3rd Person's POV

"What happened?" said Ron, the moment that Alicia had disappeared through the door. "Was it your scar?"

Harry nodded. Right as the team had all huddled to leave the locker room, his scar decided to burn.

"But..." Looking scared, Ron strode across to the window and stared out into the rain, "H-he can't be near us now, can he?"

"No," Harry muttered, sinking onto a bench and rubbing his forehead. "He's probably miles away. It hurt because... he's...angry."

Harry had not meant to say that at all, and heard the words as though a stranger had spoken them. Yet he knew at once that they were true. He did not know how he knew it, but he did; Voldemort, wherever he was, whatever he was doing, was in a towering temper.

"Did you see him?" said Ron, looking horrified. "Did you... get like a vision, or something?"

Harry sat quite still, staring at his feet, allowing his mind and his memory to relax in the aftermath of the pain.

A confused tangle of shapes, a howling rush of voices...

"He wants something done, and it's not happening fast enough," he said.

Again, he felt surprised to hear the words coming out of his mouth, and yet quite certain that they were true.

"But... how do you know?" said Ron.

Harry shook his head and covered his eyes with his hands, pressing down upon them with his palms. Little stars erupted in them. He felt Ron sit down on the bench beside him and knew Ron was staring at him.

"Is this what it was about last time?" said Ron in a hushed voice. "When your scar hurt in Umbridge's office? You-Know-Who was angry?"

Harry shook his head.

"What is it, then?"

Harry was thinking himself back. He had been looking into Umbridge's face... His scar had hurt and he had had that odd feeling in his stomach... a strange, leaping feeling... a happy feeling. But, of course, he had not recognized it for what it was, as he had been feeling so miserable himself.

"Last time, it was because he was pleased," he said. "Really pleased.

"He thought something good was going to happen. And the night before we came back to Hogwarts..." Harry thought back to the moment when his scar had hurt so badly in his and Ron's bedroom in Grimmauld Place, "He was furious..."

He looked around at Ron, who was gaping at him.

"You could take over from Trelawney, mate," he said in an awed voice.

"I'm not making prophecies," said Harry.

"No, you know what you're doing?" Ron said, sounding both scared and impressed. "Harry, you're reading You-Know-Who's mind."

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "It's more like... his mood, I suppose. I'm just getting flashes of what mood he's in... Dumbledore said something like this was happening last year. He said that when Voldemort was near me, or when he was feeling hatred, I could tell. Well, now I'm feeling it when he's pleased too..."

There was a pause.

The wind and rain lashed at the building.

"You've got to tell someone," said Ron.

"I told Sirius last time."

"Well, tell him about this time!"

"Can't, can I?" said Harry grimly, "Umbridge is watching the owls and the fires, remember?"

"Well then, Dumbledore —"

"I've just told you, he already knows," said Harry shortly, getting to his feet, taking his cloak off his peg, and swinging it around himself. "There's no point telling him again."

Ron did up the fastening of his own cloak, watching Harry thoughtfully, "Dumbledore'd want to know."

Harry just shrugged.

"C'mon... we've still got Silencing Charms to practice."

They hurried back through the dark grounds, sliding and stumbling up the muddy lawns, not talking. Harry was thinking hard.

What was it that Voldemort wanted done that was not happening quickly enough?

Harry needed to talk to someone. And he knew who that someone had to be.

...

"You said what Potter?"

"I'm-"

"No I heard you the first time. You're reading Voldemort's mind. How creepy..."

"Karina I know I sound crazy-"

Karina rolls her eyes, "Seriously you're speaking to the crazy Slytherin who sees things."

Harry nods, "I just... what if this is all for nothing? What if we have bigger things to look out for? What if we have to deal with Umbridge... like he's using her-"

"No what if's allowed Potter. We're doing fine. We'll continue to do fine."

"How do you deal with it? It's like a dream that you can't control. I'm watching through his eyes..."

"I'm not gonna lie, it's terrifying. But so is just sitting and letting it happen. I've learned that whatever I see I can try my hardest to stop it. So that's what I'm gonna do. Continue to try."

...

"Ah!!!"

"Karina! Love, wake up!"

Opening her eyes as she hears the voice that she learned to love, Karina looks around to see that she was in Draco's room.

"When did I get here?"

Draco sighs pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You must be sleepwalking."

