A/N ~ So very sorry for the late update!! I'll be updating twice a week from now on for 3 weeks though :)

Hope you enjoy the chapter x

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Harry pulled himself and Y/N free of Umbridge's grasp as the door of Dumbledore's office swung shut behind them.

In the room was of course Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, plus three other familiar strangers.

Cornelius Fudge was glaring at them with a kind of vicious satisfaction on his face, with Percy Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt by his side.

"Well," said the Minister. "Well, well, well..."

Y/N replied with the dirtiest look she could muster.

"They were heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge excitedly. "The Malfoy boy cornered them."

"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter... I expect you know why you are here?"

It seemed like Fudge was targeting Harry more than Y/N.

"No." Harry replied, returning the same stubborn smirk.

"I beg you pardon?" Fudge fired.

"No, I don't know why I'm here" said Harry again, firmly.

"Scamander, do you?" the Minister demanded, whirling around to Y/N.

Y/N felt slightly uncomfortable knowing that Fudge was her mother's boss.

"Not a clue." she replied, holding her breath as she stared back at Fudge's grey eyes.

Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Y/N, then to Umbridge.

Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.

"You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?" Fudge asked the two Gryffindors.

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

"Or Ministry Decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.

"Not that we're aware of," said Y/N blandly.

She gave Fudge and Umbridge her best innocent look.

Umbridge's nostrils flared in frustration.

"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?"

"Yes, it is," said Harry, stepping slightly in front of Y/N.

"No worries, no worries..." a triumphant smile spread of Fudge's face. "there's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

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

There was a wait of several minutes, in which Harry tried to reassure Y/N through his eyes that they were going to be alright- then, they heard thedoor open behind them.

Umbridge moved past him into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend, Marietta Edgecombe, 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."

"It's alright, come here, girl," Fudge quickly ushered Marietta into a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"Marietta's mother, Minister," Umbridge added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation, Floo Network office."

"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!"

Marietta had removed her hands from her face, revealing a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word SNEAK.

"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 smileback on to her face and said, "Miss Edgecomb had told me this evening- before the spots started to appear-"

Marietta bursted into a loud cry of despair, shaking her head in regret.

"-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. And I sure did, Minister." Umbridge added, glancing at Y/N and Harry.

"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-"

"No, no, no!" Marietta mumbled into her hands.

"Miss Edgecombe told me the purpose of Potter's illegal society," continued Umbridge, ignoring Marietta, "was to learn school-inappropriate spells-"

"Spells that the Ministry is too scared to teach us, more like," Y/N spat, glaring at Umbridge.

"Shut up, girl!" both Umbridge and the Minister snapped.

"Widdershins had reported to me," Umbridge continued triumphantly, "that over twenty students were gathered at Hog's Head on one Hogsmeade trip, with Potter leading the meeting."

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles.

"Oho!" said Fudge, "Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on- Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potters identical twin in the Hog's Head that day?"

Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

Y/N could kick him at the spot if it wasn't for her already troublesome position.

"There is no denying it," Umbridge snarled. "Potter and his little friends have been setting up illegal meetings for the past six months-"

"Oh, can Miss Edgecombe tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I thought she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."

"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"

Harry felt a horrible plummeting in his stomach.

This was it, they had hit a dead end of solid evidence that not even Dumbledore would be able to shift aside.

"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta.

Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta's face.

Only her eyes were visible between the pulled-up robes and her curly fringe.

And then- to Y/N's amazement- Marietta shook her head.

Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge, then back at Marietta.

"I don't think you understood the question, dear- I'm asking whether you've been going to 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. "And Potter organized it, Potter- why are you shaking your head, girl?"

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

Suddenly, 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; Kingsley started forwards and Umbridge was forced to leap back from Marietta, waving her hands.

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

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley, in his deep, slow voice.

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

"Well," Dumbledore straightened himself, "as you do not have any evidence, Dolores-"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Umbridge said. "I have all their names here, Pansy Parkinson ran into the Room ofRequirement for me and found- this."

And to Y/N and Harry's horror, she withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.

"The moment I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," Umbridge said softly.

"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face, "excellent, Dolores. And... by thunder... 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 heading scribbled 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?"

Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other and Y/N's eyes were wide.

There was fear in their faces.

He did notunderstand what was going on, and nor, apparently, did Fudge.

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

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling. "Not Potter's Army, not Scamander's Army. Dumbledore's Army."

Fudge 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. "and I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."

Marietta nodded. Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore, his chest swelling.

