We ended up having the centaur (Firenzze I think he was called) to teach our divination lessons. Trelawney was kept on, much to Umbridge's disgust to teach the lower years.

It turned out that when Harry, Hermione and Gennie went on their first year trip to find dead unicorns (logic I still didn't get) they'd met him and saved Harry from Voldemort. While I was grateful and everything, I wasn't sure if he was the best teacher for us.

He was trapped here now, as his herd had thrown him out once he started to work for Dumbledore and made more propchesies than Trelawney and other seers combined. But he did teach us about astrology, and it always made me smile when he mentioned the Sirius or Draco constellations.

The nice lesson atmosphere was shattered when Firenze told us that the stars said that for the last ten years we'd been in a break between wars. He kept empahasising that war was going to break out again soon, making me feel sick.

The euphoric happiness I'd had over the quibbler article and Harry's acceptance of my depression had long gone. March blurred into April, and my life was once again full of stress and anxiety.

Hermione and the teachers loved to remind us about the exams coming closer. Everybody was stressed at some point, but Sam was the first one to suffer the worst. She had higher expectations placed on her (by herself) to be the best, and that she could still achieve after all she had done for Voldemort.

At one point she'd been revising in the common room with us, and suddenely started pulling her short hair out and having a total freak out about how she couldn't do anything right in her life.

Hermione had managed to calm her down that one time, but Sam had to take calming draughts from Madam Pomfrey every wednesday now to avoid anymore high levels of anxiety and stress over exams.

If it had not been for the D.A. lessons, I think I would have been on my medication a lot more. Sometimes, I thought my entire week was always building up to the hours in the room of requirement for when I'd see us all learning and enjoying ourselves.

The only possible downside to the DA meetings was that I couldn't tell Draco about them in case Umbridge found out about the group through him. It made me feel bad that I couldn't share this part of my life wit him, but as we were working on patronuses, it made me feel a lot better.

But the happiness of doing patronouses again was cut short when we were ten minutes into the session without beginning yet, as several people were missing.

"Where's Gennie? I swear I saw her when I was coming down." Alia complained to Harry, looking very put out about it. Alia liked doing the advanced spells, it made her feel much older than she actually was.

Harry just smiled mysteriously. "I know why she's late, and it's a valid reason."

"What about Marietta Edgecombe?" I asked, exasperated. "She's missing, any idea where she is?"

"No, sorry." Cho said apologetically, and before I could press the matter further, the door opened into the room of requirement.

It was Gennie, holding the hand of someone who I hadn't seen in what seemed like lifetimes.

Cole.

The reaction was amazing. People started cheering and Alia let out a girlish squeal and threw herself at her brother, who spun her around before Alia composed herself. Even Sam cracked a smile for the first time in DA, as Mira had kept staring at her.

I approached Cole and Gennie with a big grin. I tackled Cole into a hug, and he ruffled my hair in his chidish way. I looked him up and down. "Two things--one, how are you here. Two, since when did you get pierced up?"

Cole gave a cheesy grin, twirling the lip ring that now lived on the left side of his mouth. As I examined him closer, I realised that not only was his lip pierced, so were his ears and his fringe had finally been cut, and his hair chopped to his ears.

"Yeah, come on, everybody wants to know!" Neville exclaimed, looking overjoyed that Cole was back.

"Alright Nev, calm yourself." Cole rolled his eyes. "Okay, so because I'm doing so good in the nut house, I'm allowed a day out of there per week. I decided to come to DA for old times sake."

"Well we're all glad you're here Cole," Harry said, attempting to get into teacher mode, though he was still smiling. "Now, shall we get started on the lesson?"

Harry began going over the basic pricipale of the patronus charm, but because a few of us knew this already, we snuck off into a corner of the room to talk.

Alia, Cole, Gennie, Sam and I sat in a circle on the floor, and Cole grinned again. "I can't stop smiling, oh god is this normal?"

"As long as you didn't eat a suspcious brownie, you should be fine." Alia said. "But let's move onto important topics, why can you get all piercings but I'm not allowed my ears pierced?"

"I always wanted them, but my dad said they were too feminine. So I thought I'd just do it, and have a lip one at the same time." Cole shrugged.

"That still doesn't explain why you stopped me getting them pierced in the summer." Alia frowned.

You're thirteen, I don't want my little sister being hurt by needles." Cole said in a poor attempt of a stern voice.

