Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

Harry had known that it would only be a matter of time after the Daily Prophet had been sold that this following confrontation would come to pass. Rita though was easy to please since she had merely wanted a scoop. His new opposition however would demand that much more from him. Thankfully though, for this chat he would have Amelia by his side and she seemed just as thrilled as he was that this encounter was taking place.

"Madam Bones, thank you for granting us entry," said Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. "I'm sorry for intruding upon you at such short notice."

Short notice indeed. "You're always welcome in my home, Minister," said Amelia. "I was unaware that you would be bringing a guest with you, something I must say I was unprepared for."

"Oh don't mind me," said Dolores Umbridge. "I'm merely here as an observer, I assure you I won't be any trouble."

Amelia doubted that but said nothing.

"Now, enough dilly dallying, where is young Mister Potter?" asked Cornelius, looking around anxiously. Amelia watched Cornelius with a wary eye; she had to admit that Harry had handled himself in a professional manner given the article that was written about him. Even speaking of it afterwards just went to show that he knew what needed to be done in the face of a journalist. What the highest political figure in Magical Britain wanted with Harry was yet to be discovered and with Dolores in the background making notes it would be a whole other kettle of shrimp... at least that's what she thought the Muggle saying was.

Upon hearing himself be summoned, Harry waited several seconds in the kitchen with Susan who looked troubled by this whole scenario. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Harry reassuringly. He himself had shivered quite substantially when he had heard the sickly sweet voice of Umbridge, one of the few people he had never wished to meet this time round. Susan gave him a comforting hug before Harry stepped out into the open, bracing himself for what was about to come.

"What are you wearing, boy? Get decent this instance!" Dolores almost screamed at Harry as he rounded the corner into the room.

"What, something wrong with what I'm wearing?" asked Harry gesturing to the gray trackpants and the fact that he wasn't wearing a top. "I'm afraid the majority of my clothes are currently being washed, as this was meant to be the day where Susan and I would hang around the household and do our homework. If you'd let us known you were coming a bit earlier, I could've seen to dressing myself a bit better."

Amelia did her best to hide the smile that threatened to spread across her face. Indeed, today had been their wash day but Harry had more than enough clothes and not even half of them were getting cleaned. It seemed as if this was a game to Harry, one she was more than willing to watch and enjoy.

"Amelia, you have a daughter here, don't you," stated Dolores.

"Actually she's my niece..."

"It is of no importance, go throw some of her clothes on and do make yourself look decent," demanded Fudge's undersecretary.

"Alright then," said Harry with a shrug as he turned and left the room, wicked plans on his mind.

"Good grief," huffed Dolores.

"Well it is our fault for not having arranged this in a more orderly fashion," reasoned Fudge. "As you can understand though, our time was limited and so being we should accommodate for such occurrences. I imagine that young Harry only brought a limited supply of clothing for the short break after all."

"Right you are," said Amelia. She meanwhile had a feeling she knew what was coming next and while part of her begged for her imagination to be running wild she couldn't help but feel excited.

"The boy should know better regardless, though considering he was raised by Muggles it is not surprising, I'm more surprised he had as big a vocabulary as he did," stated Dolores.

Now Amelia really hoped that Harry did more than she expected. "I hope that you aren't insinuating that all Muggleborn children behave that way," said Amelia with a hint of a warning in her voice.

"Of course they do, Hogwarts proves to show that only those that are at least half pure are able to find success after their studies have concluded," declared Dolores.

"That would be because the glass ceiling is about a foot off the ground," stated Harry as he made his reappearance in one of Susan's summer dresses, a gorgeous yellow in colour with pink flowers around the hem. "Those of Muggle origins are treated as second class citizens because of their lack of a name to fall back on, as opposed to the skills and resources they could bring to a community dedicated to remaining in the dark ages."

The three adults found themselves in a conundrum as their mouths opened and closed unsure how best to proceed; in Amelia's case it was a question of whether to leave the room and cast a silencing charm so she could burst out in laughter. "How dare you dress in such a manner!" shouted Madam Umbridge.