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

"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"sir-!" Y/N gasped.

"NO!" shouted Harry.

Kingsley flashed a look of warning at them, McGonagall widened her eyes threateningly, but Harry suddenly realized what Dumbledore was doing.

"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 looking at Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. "Well, well, well - I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and instead- MERLIN'S BEARD!"

Fudge's black top hat had suddenly jerked upwards and burst into a rain of black dust.

Umbridge and Marietta yelped in shock and Professor McGinagall, Kingsley and Harry quickly turned to Y/N, who couldn't help but grin in triumph.

There was a moment of shocked silence.

Harry gaped at Y/N.

"you... did that on purpose-?"

"That was also me," Dumbledore continued casually, "you should be more aware of what you say, Minister- I will not be spoken to as such."

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

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

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

"Yes sir, I got it, sir!" Percy said excitedly.

"Good! You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, Dumbledore," Fudge announced, "where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah, but you see-" Dumbledore merely smiled. "I do not intend to go to Azkaban... I could break out, of course, but that'll be just a waste of time."

"You intend to take on Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?" Fudge snarled, stepping closer to the headmaster.

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

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

"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you."

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

But with in a split second, Y/N saw Fawkes the Phoenix swoop down from above, saw Dumbledore grab onto his tail, and a loud bang echoed the room.

Everyone gasped, as ashes and flames from the Phoenix fell to the ground.

The next moment, when the smoke cleared, they could see that both Dumbledore and Fawkes were gone.

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Umbridge, also leaping to his feet."he can't have disapparated! You can't do that from inside this school!"

There was a long and painful silence.

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

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

Fudge seemed not to hear her; he was looking around at the office.

A few of the portraits hissed at him as he walked by.

"You'd better get those three off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall witha dismissive nod towards Harry, Y/N and Marietta.

Professor McGonagall said nothing, but marched the three students to the door.

As it swung closed behind them, Harry heard Kingsley's voice,

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

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"No..." Y/N, Harry and Ron gaped at the announcement.

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head'soffice," said Hermione viciously, as they walked up the stone steps from their Herbology class, along with a pair of Hufflepuffs.

"Don't worry, Dumbledore'll be back before long," Ernie McMillan said confidently.

"She thinks she's all that," Y/N grunted. "the stupidpuffed-up, power-crazy old-"

"Do you really want to finish that sentence, Scamander?" Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.

"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," he drawled.

"It's only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy," saidErnie at once.

"Yeah, we're prefects too," snarled Ron.

"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered and Y/N made a fist. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad-"

"The what?" said Hermione sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing toward atiny silver 'I' upon his robes just beneath his prefect's badge.

"Starting a gang, are we?" Y/N snorted. "What's it about?"

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Scamander," Malfoy sneered. "is a selected group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, handpicked by Professor Umbridge."

"What are you sneering about, then?" Y/N snarled. "That sounds far from something pleasant, to me."

"Well, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points." Malfoy shrugged.

"Your lying days are over, Malfoy," Harry scoffed at the Slytherin.

"Macmillan," Malfoy started, ignoring Harry, "five for contradicting me... ten each because I don't like you, Potter, Weasley... Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so fifteen for that..."

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering,

"Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "Be good now, Potty, Weasel King..."

He strode away, laughing heartily with Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry, Y/N, Ron, and Hermione turned automatically toward the giant hourglasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the House points.

Stones flew upward from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs.

In fact, the onlyglass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.

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The next following month went by chaotically.

Now that Dumbledore was gone (apparently missing), Umbridge was desperate and hungry to know where he was hiding.

She would call members of the DA in for a 'chat' every now and then only to spike their tea with Veritaserum, hoping she would get Dumbledore's hiding location out of them.

Luckily, Harry had strictly warned all of them, so they were now all cautious about it.

Fred and George were rebelling Umbridge's position as much as they could- by setting fireworks off in random corridors and putting Nifflers in Umbridge's office every other day.

"They're going to get themselves expelled!" Hermione kept on fussing, while Harry, Y/N and Ron rolled with laughter from the twins' mischievous events.

The final Quidditch match was also nearing by very quickly.

Angelina chose for Y/N to practice separately from her other team mates when they'd book the Quidditch pitch, because of her role as Seeker.

"It would be a waste of time for you," she said, handing Y/N the basket of practice snitches. "use these to practice, and i'll call you in at the end of the practice."

"Angelina- I can help!" Harry yelled from the stands enthusiastically, beside Hermione and her book. "I can throw the balls for her to catch!"