"Cole, I had mine pierced when I was ten," Gennie rolled her eyes.

"I had mine when I was six," I inputted.

"I beat you all, I had them when I was six months old." Sam said, sticking out her tounge. "What did you even do to your hair?"

"It mysteriously vanished overnight, what do you think?" Cole rolled his eyes. "Four months away, and everybody goes straight to the apperance change."

"Right, everyone, let's practice the patronuses!" Harry shouted, ending our conversation. "Sam, Rory and I will be around to help those who are struggling."

"Well, I'd better start my community work, live up to the kind Hufflepuff stereotype." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Oh and Sam?" Cole said, as she was leaving. "I do miss my emo fringe, if that's what you mean."

Sam rolled her eyes and walked off. Alia looked between the two of them. "You have inside jokes, how cute."

* * *

We started practicing patronuses, and it made me feel very free to see my doe patronus after so long. She whirled around my head lazily as I watched others create patronuses.

"I can't do it!" Cole moaned loudly, an idication he wanted my help. I found him with Gennie, who had just created an almost transparent wolf patronus that was running around Cole's head.

"Think of a really powerful happy memory." I suggested. "Like really happy, like the sort of happy that makes your heart metaphorically grow."

"You need to work on your movements as well." Gennie said, holding onto Cole's wand as he sneakily looked at her while biting on his lip ring.

"Now try."

"Expecto Patronum." Cole said, waving his wand with enthusiam. Nothing happened for a second, until--- "AGH!"

A huge dragon flew out of Cole's wand, surprising him and sending him onto the floor. The dragon patrounus followed him around, breathing translucent flames around the room. Lots of people looked on, transfixed by the strange patronus flying around after Gennie's patronus.

But then te door of the Room of Requirement opened, and closed. We all looked up, to see it was Dobby the house elf, wearing his usual eight bobble hats.

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said. "What are you - What's wrong?"

The elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry had fallen silent; everybody in the room was watching Dobby.

The few Patronuses we had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Harry Potter, sir..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir... Dobby has come to warn you... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter... she... she..."

Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist. Harry seized that, too.

"Who's 'she', Dobby?" I asked loudly, but a sick feeling was in my stomach.

There could only be one 'she' to make the poor elf so afraid.

"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.

Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head on Harry's knees. Harry held him at arm's length. "What about her? Dobby - she hasn't found out about this - about us - about the D.A.?"

I could almost feel the walls begin to crash down from my happiness. No. She wasn't meant to find out.

"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly. Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor.

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"

They all pelted towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through.

Cole and Gennie clasped hands, and began running towards a secret passage, as Cole would be in so much trouble being in the school when he wasn't meant to, especially in an illegal club...

I began to run, not really sure where to go. Not to the dormitry... Everybody would notice if forty-odd people all headed back to the dorms at the same time. Maybe I could hide in a secret corridor, or the prefect bathrooms--

"Rory?"

Draco was there, looking confused and disapointed at the same time. "Draco, what are you doing up?" I asked breezily, trying to look as if I wasn't on the run from Umbridge.

"I know where you've been, and Umbridge sent me to find you all." Draco said in a big rush. "Run before she finds you."

He gave me a quick kiss on the lips, and then lightly shoved me away from him. I appraised him for a moment. "Thank you."

I began running again, becoming more paranoid at where everybody went and who else Umbridge had sent out to find us. A flash of brown came in the corner of my eye, and then suddenly I was on the floor.

My chin hit the stone floor, and it stung as I rolled onto my back. I opened my eyes, only to see Pansy Parkinson smirking triumphantly above me with a wand pointed at my neck.

"Tripping jinx," she said proudly. "Bet they don't teach you that at your stupid secret cult group."

She grabbed the top of my jumper, and yanked me to my feet. "Yeah, well at least my cult leader is a good person. Yours is a psycotic murderer."

Pansy turned bright red. "Shut up, Potter."

I rolled my eyes. "Now what, Pansy? Going to take me to Umbitch?"

Pansy muttered something about me not being good enough for Draco, before harshly shoving me forward, wand against my neck.

"Professor!" Pansy shrieked. "I got the Potter girl!"

Umbridge's ugly face appeared around the neck corridor, as long as both Draco and Harry. Draco looked quite guilty when he saw me, and it dawned on me that he had found Harry.

"Excellent, Pansy, excellent, oh, very good - fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take her from here..."