Karina stares at him with wide eyes, "What?"

Draco smiles lightly shaking his head, "I'm kidding. We were studying outside and you fell asleep. Blaise and Aubrey figured they would go stay with Goyle and Crabbe for the night."

Karina sighs dropping her head in her hands, "They're so sweet. Ugh I'm sorry. I'm just a burden-"

"You're not. You're just going through a tough time. It's okay. We all understand. And when we go through tough times I'm sure you'll be the first to help us."

Karina nods.

"What did you see tonight?"

"The past... I saw my parents becoming death eaters. Of course they didn't want to. It was sad. My mom was so distraught. All she wanted was to live a normal life. Or at least a happy one with her husband and child. But that was ruined."

...

At half-past seven Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Gryffindor common room, Harry clutching a certain piece of aged parchment in his hand. Fifth years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock, but all three of them kept looking around nervously as they made their way up to the seventh floor, where Karina was standing looking around bored.

"Finally. What took you goobers so long?"

"Hermione didn't want to be caught not in bed when our Head boy and girl did their night room checks." Ron laughs.

Karina rolls her eyes.

"Hold it," said Harry warningly, unfolding the piece of parchment at the top of the last staircase, tapping it with his wand, and mutter- ing, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

A map of Hogwarts appeared upon the blank surface of the parchment. Tiny black moving dots, labeled with names, showed where various people were.

"Filch is on the second floor," said Harry, holding the map close to his eyes and scanning it closely, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."

"And Umbridge?" said Hermione anxiously.

"In her office," Karina points towards the area on the map.

Harry nods, "Okay, let's go."

They hurried along the corridor to the place Dobby had described to Harry, a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for the ballet.

"Okay," said Harry quietly, while a moth-eaten troll paused in his relentless clubbing of the would-be ballet teacher to watch. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."

They did so, turning sharply at the window just beyond the blank stretch of wall, then at the man-size vase on its other side. Ron had screwed up his eyes in concentration, Hermione was whispering something under her breath, Harry's fists were clenched as he stared ahead of him.

Karina murmurs to herself staring at the wall in awe, "No way..."

We need somewhere to learn to fight. . . . he thought. Just give us a place to practice . . . somewhere they can't find us . . .

"Harry," said Hermione sharply, as they wheeled around after their third walk past.

A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Ron was staring at it, looking slightly wary. Harry reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door, and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors, and a large, cracked Foe-Glass that Harry was sure had hung, the previous year, in the fake Moody's office.

"These will be good when we're practicing Stunning," said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.

"And just look at these books!"

"You would be excited about some books..." Karina mutters as Hermione excitedly makes her way to the bookcase.

Hermione runs a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. "A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions... The Dark Arts Outsmarted... Self-Defensive Spellwork...wow..."

She looked around at Harry, her face glowing, and he saw that the presence of hundreds of books had finally convinced Hermione that what they were doing was right.

"Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"

And without further ado she slid Jinxes for the Jinxed from its shelf, sank onto the nearest cushion, and began to read.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Harry looked around; Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean had arrived.

"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"

Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived, and he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at him. Hermione carefully marked her page of Jinxes for the Jinxed and set the book aside.

"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've-er... obviously found it okay —"

Karina slaps her forehead.

"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.

"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then..."

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.

"Dark Detectors," said Harry, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled..."

Dean and Seamus glance over at Karina who was rolling her eyes at the glass. Feeling eyes on her, she turns to the boys and raises her middle finger.

"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and — er —" He noticed a raised hand. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader," said Hermione.

"Harry's leader," said Cho at once.

Karina bursts out laughing while looking at Hermione who seemed as though she were mad. Harry's stomach did yet another back flip.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So — everyone who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"

Everybody put up their hands, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very halfheartedly.

"Er — right, thanks," said Harry, who could feel his face burning. "And — what, Hermione?"

"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly, her hand still in the air.

Karina sighs falling onto a cushion, "I'm too sleepy for this."

Hermione smiles lightly at the Slytherin girl before turning to everyone else once again, "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully.

"What the shit?"

"Karina..."

"I'm sorry but seriously?! Can you be more obvious?"

"She's right... Or how about the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.

Karina laughs pointing at Fred who was grinning back at her, "Yes."

Ron shakes his head, "No."

"Boo you suck." Fred and Karina mutter at the same time.