"OK, good..." Angelina nodded firmly. "you do that, Potter."

"Reminder that I am not a dog," Y/N said bitterly, as she flew to the stands and handed Harry the basket of white tennis balls.

Despite not having a broom, Harry always went and watched his friends practice, and would help Y/N with her snitch-catching...

To add on to all that, fifth year students were pressured to study hard for their exams, that were coming up in June.

So every evening- even on the weekends- the Quartet would sit in the common room to study and quiz each other to prepare for the exams....

"Levitation Charm?"

"Easy one. Wingardium Leviosa."

"Enlargment Charm?"

"Um... Engorgio?"

"Correct. Now what does Obliviate do?"

"What does what do?" Ron snorted, closing his book with a loud thump. Harry flinched ever so slightly, as Hermione scowled at him sternly.

"Obliviate, Ron, we've learned this one last year," Hermione rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "c'mon, don't give me that look- the exams are in three weeks-"

"and we've been studying since the first three weeks of school!" Ron fussed, throwing his Charms book back into his school bag.

"As we should!" Hermione said seriously, throwing him a look. "These exams will change your lives, Ronald!"

Mean while, across the room, Y/N was having a conversation with Angelina Johnson about their final Quidditch match with Ravenclaw, which took place in only three days.

"-I don't think you'll have any problems, honestly," Angelina said to her quietly, "Cho Chang is a hard-working person, but you're the one who's gifted- and being gifted is a supremacy."

"Woah, thanks, Angelina," Y/N said, raising her eyebrows.

"Anyway, just save your energy," Angelina said firmly, smiling slightly, "you can come watch our practice tomorrow, only if you want to-"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Y/N said, nodding her head. For Ron, she added to herself.

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"Harry James Potter- you let me down this instance!"

"You are not going anywhere without a good luck hug."

"Hermione, hex him!"

"I'll stay out of this," Hermione retorted, giggling uncontrollably at her two friends.

After Y/N declined his good luck hug, Harry had seized her by the waist and scooped her into his arms, hugging her so hard that her feet left the ground.

Ron stood behind Hermione, his expression so sick that his face looked grey, clutching his broom nervously.

"Potter- down!" Angelina said fiercely from the changing room entrance.

Harry immediately let go of Y/N, dropping her roughly on the ground with a muffled grunt, making her loose balance and fall butt-first onto the grass.

"Harold Potter!" Y/N shot at him fiercely, "Might as well break my back!"

"Oh shit- sorry, Niff-" Harry's eyes widened in panic and he bent down to pull her up to her feet by the arm.

Y/N steadied herself on her two feet and picked up Luna's broom that had also fallen to the ground.

"Sorry again," Harry said guiltily, but couldn't help but grin widely as Y/N threw him a look. "about the breaking your back part-"

"Y/N, RON, THE GAME IS ABOUT TO START!" Angelina bellowed, waving her gloved hand urgently.

"Oh Merlin, she's right-" Y/N exclaimed, as she saw the Ravenclaws walk out of their changing room.

"and take off your jewellery, Y/N!" Angelina added.

Y/N quickly took off her bracelet and ring before stuffing them into Harry's hand and patting him on the arm.

"Hold these for me, thanks-" she quickly pulled him close by the neck and kissed him on the cheek, earning a satisfied look from Harry.

She adjusted her leather gloves and grabbed Luna's broom in one hand and Ron's wrist in the other, before dashing off to the changing room.

"Good luck, Niff!" Said Rolf, as Y/N ran by him and Luna.

"Good luck, Y/N- you too, Ronald!" said Luna brightly, although she was wearing a ginormous eagle hat, which reminded Y/N immensely of Neville's grandmother's hat.

Y/N grinned at the two weakly and disappeared into the changing room, dragging Ron right after her.

Not long after that, the two of them were pushed into the field.

Lee Jordan was commentating as usual.

As the teams walked out ontothe pitches he named the players,

"... Bradley... Davies... Chang," he said, and Y/N felt her stomach lurch as Cho walked out onto the pitch, her shiny black hair rippling in the slight breeze.

Cho shone her a weak smile, which she returned back nervously.

Cho has been on the Ravenclaw team for three years- surely she's better than Rolf.

And Y/N winning Rolf was already a close call...

"And they're off!" said Lee.

Wait- no, they're not- Y/N snapped back into her present moment. Shit-

The Ravenclaw team and her team mates had already took off into the air.

Y/N ignored Pansy's shriek of laughter from the Slytherin stands and pushed her feet against the ground, hard.

