Snow fell on the grounds sooner than expected. Most students spent lunch and break indoors, the blustering cold too strong for even their thick winter cloaks. This was why it was unusual to see a student in a place without no people.

But that's what Rosalyn wanted to be. Away from people.

She ploughed on in deep snow, her knee high boots only just higher than it. She was wrapped up warm, with two wooly jumpers and her own winter cloak on, but still the cold hit her determinedly. She wrote a letter to her godfather as she walked, cheeks reddening more every step.

Dear Scarlet and Padfoot,

I hope you're alright, it's starting to get colder here. Winter is definitely on the way. In spite of being back at Hogwarts I feel more alone than ever. I know you two, of all people, will understand. People don't believe me and Malfoy is bullying me more every day. On top of that the new DADA teacher is a complete bitch and she's making me write with my own blood in detention.

I'm sorry for burdening you with this, but I can't find anyone else who won't judge me or stare at me weirdly.

Your favourite goddaughter,

Rosalyn

After this, Rosalyn went up to the owlrey to post the letter, sending it off with Ruby addressed to 12 Grimmauld Place.

Having no desire to return to the common room, Rosalyn walked back out and wandered until she found herself in the forbidden forest.

She saw the winged creatures first, the ones that Ron, Harry and Hermione couldn't see. Then she saw someone standing, barefoot, feeding them, this someone had a slightly muddy blue shawl on and a white blouse and trousers.

"Hello Rosalyn," Luna Lovegood said without turning round, and before Rosalyn reached her. She stroked the muzzle of a creature, looking up at it for a second before turning, facing the person to whom she spoke.

"Your feet..." Rosalyn asked, looking down at the dirty, forest ground. "Aren't they cold?"

"A bit," Luna answered absent mindedly as she turned back to the creature. "Unfortunately all my shoes have mysteriously disappeared at the moment."

The creature walked slowly away from them, spreading its wings. "What- what are they?"

"They're called thestrals," Luna said, smiling slightly. "They're quite gentle, really but, people avoid them because, well, they're a bit-"

"Different," Rosalyn said after a pause.

She knew what this was about, and it wasn't thestrals. Her and Luna were both being sidelined at the moment. Luna because she was the "weird kid" with the radish earrings and Rosalyn because she was the "nutter" who was also an attention seeking liar.

They were both different.

Luna walked forward, and Rosalyn followed. "But why can't the others see them?"

Luna answered calmly. "They can only be seen by people who have seen death."

Another pause. "So... you've known someone who's died then? Seen it?" Rosalyn asked Luna.

"My mum," she nodded, looking quite sad. "She was quite an extraordinary witch but, she did like to experiment and... one day one of her spells went badly wrong. I was nine."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Rosalyn said, face falling. They reached a baby thestral, and Luna smiled at it.

"It was quite horrible," she said sadly. "I do feel quite bad about it sometimes, but I've got dad."

Rosalyn sighed. "I feel bad about that as well, leaving Harry with my crappy Aunt and Uncle..."

Luna chuckled, pulling an apple out of the bag she had slung on her shoulder, turning properly to Rosalyn. "We both believe you, you know. That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and you fought him, and the Ministry and the Prophet are conspiring against you and Dumbledore."

"Thanks," Rosalyn said, smiling and Luna, putting an arm round her shoulders. "It seems you're about the only ones that do."

"Don't think that's true," Luna said, throwing the apple to the baby thestral. It was glad of food and ate it with a relish. "But I suppose that that's how he wants you to feel."

"What d'you mean?" Rosalyn asked.

"Well if I was You-Know-Who, I would want you to feel cut off from everyone else," Luna said. "Because if it's just you, you're not as much of a threat."

She pulled a bit more meat out of her bag and threw it to the thestral, who devoured it quickly. Rosalyn and Luna looked at each other, not realising one bit how similar they were.

☆☆☆

The next morning, Rosalyn arrived at the breakfast table after everyone else.

"Rosie," Hermione said, shifting on the bench to make space for her.

"Can I join you?" Rosalyn asked.

They all nodded, and she was about to sit down when they heard that falsely sweet voice again. "Pardon me Professor but what exactly are you incinuating?"

Rosalyn, Harry, Hermione, Ron and many others jumped up and ran to the entrance hall. There, they saw McGonagall and Umbridge, both pink in the face (Umbridge Pink everywhere) and both arguing just as strong as the other.

"I am merely suggesting that when it comes to my students you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall replied hotly, stopping on the stairs.

"So silly of me but it sounds as though you're questioning my authority in my own classroom," Umbridge said in a high pitch voice, stepping up one more step. "Minerva."

"Not at all, Dolores," McGonagall said, stepping up as well. "Merely your medieval methods!"

"I- am sorry dear," Umbridge said. "But to question my practices is to question the Ministry, and, by extension, the Minister himself. Now I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty."

"I think you need to check what 'tolerant' means!" A random boy yelled as McGonagall muttered. "Disloyalty."

Umbridge, however, stepped up a step and faced the students. "Things at Hogwarts are far worse that I feared," she said slowly. "Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

☆☆☆

PROCLAMATION:
Educational Decree No. 23

Dolores Jane Umbridge has been appointed the new role of Hogwarts High Inquisitor

This was on a framed bit of parchment that Filch nailed to the wall of the entrance hall the next morning.

"Hogwarts High Inquisitor?" Rosalyn asked. "What the fuck is that?"

Ron and Harry laughed whilst Hermione looked apprehensive and buried her head behind the Daily Prophet again. "What's in there?" Rosalyn asked.

"Some crap about Umbridge, probably," Ron answered.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Look."