"I believe your words were, 'go throw some of her clothes on,'" stated Harry. "These are indeed some of Susan's clothes and might I add that I feel as if I look mighty fine in them, although I'm afraid it makes my butt look too big."

He could hear Susan giggling around the corner as he watched Umbridge's mind temporarily shatter.

"Excluding your choice in...uh...attire," said Fudge carefully choosing his words, "I must ask why you feel such feelings towards the magical society. You've only learned of your heritage upon your last birthday and yet you feel it is within your right to question the ways of the Ministry?"

"Tell me, Minister, if you were to go on a diplomatic trip to India, for example, would you not take every moment you could learning of the culture and heritage to best understand just what it was you were going to encounter?" asked Harry.

"Yes, well, I believe I would..."

"Then can the same not be said for me? I've been trying to learn all that I could about the wizarding world, only to find out that we are being outpaced by giant slugs?"

"Well, I'm sure you've only skimmed the surface..."

"Trust me, I haven't," stated Harry coldly.

Fudge couldn't help but feel intimidated by the eleven year old boy crossdressing in front of him. This had not been how he had expected this talk to have gone, the boy was meant to be glad to meet the head of the British wizarding society and he would use his charm to ensure that if the time came the boy would throw his support behind him. What they had discussed so far was so left of field that he was ill prepared to continue on this path.

He could rectify this however.

"I believe we got off on the wrong foot, allow me to introduce myself, I'm...

"Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic and whatever other titles you have," said Harry sharply. "Don't try and change the subject."

"How dare you speak to the Minister like that!" screamed Dolores, having returned to the land of the living.

"Dolores, if you are unable to contain yourself in my house I will have to ask you to leave," warned Amelia. "You should be ashamed of yourself for allowing a prepubescent boy to rile you up in such a manner."

"Thank you," said Harry over his shoulder before returning his icy glare towards the Minister. "Now, without the annoying voices manipulating your opinion on each and every matter, shall we discuss how Britain's magical community could be changed for the better? We could start with an internship for one Muggleborn student to work in the Ministry immediately following their graduation. That'd be a nice improvement. now wouldn't it? Or if you want to discuss something else we could talk about how Werewolves are practically removed from society because they were attacked and forced into a situation they couldn't receive any help or assistance for? If neither of those topics tickle your fancy, why don't we discuss how my godfather Sirius Black was sentenced to life in Azkaban without a trial for a crime he didn't commit!"

Harry stopped himself cold as he realized just what he had said as all eyes focused on him intently

It didn't take long for Harry to notice the hand movements Dolores was making, especially after he had successfully managed to get under her skin. He wasn't the only one however. Only as Madam Umbridge's hand had clasped around her did she pause as she found Amelia's wand pointed straight at her face. "Don't you dare raise your wand against a guest of this house!" threatened Amelia.

"You defend this ruffian? This brat without mannerst!" seethed Dolores in anger.

"This child has not only bested you at your own game but made a mockery of everything you've said since you stepped through my door. Now, I ask you politely to leave this house, before I Transfigure you into the toad that hides beneath your skin," warned Amelia.

"Are you threatening your superior?" asked Dolores trying to make herself feel like she was the victim in this case.

"Outside, Dolores," commanded Fudge.

"But Minister..."

"Now!" shouted Fudge, Harry surprised at the amount of backbone that the head of the British Wizarding World was showing. Did Fudge always have this much spine to him? Did something happen in the next couple of years to cripple him mentally?

Beaten and ashamed, Dolores did her best to march out of the house with her back straight as if to radiate some kind of power despite the verbal beatdown she'd just received. Even when she exited the house nobody could hear the door close as if she still trying to show that she was in control of the situation.

"Sorry about that, I'm afraid Dolores can get a tad protective over certain subjects," said Cornelius, his demeanour shifting back into the jolly fellow portrayed in the papers. "I do have to say Mister Potter that your attitude, while startling, may get you far one day."