She felt her feet leave the ground as Luna's comet shot straight into the air.

"Aaand Ravenclaw captain, Davies, takes the Quaffle immediately," Lee said, " he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well... He's going straight for goal!"

Y/N didn't look, as Davies shot towards the hoops with Ron hovering in front.

"He's going to shoot- and- and-" Lee swore very loudly. "And he's scored."

Harry and Hermione groaned with the rest of the Gryffindors.

Y/N winced with her eyes closed and darted across to the back of the field, continuing her look for the snitch.

Predictably, horribly, the Slytherins on the other side of the stands beganto sing.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring..."

Y/N looked over at Cho, who was searching for the snitch at somewhere nearer to the ground.

Y/N decided to risk it and dove to the side to a completely different direction from Cho.

"-Angelina Johnson is heading straight towards for the goal! She- woah! Close one! She survives a bludger from Samuels and shoots for the goal... SHE SCORES! YES, ANGE! TWENTY-TEN TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Y/N turned back and beamed, as Angelina high-fived Katie and continued with the game.

"Look at you go, Y/N!" Ginny whooped from the crowd of Gryffindors. as Y/N passed the stands.

"I'm not even doing shit, Ginny!" Y/N said back, grinning at the redheaded girl and rolling her eyes.

Her eyes travelled to Harry and Hermione's seats, expecting to see them grinning back at her- but their seats were empty.

Y/N didn't have time to look at the seats again, so she quickly waved the curious thought away- they were probably somewhere deeper in the crowd.

"-Bradley heads towards the goal, fast- he swerves Bell- but oh! He drops the Quaffle- but Chambers catches it- aaand he's heading towards the goal, fast- Ron, you've got this!"

Y/N held her breath and looked away, as the Slytherin's song grew louder and louder...

But was it the Slytherins?

Why was she hearing Seamus and Dean then?

"Weasley can save anything,

He never leaves a single ring

That's why Gryffindors all sing:

Weasley is our King!"

The Gryffindors had drowned out the Slytherins with their new version of the song, led by Seamus, Dean, Parvati and Lavender.

Y/N smiled and felt a rush of gratitude towards them.

"-Chambers is going to shoot, he's going for it- and- and- THE GOAL IS SAVED BY RON WEASLEY!"

Y/N stopped her broom so quickly that she nearly slipped off the side.

She turned back to see, to her greatest delight, Ron beaming with pride, with the Quaffle in his right arm.

The Gryffindors burst into cheers and started to sing even louder, booming the supportive lyrics loud enough so that Ron could hear them.

And Y/N knew at that moment, that that was what Ron needed- just confirmation, just support from his friends.

For after the first goal, Ron didn't miss a single one for the rest of the game.

He earned loud cheers from all the Gryffindors every single time he saved a goal.

The Gryffindors didn't seem tired at all, even after almost an hour of cheering and singing.

Y/N and Cho on the other hand, were getting tired of zooming up and down the field in search of the snitch.

Until...

From the corner of Y/N's eyes, she saw something shiny and gold, reflected by the sun, hovering only a few feet bellow Cho- who was at least ten yards away from her.

Y/N thought hard and quick.

If she sped her broom now, Cho would know, and she would dive for the snitch right away and catch it before Y/N even neared her.

But if she pretended that the snitch was the other way...

"Y/N Scamander seem to have spotted the golden snitch!"

Y/N went for it- speeding her room to the completely opposite direction from Cho, and as she'd planned, Cho followed her blindly, tailing her right behind.

When Y/N was sure Cho was following her, she made a turn- turning her broom so that she was heading back to the actual direction of the snitch... and there it was.

Speeding her broom as fast as she could, Y/N heard Lee's booming voice and cheering from every direction, as she reached out her right hand, slowly but steadily, before wrapping her fingers around the golden snitch.

It was over.

Gryffindor had won the Quidditch cup.

The whole pitch echoed with cheers- Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs singing, clapping and whooping- Ravenclaws politely clapping, and Slytherins gaping and booeing.

Y/N grinned at the struggling snitch in her hand and headed back to the ground, where she landed safely and was immediately attacked by hugs from Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Jack and Andrew.

Professor McGonagall was beaming proudly at her team with teary eyes, and watched as the other Gryffindors rushed down from the stands.

"YOU DID IT! YOU REALLY DID IT! OH, Y/N-" Angelina was now crying happy tears, sobbing into Y/N's shoulder.

Y/N laughed as the captain pulled away.

