurb, he refused to say why he was there and got six months in Azkaban for it. Harry put down the paper and Ron snatched it up and read it. Ron had joined Hermione at the tail end of the Ravenclaw table. Luna had joined them as well.
"I know this bloke," Ron said a moment later. "He's a part of Dumbledore's group. I've seen him there quite a few times."
Hermione frowned at that. "Why on Earth was he doing there?"
"Looking for something?" Luna ventured.
Harry scratched his chin. "Wonder if he did it on the Dumbledork's orders?"
"What's behind that door?" Hermione wondered.
Ron looked up. "Paper doesn't say. Just says a top security door."
Harry slowly cracked his neck. "Curious, said the cat."
"That's Hermione's line, mate. A possible weapon?" Ron wondered.
Luna got a funny look on her face. "Something involving Harry and the dimwit?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to smile at that.
"Who knows?" Harry said. "But I have this very dangerous feeling about that."
Something in the back of Harry's mind was whispering, urging him to be ready for anything.
Next Episode: Percy's letter, Harry and Sirius meet, and the High Inquisitor.