She handed the paper to Rosalyn who read the headline and then a quote below it.

HIGH INQUISITOR
A New Era Dawns At Hogwarts

Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, quoted last night. "Having already revolutionised the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dolores Umbridge will have powers to address the seriously falling standards at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"It's outrageous," Harry said, "Outrageous."

"I know," said Hermione desperately. "But we can't do anything about it."

"Wait, there's another bit," Rosalyn quoted. "'As the High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge will have the power to inspect, suspend and fire teachers from their posts if they don't keep up the Ministry standards we try so hard to uphold' yeah, like telling people they're liars and making them cut out chunks of their hands..."

The three people facing her had no answers.

Over the next few days, Umbitch got worse. She walked round the school as though she owned it. She cursed two seventh year students who were making out on a bench and they zoomed away from each other.

When Ron, Rosalyn and Harry were in divination, Umbridge was inspecting Trelawney, and as she spoke, Umbridge said. "Just one question dear. You've been in this post for how long, exactly?"

When walking throughout the corridor, she caught three Gryffindor sixth years. She waved her wand, making their loose ties tighten so they choked, then, after she was passed them, she made their trousers go up, giving them wedgies.

During Snape's inspection, Umbridge asked him. "You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, am I right?"

"Yes," said Snape to Umbitch and the giggling students he was teaching.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

"Obviously," Snape said, shooting daggers with his gaze.

After the so-called 'High Inquisitor' had left, Snape hit Ron, who was sniggering the loudest, over the head with a book.

Even when Fred and George were playing with a firework of their own invention, surrounded by a crowd that included the quartet, she ruined it. Rosalyn yelled. "What were they doing wrong?" After she had walked away.

"Rosie, leave it," Harry hissed.

But the damage was done. Umbridge turned round and said. "Miss Potter, I see that my detentions have had no effect on you. Five o'clock, today, my office."

As Rosalyn returned from the office with a badly bleeding hand, she saw Filch, hammering more decrees into the wall.

The next day, whilst the school choir was practicing, Umbridge oversaw it, having even the audacity to measure Flitwick's height!

In the meantime, it looked like Trelawney was going to be on probation. She was badly failing all the inspections Umbridge was forcing upon her. Umbridge had also asked her to make a prophecy for her about five times, and so far, all that Umbridge had been told was that she was in grave, grave danger.

Oh no, Rosalyn, who, for the record, didn't like Trelawney, thought, she doesn't deserve this. She's a right fraud but she doesn't deserve to be fired.

☆☆☆

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened next. The next day, students were rushing about the courtyard, all chatting rather worriedly.

Rosalyn and Harry were in the crowd together, and the brother and sister were going in the general direction of the crowd, when they caught up with a certain crush of Harry's. "Cho?" He asked the black haired Ravenclaw. "What's going on?"

She had only three words. "It's Professor Trelawney."

And it was. When the twins finally found what everyone was looking at. Filch dumped another suitcase at the divination teacher's feet.

Trelawney was crying, and getting shown no pity from Umbitch or Filch, who were standing opposite her.

"Si- sixteen years I have lived and taught here," Trelawney said, tripping over a suitcase to speak to Umbridge. "Ho- Hogwarts is my home. You can't do this."

"I'm afraid I can," Umbridge said, holding up the paper on which said that she was High Inquisitor. On the contrary to pity, she had a certain smirk on her face, which made her even more sickening as a person.

Suddenly, McGonagall appeared on the scene, putting her arms around Trelawney. "Something you'd like to say, dear?" Umbridge asked, her toad-like smile sliding on her toad-like face.

"Oh there are several things I would like to say," McGonagall shot back, comforting Trelawney.

Suddenly, the doors opened and Dumbledore strode out from them. He faced Umbridge, who looked thoroughly like she was unbeatable. Or she thought she was.

"Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said authoritavely. "If I could ask you to escort Sybil back inside."

McGonagall and Trelawney went slowly back inside, passing a very pissed Umbridge on the way. "Dumbledore," she said dangerously. "May I remind you that under the accordance of Educational Decree Number twenty-three, as enacted by the Minister-"

"You have the right to dismiss my teachers," said Dumbledore, with no signs of anger or annoyance. "You do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds, that power remains with the Headmaster."

Umbridge looked at him for a few seconds before saying, voice on the edge. "For now."

Dumbledore kept eye contact with her for five more seconds (Rosalyn was counting through the tension) then turned on his heel. "Don't you all have studying to do?"

"Professor-?" Rosalyn yelled, trying to push through the students making their way back inside. "Professor!"

But Dumbledore didn't look back, he just swept inside, completely ignoring the girl who, if all else failed, just wanted him to look at her.

Rosalyn, who was angry enough with Dumbledore, didn't want to see the person that strode up to her at that moment.

"Ah, Miss Potter," Umbridge said in a scarily sweet voice. "I was going to speak to you about your second detention-"

"What the hell?" Rosalyn asked rudely, taking her temper out on Umbridge. Though she deserved it, she shouldn't have said it. "Second detention? For what, exactly?"

"The message needs a little more time to sink in," Umbridge said with no hint of pity nor satisfaction. "And if you don't mind your temper, it'll need another week."

Rosalyn gave her a long, hard look. She wasn't taking orders from this horrible, horrible woman anymore. She hated her. So she was going to do something anout it.

So she said. "You know what? Fuck. Off."

And, holding her middle finger aloft, she walked off, a hard expression on her face.

Umbridge gasped slowly, stumbling slightly.

Rosalyn didn't care. For once, she let a smirk show.

She hadn't won the war yet.

But, for once, one of the battles was hers.