"Come again?" said Harry in confusion.

"Not many are prepared to openly discuss such topics outside of locked doors, fewer willing to back up their statements. I believe once you turn of age if you were to display such courage and ferocity towards any topic you feel strongly towards that you may be able to get things in motion that have remained stagnant for decades," said Fudge.

"Thanks," said Harry taken aback.

"Now I believe it's time I returned to the office, I must say this minor ordeal has reminded me that there is work to be done and I shouldn't dilly dally about. Madam Bones, Mister Potter, I wish you both a good day and happy holidays." With his speech done, Cornelius tipped his bowler hat lightly before turning towards the exit. It was only once the door was closed that Harry realised that despite everything that had been said the sly man had still managed to get away without answering any of Harry's questions.

"I never thought I'd see the day," said Amelia as the closed behind the Minister.

"Is everything alright?" asked Susan, making her way into the living room.

"I think so," said Harry slowly. "Feels like I've just seen both sides of the Galleon."

"Well," said Amelia clapping her hands together to shake everyone out of their slump. "I think we need to do something with the rest of the day, and I have just the activity."

...

Diagon Alley was full of life as Harry, Susan and Amelia marched down the street intent on their Christmas shopping. After their confrontation with the Minister and his Undersecretary (of which Harry still had no clue what the position meant) Amelia declared that they should spend the rest of the day doing their Christmas shopping. It seemed however that they weren't the only ones who were leaving their shopping to the last minute.

After a quick trip to Gringotts where Harry withdrew what he felt would be enough money, they ventured from shop to shop, keeping close track of one another lest they get trampled beneath the sale stampede. The only time they did break away from each other's view was when they purchased presents for one another. With something on their mind they would vanish into a specific shop and return with heavily disclosed bags.

None of them questioned what had been purchased.

Eventually with arms full they headed towards an Owl Post and sent off their gifts. For Hermione Harry sent a couple of books focused around runes and advanced potion brewing. While the content was nowhere near what they should be learning for several years Harry had little doubt that Hermione would push herself to understand the topics.

As plain and boring as it sounded, he sent Ron some jumpers just so that he would have something else to where besides the patented 'Weasley' jumpers. While Harry was sure that they were made with the utmost care the material Molly Weasley used was itchy as buggery. At least that way Ron could stay both warm and comfortable.

He had contemplated sending more presents out to members of Potter Club but ultimately chose against it, at least for now. Maybe in years to come he would do something for them but for now he only had one more gift to send. "Who's that for?" asked Susan. "I can see you're not putting your name on it."

"Yea, this one I want sent anonymously," said Harry as the owl took the package and flew off.

"I'm sure whoever it is will like their present," said Amelia affirmatively.

Harry knew they would.

...

Albus Dumbledore wasn't the fondest person of the Yuletide celebration. The season had proved to be one of little variety and Dumbledore was not one to grow into a routine.

Slicing open the envelope which held another Season's Greetings card, this one complete with the cheerful sound of House Elves singing. Closing the card (which had been sent by a member of the Wizengamot) Albus rubbed at his eyes. The morning had barely started and already he was contemplating returning to his chambers to get some more rest. There were duties to attend to however and he would not be tardy to the lunch feast where he was expected to attend. As hilarious as it would be to appear to the party late (he was sure Professor Flitwick would get quite the chuckle out of it) he was not the slightest bit tardy and would arrive precisely when lunch would begin.

The squawk of Fawkes directed his attention to the assortment of brightly wrapped gifts that he had been sent. It didn't take a genius to figure out that a vast majority of them could be labelled under literature, fiction or nonfiction it really didn't matter. Having lived as long as he had he had amassed an exemplary library with his personal collection housing almost a quarter of what the school's library held. That being said, any doubles he had usually ended up donated to Hogwarts as there was no need for him to hold onto them.

There was one package however which confused him somewhat. Levitating a pile of books off of it, Albus found himself stumped at the plain cardboard box devoid of any wrapping. He was on edge however as he saw the letters 'PC' emblazed proudly on the top.