She spotted Ron in the distance, grinning sheepishly and proudly at her.

She quickly swam loose from her team mates, ran to her redhead friend, and threw herself into his arms.

"You did it!" The two said together, laughing in each other's embrace.

"Nice catch-"

"Nice saves-"

"-Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He didn't let the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King!"

"Are you hearing the lyrics?" Y/N laughed, grinning, as the field started to fill with all the jumping and cheering students from the stands. "This is amazing!"

"I really did that-" Ron looked blankly at Y/N. "I didn't embarrass myself! Y/N, we won! We actually won!"

Angelina then approached them from behind and gladly passed the Quidditch cup to Y/N and Ron, who were now practically squished by all the hugs and pats from the crowd.

Y/N held the cup in her hands first, admiring the silver letters carved into the front, before handing it to Ron, who raised it above his head confidently, earning loud cheers from the Gryffindors.

Y/N looked around and finally spotted-

"HARRY! HERMIONE!" yelled Ron, waving the silver QuidditchCup in the air. "WE DID IT! WEWON!"

Hermione and Harry beamed at Ron and Y/N, as the two ran towards them, Ron gripping onto the cup and Y/N gripping onto the snitch.

Hermione came forwards to give Ron a hug, as he went on about how they actually won.

Harry grinned with joy as Y/N ran forwards with a bright smile on her face and leapt into his open arms, before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the lips.

Harry could feel the tough material of her Quidditch robes pressed against the front of his chest, as Y/N kissed him like she never did before.

He ran his hand down her back, as he kissed her back gladly, moving his lips passionately with her- feeling as if something in the pit of his stomach was doing repetitive backflips.

He pulled away from her for a moment, grinning down at her shining eyes.

"You did it, Y/N The Pebble," he said breathlessly, "I'm so proud of you, Niff."

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"We won." Ron sighed, as the four slumped down on their usual spot in the common room as the party continued. "Did you see the look on Chang's face when Y/N got the Snitch?"

"I suppose she cried, did she?" said Harry with a slight snort.

"Be nice, that girl's been through a bunch," Y/N said to him sternly, picking her head up from his shoulder to scowl at him in the eyes.

"Well, more out of temper than anything, though," Ron frowned slightly. "But you saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

"Er..." began Harry. Y/N and Ron frowned at him.

"Well, actually... no, Ron," said Hermione with a heavy sigh. "As a matter of fact, the only bit of the match Harry and I saw was Davies's first goal."

Ron's carefully ruffled hair seemed to wilt with disappointment.

Y/N felt her cheerful heart deflate.

"You didn't watch?" Ron said faintly, looking from Harry to Hermione."You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"Harry, please don't tell me..." Y/N's voice trailed away as she saw Harry's guilty expression.

"Well- no," said Hermione, stretching out a placatory hand toward him. "But Ron, we didn't want to leave- we had to-!"

"Yeah?" said Ron, whose face was growing rather red. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," said Harry. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the forest with him... Anyway..."

The story was told in five minutes, by the end of which Y/N Ron's indignation had been replaced by a look of total incredulity.

"He brought one back and hid it in the forest?" Y/N whispered.

"Yep," said Harry grimly.

"And it's his half brother?"

"Yes, Ronald."

"No," said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue."No, he can't have..."

"Well, he has," said Hermione firmly. "Grawp's about sixteen feettall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me," she snorted, "as Hermy."

Ron gave a nervous laugh.

"And Hagrid wants us to..?" Y/N mimed a talking mouth with her hand.

"Teach him English, yeah," said Harry, grinning at her amazement.

"He's lost his mind," said Ron in an almost awed voice.

"Yes," said Hermione irritably, as a butterbeer was passed to her by Lee Jordan. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made Harry and me promise."

"Well," Ron sighed, "Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he? He'll hang on till the end of term and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."

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The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted.

June had arrived, but to the fifth years this meant only one thing: Their OWLs were upon them at last.

Their teachers were no longer setting them homework, and lessons were devoted to reviewing those topics their teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams.

Y/N didn't know if it was an advantage to have Hermione as one of her room mates or not.

Hermione was spending a lot of time muttering to herself and had not laid out any elf clothes for days....

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy had found a different way to inducepanic.

"Of course, it's not what you know," he was heard to tell Crabbe and Goyle loudly outside Potions a few days before the exams were to start, "it's who you know-"

"'who this, who that,'" Y/N mimicked him spitefully under her breath. "'oh look, I'm talking bullshit again-'" 

"-Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years- old Griselda Marchbanks- we've had her round for dinner and everything..."