"I was thinking," said Hermione, frowning at the two Debby downers, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" said Cho. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," said Ginny. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.

"Hm that's the first smart thing I've heard come out of your mouth, Ginerva."

George laughs patting the top of Karina's head.

"All in favor of the D.A.?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority — motion passed!"

She pinned the piece of paper with all of their names on it on the wall and wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY across the top in large letters.

"Uh maybe I'm just a paranoid bitch but don't think that's the smartest place to put that... and it has all of our names on it."

Ron rolls his eyes, "What is it going to get misplaced?"

Karina sticks her tongue out at him, "Don't come boo-hooing to me later."

"Right, shall we get practicing then?" Harry stands with his hands together, "I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful —"

"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life last June."

Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave." Harry said.

"Go off Harold."

Smith did not move.

Nor did anybody else.

"Okay," said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all those eyes upon him, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

It felt very odd to be issuing instructions, but not nearly as odd as seeing them followed. Everybody got to their feet at once and divided up. Hermione and Ron. Fred and George. Luna and Karina. Then predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

"You can practice with me," Harry told him.

"Right — on the count of three, then — one, two, three —"

The room was suddenly full of shouts of "Expelliarmus!"

...

Everyone in DA was finding it almost impossible have a regular night of the week for D.A. meetings, as they had to accommodate three separate Quidditch teams' practices, which were often rearranged depending on the weather conditions. But they had a feeling that it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable. If anyone was watching them, it would be hard to make out a pattern.

Hermione soon devised a very clever method of communicating the time and date of the next meeting to all the members in case they needed to change it at short notice, because it would look so suspicious if people from different Houses were seen crossing the Great Hall to talk to each other too often. She gave each of the members of the D.A. a fake Galleon. Ron became very excited when he saw the basket at first, convinced that she was actually giving out gold.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding one up for examination at the end of their fourth meeting.

The coin gleamed fat and yellow in the light from the torches.

"On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."

A blank silence greeted Hermione's words. She looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted.

"Well... I thought it was a good idea," she said uncertainly, "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But well, if you don't want to use them . . ."

"You can do a Protean Charm?" said Terry Boot.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"But that's... that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," he said weakly.

"Oh," said Hermione, trying to look modest. "Oh well... yes, I suppose it is."

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" he demanded, staring at Hermione with something close to wonder. "With brains like yours?"

"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," said Hermione brightly, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So does that mean we're using the Galleons?"

There was a murmur of assent and everybody moved forward to collect one from the basket.

Harry looked sideways at Hermione. "You know what these remind me of?"

"No, what's that?"

"The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well... yes," said Hermione quietly. "That is where I got the idea, but you'll notice I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal
rather than on our members' skin..."

"Yeah... I prefer your way," said Harry, grinning, as he slipped his Galleon into his pocket.

Everyone smiles lightly and nods. Karina stands looking down at the galleon in her hand. She squeezes it while closing her eyes, before letting out a harsh breath.

"I've got to go."

Quickly making her way out the requirement room, everyone watches her with worrying eyes.

"You don't think she'll change her mind... do you?" Smith asks not knowing if they should put 100% of their trust in her... seeing as she was not only a Slytherin but had death eater family and friends.

Harry shakes his head before running after her. He quickly looks down the hallway and decides to run down the right corridor. After a minute of a straight hall, he finds her sitting with her back against the wall, looking down at the coin.

Sitting beside her, Harry then clears his throat, "You alright Rina?"

Karina nods slowly still not looking up. She had thought immediately of her parents and their forced initiation. Their forced death eater marker. Their forced evil murderous life.

"Karina?"

"Sorry... I-I just finally realized the full consequences of everything. Either way... either side I'm on... I lose. And I'm scared."

"It's okay to be scared."

Karina shakes her head with teary eyes as she smiles at him painfully, "That's the thing... I'm tired of being scared."

Harry nods and pulls Karina into a hug. The two sit in silence wondering what the future would bring.

...

"Captains shake hands," ordered the umpire, Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Montague reached each other.

Harry could tell that Montague was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, though she did not wince.

"Mount your brooms..."

Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew.

Lee Jordan's commentary rang through the stadium and Harry listened as hard as he could through the wind whistling in his ears and the din of the crowd, all yelling and booing and singing.

"— dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger — close call, Alicia — and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"

And as Lee paused to listen the song rose loud and clear from the sea of green and silver in the Slytherin section of the stands:

Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why Slytherins all sing:
Weasley is our King.

Weasley was born in a bin,
He always lets the Quaffle in,
Weasley will make sure we win,
Weasley is our King.

After a long brutal game, Harry catches the snitch and the Gryffindor team wins the game. Karina who had been with her friends curses as she knows something bad was going to happen.

"I'll be back."

"Ah we won, Harry, we won!" His team cheers.

Harry heard a snort from behind him and turned around, still holding the Snitch tightly in his hand: Draco Malfoy had landed close by; white-faced with fury, he was still managing to sneer.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper... but then he was born in a bin. Did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

Harry did not answer; he turned away to meet the rest of the team who were now landing one by one, yelling and punching the air in triumph, all except Ron, who had dismounted from his broom over by the goalposts and was making his way slowly back to the changing rooms alone.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called, as Katie and Alicia hugged Harry. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly — we wanted to sing about his mother, see —"

"Awww... Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look.

"— we couldn't fit in useless loser either — for his father, you know —"

Fred and George had realized what Malfoy was talking about. Halfway through shaking Harry's hand they stiffened, looking around at Malfoy.

"Leave it," said Angelina at once, taking Fred by the arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little —"

"— but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" said Malfoy, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay —"

"Draco seriously!"

Karina quickly shows up and helps Harry grab a hold of George; meanwhile it was taking the combined efforts of Angelina, Alicia, and Katie to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy, who was laughing openly.

Harry looked around for Madam Hooch, but she was still berating Crabbe for his illegal Bludger attack.

Draco couldn't help but feel angry.

Everything was Potter this and Potter that. He was the first and last thing out of everyone's mouth. He never got disciplined for breaking the rules... until Umbridge got here. He had single handedly ruined his and Karina's life just by existing.

Draco thought back to earlier... he had held an upset Karina who was trying not to have a mental breakdown about life only to find her cuddled up to Potter in the halls a few hours later. He was livid. He wouldn't allow Potter to take her away from him again.

"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it —"

Karina let's go of George hurrying over to grab Draco. She holds his face and tries to make him back away as she talks to him.

"Draco Malfoy, stop it now. I know you're upset about not winning the game, but this is not okay. Please just stop... for me please..." Karina whispers knowing Draco wouldn't listen if someone heard and thought he was weak for listening to her.

Draco looks into her glistening eyes and lets out a frustrated groan. She could tell him to jump off a cliff and he would. Nodding lightly, he starts to turn around. Feeling Karina ripped from him, he turns to see Karina laying on the ground holding her elbow as Potter and George had run up on him. Draco was fine with them hurting him but hurt Karina and it was over.

Harry was not aware of releasing George, all he knew was that a second later both of them were sprinting at Malfoy. It didn't matter to them that Karina was trying to calm him down... if anything it angered them both. How could she be on his side? Through everything, she still was on his side.

He had completely forgotten the fact that all the teachers were watching: All he wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible. With no time to draw out his wand, he merely drew back the fist clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as he could into Malfoy's stomach. Malfoy punched Harry in the ribs making him groan.

"Harry! HARRY! GEORGE! NO !"

George swings his fist towards Draco's eye as Harry continues to pummel Draco in the stomach. Draco tried to fight back but two versus one was never fair. Harry could hear girls' voices screaming, Malfoy yelling, George swearing, a whistle blowing, and the bellowing of the crowd around him, but he did not care, not until somebody in the vicinity yelled "IMPEDIMENTA!"

And only when he was knocked over backward by the force of the spell, did he abandon the attempt to punch every inch of Malfoy he could reach.

Karina stands holding her wand up to George and Harry who were now on the ground. George looks at Karina almost in shock. He couldn't believe she was pointing her wand at him. He thought they were closer than that.

However the only thing that mattered to Karina Grey was Draco Malfoy. The only person who would truly matter, no matter what.

"Do that again... I dare you."

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch. She was holding her whistle in one hand and a wand in the other, her broom lay abandoned several feet away.

Malfoy was curled up on the ground, groaning with a black eye. George was sporting a swollen lip and Harry had a bloody nose. Fred was still being forcibly restrained by the three Chasers, and Karina was now kneeling on the ground holding Malfoy's face looking at his injuries.