Casting a plethora of charms he ensured that the box wasn't jinxed or cursed before edging closer, thankful that none of the Hogwarts staff were here to witness his timidness. He had nothing against the club, he was even quite grateful for the joy that it spread around the halls but after the prank against young Harry Potter he couldn't help but be cautious. He knew surely that even if it were a prank against him that it wouldn't be malicious in nature, Potter Club didn't give off that vibe.

That being said he did actually want to meet with the group personally to ensure that they were taking proper precautions in order not to deal harm to themselves or their intended targets. He wasn't so naive as to see their enchanting displays as mere spells that academic students could achieve on their own. One wrong wrist movement or pronunciation could possibly have catastrophic results.

Once his final charm had been cast, Dumbledore put away his wand and knelt down next to the package, ignoring the mild discomfort in his knees. Opening it up he half expected something to leap out of him but what he saw only confused him more. Reaching in he pulled out a calf length thick woolen sock. He didn't know how but somebody within Potter Club's ranks knew that he had wanted something mundane and ordinary.

Yet they had still decided to mock him.

Looking in, one would have expected to find an identical sock but nay, there were merely a multitude of various socks, no two the same. Albus found himself chuckling at the prank pulled on him as he selected two socks which he would wear throughout the day whilst silently wishing the members of Potter Club a Merry Christmas.

...

Ignoring the constant chuffing of the Hogwarts Express, Harry listened to the conversation around him, rarely chipping in with his own recount of his holiday as Susan had already covered the majority of their activities. Thankfully she had decided to omit the confrontation with the Minister, something which Harry would be happy to put behind him for another couple of years. Compared to some of the jest filled events their fellow carriage riders experienced over the short break their Christmas Day was rather tame.

Hermione was currently recalling the books she had received for the festive season, thanking those who had sent her gifts and explaining what a joyous time she had had. Turning his head to the side, Harry gazed out the frosted windows of the Hogwarts Express as it blazed through the countryside. Focusing out of the conversation, he contemplated what needed to be done in the coming months in order to prevent Voldemort from having an early resurrection.

He hadn't found the fabled Mirror of Erised but he couldn't help but believe that Dumbledore would have already placed the magical artifact at the end of his otherwise simplistic traps. The Philosopher's Stone was likely embedded within the mirror and Quirrell would be unable to remove it.

Or at least Harry hoped so.

On lighter notes, Harry did have a grand idea for the final prank Potter club would perform at the end of the year although it would take a substantial amount of research and delicacy. He would also have to try and make it that every member of the club contributed in someway. Last thing he wanted was for some of the members to feel left out, especially after the grandiose explosion that had been his summoned birds.

Next year he would request for some new members of the club again but last thing he wanted was for them to be drowning in members. Luna Lovegood he was determined to sign up; even though he had only met her just prior to the commencement of his fifth year the dreamy girl seemed to be lacking in friends. Hopefully this would be a way for her to feel welcome and possibly avoid some bullying.

"Are you with us Harry?" asked Neville. Slowly drawing his attention back to that of the real world, Harry found everybody looking at him.

"What I miss?"

"Did you have a good Christmas, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, yea, of course, why wouldn't I?" said Harry.

"Well you did get harassed by a reporter," said Neville.

"Rita, she was nothing," said Harry offhandedly. "It was easy to tell what she was after."

"Did you give it to her?" asked Neville.

"Pfft, no way was I going to make it easy for her," said Harry.

"Harry showed her," boasted Susan.

Harry wasn't so certain of Susan's brief description on the events, really the only thing which had helped him through the situation was knowing first hand just what it was that Rita was after. He momentarily pondered whether or not she would track him down at a later date for a follow up, perhaps this time actually using some of his quotes. Goodness knew that if she did by the time the Triwizard Tournament came about she'd almost consider the two of them best of friends.