"Do you think that's true?" Hermione whispered to Harry andRon, looking frightened.

"Nothing we can do about it if it is," said Ron gloomily.

"I don't think it's true," said Neville quietly from behind them."Because Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."

"What's she like, Neville?" asked Hermione at once. "Is she strict?"

"Bit like Gran, really," said Neville in a subdued voice.

"Knowing her won't hurt your chances though, will it?" Ron told him encouragingly.

Meanwhile, a black-market trade in aids to concentration, mental agility, and wakefulness had sprung up among the fifth and seventh years.

Harry and Ron were much tempted by the bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir offered to them by Ravenclaw sixth year Eddie Carmichael.

He swore it was solely responsible for the nine Outstanding OWLs he had gained the previous summer and was offering the whole pint for a mere twelve Galleons.

Ron assured Harryhe would reimburse him for his half the moment he left Hogwarts and got a job.

However, before they could close the deal, Hermione had confiscated the bottle from Carmichael and poured the contents into a nearby potted plant.

"Hermione, we wanted to buy that!" shouted Ron.

"Don't be stupid," she snarled. "You might as well take Harold Dingle's powdered dragon claw and have done with it."

"Dingle's got powdered dragon claw?" said Ron eagerly.

"Not anymore," said Hermione. "I confiscated that too."

"Dragon claw does work!" said Ron. "It really gives your brain a boost, you come over all cunning for a few hours- Hermione, let me have a pinch, go on, it can't hurt-"

"This stuff can," said Y/N grimly, backing up Hermione. "We've had a look at it, andit's actually dried doxy droppings."

This information took the edge off Harry and Ron's desire for brain stimulants.

Their first exam, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning.

Harry agreed to test Y/N after lunch on Sunday but regretted it almost at once.

It was as though Hermione's spirit has multiplied into two and one of them took over Y/N.

She was very agitated and kept snatching the book back from him to check that she had gotten the answer completely right.

Finally, finding out he had corrected her wrongly, she hit him hard on the nose with the sharp edge of Achievements in Charming.

"Niff, I really love you but why don't you just do it yourself?" Harry said firmly, handing the book back to her, his eyes watering.

Ron, on the other hand, was reading his two years of Charms notes with his fingers in his ears, his lips moving soundlessly.

Seamus was lying flaton his back on the floor, reciting the definition of a Substantive Charm, while Dean checked it against The Standard Book of Spells,Grade 5.

Parvati and Lavender were practicing basic locomotion charms, making their pencil cases race each other around the edge of the table.

Dinner was a subdued affair that night.

Harry, Y/N and Ron did not talk much, but ate with gusto, having studied hard all day.

Hermione, however, kept putting down her knife and fork and diving under the table for her bag, from which she would seize a book to check some fact or figure.

It was an uncomfortable sort of an evening.

Everyone was trying to do some last-minute studying but nobody seemed to be getting very far.

Harry went to bed early but then lay awake for what felt like hours.

He knew that he was not the only one lying awake, but none of the others in the dormitory spoke and finally, one by one, they fell asleep.

None of the fifth years talked very much at breakfast next day either.

Parvati was practicing incantations under her breath the whole, Hermione was rereading Achievement in Charming so fast that her eyes appeared blurred.

Y/N stared blankly into her food, apparently going over everything she knew at that moment, and Neville kept dropping his knife and fork and knocking over the marmalade.

Once breakfast was over, the fifth and seventh years milled around in the entrance hall while the other students went off to lessons.

No one seemed to want to talk to each other at all.

Then, at half past nine, they were called forward class by class to reenter the Great Hall.

The four House tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them.

"You may begin," she said, once they all got themselves seated.

She turned over an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her and gave them a small nod.

Y/N turned over her paper, her heart thumping hard.

Three rows to his right and four seats ahead, Hermione was already scribbling.

Two seats to her right, Harry was looking determined.

She lowered his eyes to the first question:

a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly...

Y/N had a fading memory of a club soaring high into the air and landing loudly on the thick skull of a troll.

Smiling slightly, she bent over the paper and began to write...

∞ ϟ 9¾ ♔ ⚯͛ △r⃒⃘ ➵ ♆

A/N ~ Not that interesting of a chapter, but I promise the next ones won't disappoint :)

Reminder that if you have something hateful to say, you can simply log off and have a moment to yourself- instead of commenting something unnecessary.

Thank you and love you x

-ScribblingQuills