"I've never seen behavior like it — back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

Harry and George marched off the pitch, both panting, neither saying a word to each other. The howling and jeering of the crowd grew fainter and fainter until they reached the entrance hall, where they could hear nothing except the sound of their own footsteps. Harry became aware that something was still struggling in his right hand, the knuckles of which he had bruised against Malfoy's jaw; looking down he saw the Snitch's silver wings protruding from between his fingers, struggling for release.

They had barely reached the door of Professor McGonagall's office when she came marching along the corridor behind them. She was wearing a Gryffindor scarf, but tore it from her throat with shaking hands as she strode toward them, looking livid.

"In!" she said furiously, pointing to the door. Harry and George entered. She strode around behind her desk and faced them, quivering with rage as she threw the Gryffindor scarf aside onto the floor.

"Well ?" she said. "I have never seen such a disgraceful exhibition. Two onto one! Explain yourselves!"

"Malfoy provoked us," said Harry stiffly.

"Provoked you?" shouted Professor McGonagall, slamming a fist onto her desk so that her tartan biscuit tin slid sideways off it and burst open, littering the floor with Ginger Newts. "He'd just lost, hadn't he, of course he wanted to provoke you! This is nothing new! But what on earth he can have said that justified what you two did-"

"He insulted my parents," snarled George, "And Harry's mother."

"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you two decided to give an exhibition of Muggle dueling, did you?" bellowed Professor McGonagall. "I am sure that your friend, Karina has heard many many things about her family... I am sure people are still saying things to her, but you don't see her behaving as you two have tonight."

Harry shakes his head, "Professor that's different-"

"Is it Mr Potter? Please explain to me...Have you any idea what you've — ?"

"Hem, hem."

George and Harry both spun around. Dolores Umbridge was standing in the doorway wrapped in a green tweed cloak that greatly enhanced her resemblance to a giant toad, and smiling in the horribly sickly, ominous way that Harry had come to associate with imminent misery.

"May I help, Professor McGonagall?" asked Professor Umbridge in her most poisonously sweet voice.

Blood rushed into Professor McGonagall's face, "Help?" she repeated in a constricted voice.

"What do you mean, 'help'?"

Professor Umbridge moved forward into the office, still smiling her sickly smile.
"Why, I thought you might be grateful for a little extra authority."

Harry would not have been surprised to see sparks fly from Professor McGonagall's nostrils.

"You thought wrong," she said, turning her back on Umbridge. "Now, you two had better listen closely. I do not care what provocation Malfoy offered you, I do not care if he insulted every family member you possess, your behavior was disgusting and I am giving each of you two week's worth of detention! Do not look at me like that, Potter, you deserve it! And if either of you ever —"

"Hem, hem."

Professor McGonagall closed her eyes as though praying for patience as she turned her face toward Professor Umbridge again.

"Yes?"

"I think they deserve rather more than detentions," said Umbridge, smiling still more broadly.

Professor McGonagall's eyes flew open. "But unfortunately," she said, with an attempt at a reciprocal smile that made her look as though she had lockjaw, "it is what I think that counts, as they are in my House, Dolores."

"Well, actually, Minerva," simpered Umbridge, "I think you'll find that what I think does count. Now, where is it? Cornelius just sent it... I mean," she gave a little false laugh as she rummaged in her handbag, "the Minister just sent it... Ah yes..."

She had pulled out a piece of parchment that she now unfurled, clearing her throat fussily before starting to read what it said.
"Hem, hem... 'Educational Decree Number Twenty-five.' "

"Not another one!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall violently.

"Well, yes," said Umbridge, still smiling. "As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we needed a further amendment... You remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to reform? How you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the power to strip pupils of privileges, or she — that is to say, I — would have less authority than common teachers! And you see now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team reforming? Dreadful tempers they do have... Anyway, I was reading out our amendment, hem, hem... 'The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions, and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc., etc...' "

She rolled up the parchment and put it back into her handbag, still smiling.

"So... I really think I will have to ban these two from playing Quidditch ever again," she said, looking from Harry to George and back again.

Harry felt the Snitch fluttering madly in his hand.

"Ban us?" he said, and his voice sounded strangely distant. "From playing... ever again?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick," said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. "You and Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped too — if his teammates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Malfoy as well. I will want their broomsticks confiscated, of course; I shall keep them safely in my office, to make sure there is no infringement of my ban. But I am not unreasonable, Professor McGonagall," she continued, turning back to Professor McGonagall who was now standing as still as though carved from ice, staring at her.