I had never seen Umbridge look so happy.

She seized my arm in a vice-like grip and took Harry's arm in her other, before beaming broadly at Draco.

"You hop along and see if you can round up any more of them, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library - anybody out of breath - check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls' ones - off you go - and you," she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Malfoy walked away, "you can both come with me to the Headmasters office,"

They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. I wondered how many of the others had been caught. He thought of Ron - Mrs. Weasley would kill him - and of how Hermione would feel if she was expelled before she could take her OWLs. My thoughts turned to Sam, who'd have nowhere to go if expelled, and how Cole and Gennie wouldn't be able to cope if seperataed....

And it had been Seamus's very first meeting... and Neville had been getting so good...

"Fizzing Whizzbee," sang Umbridge; the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and we ascended the moving stone staircase.

Unabridge strode in without knocking, still holding onto the two of us.

The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene. McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense.

Fudge, Minister for Magic, was rocking backwards and forwards on
his toes beside the fire, apparently pleased with the situation; Kingsley
and a tough-looking wizard were
positioned on either side of the door like guards.

And surprisingly, Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.

The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses were not asleep tonight. All of them were alert and serious, watching what was happening below.

Harry and I broke from Umbridge and stood very close together, shoulder to shoulder with finger tips brushing to comfort each other silently.

Fudge was glaring at us with a kind of vicious satisfaction on his face.

"Well," he said. "Well, well, well..."

Harry and I both replied with the dirtiest looks we could. I should have felt afraid, but I felt calm, the only form of discomfort were the scars on my hands from Umbridge that I was picking at.

"They were heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice "Mr Malfoy and Miss Parkinson cornered them."

"Did they?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius and Mr Parkinson. Well, the two of you... I
expect you know why you are here?"

Harry went to say yes, but after glancing over at Dumbledore, he changed his mind.

"Ye-no."

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"No," I added firmly.

"You don't know why you are here?"

"No, we don't," said Harry.

Fudge looked incredulously from us to Umbridge.

I took quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.

"So you have no idea," said Fudge, in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"

"School rules?" said Harry. "No."

"Or Ministry Decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.

"Not that I'm aware of," I said blandly.

I was curious how on earth we would get away with it; if somebody had tipped off Umbridge about the D.A. we might as well be packing now.

"So, it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?"

"It is, unless your on about that dragon porn club, because everyone knows about that." I said calmly.

"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is t here, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.

There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then I heard the door open behind him.

Umbridge moved past us into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend, Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The Minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been.

"Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation, Floo Network office - she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to - galloping gargoyles!"

As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backwards in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire.

He cursed, and stamped on the hem of his cloak which had started to smoke.

Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before everyone had seen that
her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word SNEAK.

The curse Hermione had placed on the list.

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister -"

But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.

"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back on to her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately, at that point this hex," she waved
impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look, "it is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge. You did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

But Marietta would not speak; she merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Haven't we got a counter-jinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, and I felt a surge of pride in Hermione's jinxing ability. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the
story from here."

"You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students and a fugative in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade -"

"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me -"

"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry
has decided are inappropriate for school-age -"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over his glasses.

How was Dumbledore going to get us out of this if somebody had seen us?

"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear thelatest cock-and-bull story designed to pull the  Potter twins out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on- Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it their identical triplet in the Hog's Head thatday? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man comingback to life and a couple of invisible Dementors?"

Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh."Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

I could have punched him in the face before showing him the memories from that night if he thought it was a joke, but Dumbledore was smiling.

"Cornelius, I do not deny - and nor, I am sure, does Harry or Aurora - that they were in the Hog's Head thatday, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I ammerely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry Decree banning all student societies was not put into effectuntil two days after Harrys Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules at all in the Hog's Head."

Everybody looked very shocked, but I was just in disbelief at the awesome loop hole Dumbledore had found.

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," Umbridge said. "but we are now nearly six monthson from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlockedfingers, "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the Decree came into effect. Do youhave any evidence that any such meetings continued?"

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge, with that horrible wide toad-like smile. "Have you not beenlistening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising hiseyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."

"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been goingon, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"

I felt an awful feeling of apprehension.

"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta, "come on, now, that won't re-activate the jinx."

To my amazement - Marietta shook her head.

Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge, then back at Marietta.