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

"So what do you think happened with Potter Club while we were gone?" asked Hermione, changing the topic of conversation with ease. Harry merely watched as people began putting forward their thoughts and what the odds of a member of the club having gotten caught. Harry even spoke up, stating that Potter Club would have put on a wonderful display for the festive season, knowing full well that nothing of the sort would have happened.

While everybody smiled at the possibilities, some of which Harry contemplated stealing for another time, Harry smiled for a different reason as he watched the conversation in front of him and the joy the topic brought. At the end of the day, happiness was what Potter Club sought to achieve and it could be accomplished not only with impressive feats of magic but the word of mouth aftermath or presumptions which schoolchildren seemingly thrived on. Harry himself had been the centre of the rumor mill for years, something he would do his best to avoid this time round, and knew personally just how quickly information passed via word of mouth.

He wondered whether he could abuse the system down the track to his advantage.

Rejoining the conversation, Harry indulged them with another idea of what Potter Club might have accomplished as the train continued on its path towards the magical school.

...

"You're back!" exclaimed Ron as he saw Harry step into the Gryffindor common room, followed by Hermione and the rest of those who had ventured home for the Winter holidays.

"What? You think I was going to stay?" asked Harry, causing Ron to fluster a bit. "Relax will you, I'm here now and that's what matters."

"I merely hope, Ronald, that you've managed to complete your holiday homework with little trouble," said Hermione as she placed her trunk down, standing next to Harry. Harry meanwhile was watching the mild confrontation between them. While he had had a good bit of time with Ron to ensure that their friendship was heading on the right direction he was uncertain about how his two friends reacted around one another.

"I've gotten started," said Ron bashfully. "Fred and George gave me some pointers."

"I'd think cross referencing might be good then," said Harry, wondering whether the advice Ron's brothers had given him was meant to help him pass or fail.

"Well if I can beat you in a game of chess, Hermione could you look over my work for me?" suggested Ron, giving Harry an indication of the relationship between the two students.

"Best out of three," stated Hermione. "Only however if you take my trunk up to my dormitory beforehand."

"Deal," said Ron exuberantly as he gathered Hermione's belongings and started heaving them towards the stairs where the girl's dormitories were located.

"This cannot end well," said Harry casually as Ron vanished from view. Harry knew full well that Hermione was aware of the defences Hogwarts had to prevent members of the opposite gender from getting into the female dorm rooms. True to his word, roughly a dozen seconds later he watched as the steps all shifted in angle, turning the entire set of stairs into a slide. Those in the common room couldn't help but laugh as Hermione's trunk slid into view, quickly followed by a screaming Ron sliding backwards on his stomach who had been completely unprepared for Hogwarts repelling him from trying to access the witches' quarters.

He wasn't the only one screaming however.

Laughter came to abrupt halt as Lavender Brown slid down on her buttocks right towards Ron, uncertain of what had just happened and the predicament she was now in. Ron of course could only watch on in shock as Lavender rocketed closer and closer to where he was with her legs spread apart. She was doing her best to hold her robe down to keep her modesty from most of the tower but Ron had the perfect view from his position.

"Pink," he said softly before Lavender crashed into him, his head burying underneath her robe right between her legs.

Seconds ticked by as everybody did their best to process the situation. From Harry's (and most of the common room's) perspective they had watched the prank pulled by Hermione (who definitely knew what it was she was doing) turn into something that nobody could believe as Ron remained still, his head buried between Lavender's legs.

An audible thunk was heard as the stairs leading to the female dormitories sprung back to their original shape. The resounding noise snapped everybody out of their daze as Lavender scrambled to her feet and rushed up the stairs, quickly followed by several of the older female students who were determined to comfort the young girl. Ron meanwhile was launched onto his feet by Percy, the Prefect disgusted with his brother's behavior and was in the middle of a rant when Hermione turned to Harry.

"I...I...umm...I didn't..." she stuttered unable to form coherent words as the rest of the tower began to break out into either fits of laughter or began scolding those who were laughing.

"And that is why I named you the Queen of Potter Club," said Harry just soft enough for her to hear despite the ruckus.

Hermione smiled.