"The rest of the team can continue playing, I saw no signs of violence from any of them. However Miss Karina Grey, yes well she may have another week of detention as well as the Weasleys and Mr Potter here."

Professor McGonagall frowns, "Karina Grey? Why?"

"Dear Professor you must not have noticed her threatening students. Whether they started a frenzy or not, I shall have no student of min-ours threaten or hex anyone else. See to it that she hears of her punishment. Well . . . good afternoon to you."

And with a look of the utmost satisfaction Umbridge left the room, leaving a horrified silence in her wake.

...

The next day in the great hall, Draco and Karina walk in side by side. She knew how annoying he could be. And honestly she had gotten used to the mean things he would say. She didn't understand why he started back up with the insults when he was doing so well with being nice to the Weasleys but honestly she was tired of the fighting. Not only that but Professor McGonagall had sadly told her that she had a week of detention. Karina knew it was only because Umbitch wanted her to be intimidated. But that would never happen.

Walking past the Gryfinndors, Draco sneers at them and continues onto his own table. George and Fred curse at him rolling their eyes before glancing over at Karina. George's eyes gaze down at the bandage covering her elbow and immediately feels his anger disappear.

"Karina I didn't know I did that.. I'm so-"

Karina holds up a hand and shrugs with a frown, "I'm exhausted. I really am. I can't do this middle man thing for the rest of my life. Next time you fight, try not play dirty... you know when his back is turned and I'm in the way."

Without another word, Karina walks away and sits at her table. Fred and George sigh knowing this would put a dent in their close friendship. Harry shakes his head glancing over at the Slytherin table.

"This is insanity."

...

Echoing footsteps make their way towards the room of requirement. Karina hums to herself as she stands staring at the wall waiting. As the wall turns into a door she quickly looks both ways making sure the coast was clear, then makes her way inside the room.

Once inside she freezes seeing everyone stand opposite of her frowning. Raising an eyebrow, Karina crosses her arms over her chest.

"What's with the intervention?"

"We have all decided collectively..." Hermione begins, "That we don't know if we can fully trust you..."

"Or your intentions..." Seamus adds in.

Karina chuckles humorlessly, "My intentions?"

"We don't know if you go back to your Slytherin friends and spill our secrets." One boy from Ravenclaw replies.

Ron sighs, "We just don't want to get caught and we feel as though-"

"I'm a liability..." Karina smirks with a shrug as she replies bitterly, "Wow like I didn't see this coming?"

"I still like you Karina... I trust you with my life."

Karina genuinely smiles at Luna who twirls in a circle nearby the group, "Thanks loopy."

Harry steps forward, "We've all come to the conclusion that you have to choose."

"Choose?"

"Either you choose us or Malfoy?"

"Haha I'm sorry what? No, not happening."

Harry sighs, "Then we can't trust you. And we have no choice but to go to Umbridge and tell her that you've created a club against her."

Karina freezes, "You do realize that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can easily speak for myself."

"It's your word against all of ours."

"I can show her."

"We can make you forget..." Hermione frowns looking down at her feet, "A simple spell..."

"Ah obliviate..." Karina scoffs, "You can't be serious. Because I am in a house that is said to be evil, like a boy who is seen as evil, and have family that were forced to be evil... you just think I would throw everyone under the bus. Risk everything."

"I mean you're already a traitor to your own house... it would be easy for you to wrong us as well." Dean replies with a shrug of indifference.

Laughing humorlessly, Karina slowly paced around, "Traitor. That's a word. I'll never be good enough for you all... will I?"

No one speaks. Karina shakes her head and without another word leaves the room. Tears run down her face as she hurries to the Slytherin dungeon. She wasn't crying and upset over those people... no never. They were idiots. She was upset with the fact that no matter what she did, who she helped... she would always be seen as evil. So would it hurt to finally just give in? Finally just show everyone the dark side they kept provoking?

No, she had a little bit of fight left in her.

A little bit that would soon disappear if anything worse than her family's death happened to her.

What that worse thing would be? She didn't even want to think about it.

Super long chapter for you guys!!

What did y'all think?

Anything you're dreading?

Fav character?

Future predictions?

Any special requests...