"I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear? I'm asking whether you've been goingto these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?" Again, Marietta shook her head.

"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" said Umbridge in a testy voice.

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly, "there have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?" Marietta nodded.

"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridge furiously. "There was a meeting, MissEdgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Mr Potter was the leader, his sister helped rectruit--- that's what you said! Why are you shaking your head?"

"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no'. Sounless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign-language as yet unknown to humans -"

Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her round to face her and began shaking her very hard. A split second later Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised.

"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore and, for the firsttime, he looked angry. 

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley, in his deep voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble, now."

"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes -you're right, Shacklebolt - I - I forgot myself."

"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meetingtonight - the one we know definitely happened -"

"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes... well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off andI proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as tocatch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival,however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. Itdoes not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind. We needed evidence and the room provided." 

And to my horror, she withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned uponthe Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.

"The moment I saw both of the Potter's names on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.

"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face, "excellent, Dolores. And... bythunder..."

He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standing beside Marietta, his wand held loosely inhis hand.

"See what they've named themselves?" said Fudge quietly. "Dumbledore's Army."

Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the headingscribbled by Hermione months before and for a moment seemed unable to speak. Then he looked up, smiling.

"Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius- or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What - I don't -?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of namesbefore Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army."

"But - but -"

Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudges face. He took a horrified step backwards, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again.

"You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smouldering cloak.

"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"You organized this?"

"I did," said Dumbledore.

"You recruited these students for - for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to seewhether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."

Marietta nodded.

"Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.

"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"NO!" shouted Harry.

Kingsley flashed a look of warning at him, but I just placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "No, Harry. Let him." I hissed.

"No - Professor Dumbledore -!"

"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge, who was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrifieddelight. "Well, well, well - I came here tonight expecting to expel the Potter twins and instead -"

"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding aGalleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it alldown, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speedof his note-taking.

"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's beenworking to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.

"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee, "duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send acopy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!"

Percy dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formallycharged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh, really?"

"Well - it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to - what is thephrase? - come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I haveabsolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a wasteof time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

I couldn't help smiling, having a vauge idea of what was going to happen. The auror began to raise his wand.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror - Iseem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your NEWT s - but if you attempt to- er - bring me in by force, I will have to hurt you."

The man called Dawlish blinked rather foolishly. He looked towards Fudge again, but this timeseemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.

"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling, "not unless you are foolish enough to force meto."

"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.

"I'm not backing down either!" I declared, pulling out my wand.

"Oh yes you will, both of you!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you both!"

"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Takehim!"

A streak of silver light flashed around the room; there was a bang like a gunshot and the floor trembled. I grabbed Harry's arm and Marietta's, and we tumbled to the floor, missing the impact of the second explosion. 

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked once the dust was starting to clear away.

"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up and dragging us with her.

Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley and Dawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes thephoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.

"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would have looked very suspicious," saidDumbledore in a low voice. "He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone was looking the other way - thank him, for me, won't you, Minerva?

"Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate - you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knockedto the ground, they will not remember -"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"

"Oh no," said Dumbledore, with a grim smile, "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge willsoon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you."

"Professor Dumbledore..." I began.

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to apologise for the DA and getting him into trouble, but I didn't want to apologise for something that made me so delirously happy.

"Listen to me, Aurora," he said urgently. "You and your brother must study Occlumency as hard as you can, doyou understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly everynight before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams - you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me -"

The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbledore seized Harry's wrist.

"Remember - close your mind--- you will understand," whispered Dumbledore.

Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore released Harry, raised hishand and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them were gone.

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the floor. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't do it from inside this school -"

"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open anddisappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge. Fudge hesitated, then got slowly to hisfeet, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence.

"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirtsleeve, "I'm afraid this is the endof your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.

Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of theportraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures.

"You'd better get those three off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall witha dismissive nod.

As McGonagall escort us out, I could vaugley hear a portrait say:

"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts... but you cannot deny he's got style..."

* * * * 

A/N First of all, thank you to everybody who showed me such loveley support in my explanation post (now taken down) you all made me cry out of happiness, and I've saved many of your messages for my sad days. You are all so accpeting, and I couldn't ask for a better set of fans ^.^

I'm getting very excited for the forthcoming chapters, especially since in my in-progress playlist includes two of my favourite 5 Seconds of Summer songs, and an amazing Paramore song for one chapter in particular :))