The morning after the Quibbler interview was published was a sight to see. Just about everyone at the Ravenclaw table had one. And quite a few Gryffindors did as well. The Hufflepuffs were quickly borrowing copies. Only the Slytherins were ignoring it. No surprise there.

Hermione was glad to see that Umbridge was inspecting the magazine. And she did the only thing that could have insured that every student, even the Slytherins, would have read it by dinner. She banned the Quibbler.

Hermione smirked slightly as copies were confiscated. But she saw numerous students charm them before Umbridge reached them. Without clear evidence, the professor was forced to leave them in the hands of the students.

"You seem happy," Hary grumbled. He was liking Umbridge less and less with each passing day.

"Don't you see Harry? Now everyone will at least read the article," Hermione said. She was careful not to gush or press. Harry would not have appreciated that.

Harry shrugged. He wasn't sure if Hermione was right. But he wasn't about to argue with her. She was usually right. And those times that she wasn't hadn't gotten anyone hurt.

"Whatever you say," he said.

They headed off to class, watching the events unfold. Umbridge was destroying as many copies of the Quibbler as she could. And that didn't look like it was going well.

By the end of the day one of the Ravenclaws had managed to post several hundred copies of the article over the wall in front of the great hall. Another had multiplied her copy of the entire magazine and distributed it through the student population. Everyone had read it.

Harry had to admit that Hermione was right about the article. Even the Slytherins had read it. A few, mostly younger ones, had come up to ask Harry questions. He was very grateful that Umbridge had been busy then. She wouldn't have liked it at all.

"You did well," Harry said.

Hermione shrugged. "I just got Skeeter to write the story my way. The rest was Umbridge. And Padma."

"What did I do?" Padma asked sitting down next to Hermione.

"Purchase and distribute an entire case of magazines," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"We probably shouldn't say that out loud," Padma mumbled. "Don't know who's listening."

Hermione had to nod her head at that. Padma was right about as often as Hermione. She was just sometimes quieter about it. It was easier to work on something that interested you if you didn't shout how smart you were to the world.

"You think she'll be able to find anything?" Ron asked.

They were all a little nervous that they would be found out. The DA was great, but Umbridge would almost certainly use it as an excuse to expel them. But failing their OWLs could be just as bad. Hermione wasn't sure what she would prefer.

"I hope not," Harry said.

Hermione knew that he was repressing a shudder. And she didn't blame him. Detention with that horrible excuse for a woman had left him with a hand that might possibly be permanently scarred. Even with magic.

"We've got practically all the Ravenclaws on our side. And most of the younger Slytherins. I suspect we'll be okay," Hermione reassured them.

Deep down, she knew that she was just as afraid as they were. And she was fairly certain that something needed to be done. But she was unsure of how to proceed. And that uncertainty held her back.

They headed up to their common room, Padma leaving to study in the somewhat quieter Ravenclaw tower. It was only quiet due to strong silencing charms, but it worked.

Both Neville and Hermione were a little sad to see Padma walk off, but knew it was for the best. Umbridge had become more and more paranoid. Knowing that she could snap at any second, they decided to play by her rules for the time being.

The next few days passed without much incident. The inquisitorial squad was frustrating, but it wasn't exactly anything they weren't used to. Malfoy had made sure of that.

Hermione was finding that things weren't going as smoothly as she wanted. It seemed like every time she got used to the way things were working, something came along that bumped into her carefully laid plans. There was a saying about that.

They had scheduled a DA meeting soon. They still wanted Umbridge to have enough time to relax, and let her guard down. Even if it was a fraction of what it had been, it would be nice to have her lurk from a distance instead of breathing down their necks.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head, hardly glancing up from her book. "I doubt you have a right to wonder if it's a good idea or not. I seem to recall you doing several foolhardy things over the course of your life here."

Harry heaved a dramatic sigh. "I suppose so."

Hermione smiled and turned back to the potions text she had been studying. She was very interested in the subject, even if she wasn't particularly fond of Professor Snape. She was hoping to do well enough to get into NEWT potions.

Harry was working on his next lesson plan, and Hermione had offered help if he needed it. So far, he had been doing fairly well. He had even thought about becoming a teacher after school. His plan was still to become an auror. But Hermione was glad that he was looking at other options.

But with everything going on, they were being incredibly cautious. The room of requirement, as they had been told it was called, had developed into the perfect space for their meetings. Which was part of the magic of the space. But the best part was that Umbridge couldn't get in.

"Working on something?" Padma asked sliding into a chair near the two of them.

Harry groaned. "I think I understand why Snape hates us all so much," he said.

"Just be grateful that you don't have to grade essays," Neville added.

Harry grabbed one of the pillows and shoved his face into it. There was a soft mumbling from him, that no one understood.

"Mind saying that again?" Ron asked.

Harry slowly pulled his face out of the pillow. "Remind me why I thought teaching would be a good idea."

The three other teens laughed, lightening the mood considerably.

A/N: Sometimes I don't enjoy life that much. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday in a big tube getting a MRI. (I didn't hurt myself. We're just checking to see something that's been there for a while now.) Less than fun. And you can't even really think since it's so loud and it makes you dizzy. But I hope this chapter is good.