Family Ties

The next morning Dean entered the Great Hall to see Umbridge standing by the Gryffindor table, apparently in a rage at Harry. There were a lot of owls and opened letters littering the table in front of Harry, Ron and Hermione. "... The message, apparently, has still not sunk in! Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

She stalked past Dean, who sat down on the other side of Ron. "What's got her knickers in a knot now?"

"Harry gave an interview to the Quibbler about You-Know-Who. I expect Luna's got a copy."

Luna materialised behind him. "Yeah, I've got two, but I can duplicate them. Daddy doesn't like it, but I doubt that old gargoyle will let any more into the school."

Luna handed a copy to Dean. "Pass it around, I'm glad Harry's finally decided to speak out against the unbelievers in this school!"

With that, she drifted off back to the Ravenclaw table. Dean managed to grab some toast and marmalade from under the whole flock of owls on the table then spread the magazine in front of him. Harry had answered every probing question that Skeeter, the gossip queen, had put to him - honestly and unflinchingly.

Dean wondered why on Earth someone as well known as Rita Skeeter would conduct an interview for a rag like the Quibbler. He suddenly realised he hadn't seen anything of her in the Prophet since the summer. He felt someone sit down beside him. "What's that?"

It was Seamus. Without a word, Dean slid the magazine over so Seamus could read it. He went white at first, so his freckles stood out clearly, then he started to grin. "If this doesn't convince me mam, nothing will." He took out his wand and tapped the magazine. "Replicarcus!"

The magazine quivered then split in two. "Ask Ron if we can use that tube." Dean asked Ron then handed the tube to Seamus. "Deletrus." he muttered, to remove the address on it, then used a quill to write his own address and slipped the magazine inside. "Can I borrow Helios?"

Dean nodded and they left the Great Hall to send the package before class.

* ~ *

"Come on mate, it has to be done you know!"

"I know, I'll do it today, I swear."

Dean had been pestering Seamus for a whole day now to apologise to Harry for how he'd been treating him, but it was proving difficult for Seamus to swallow his pride. He couldn't bring himself to do it at breakfast, even though Helios had returned with a letter for Seamus from his mother, raving about young Harry's bravery and expressing a belief that Seamus had stood by his housemate. "Like it wasn't her who told me to stay away from him in the first place!" Seamus had exclaimed.

They were now waiting outside the Transfiguration classroom, when Dean saw Harry heading towards them, looking happier than he had outside the DA meetings all year. He nudged Seamus hard with his shoulder, "Go on! Now! Just get it over with." Seamus took a deep breath and stepped out of the queue. He couldn't meet Harry's eyes, and barely spoke above a whisper, but he did get the apology out. Harry's eyes lit up, relieved to finally be on speaking terms with the whole dormitory.

* ~ *

Monday dawned bright but cold. Seamus and Harry were back on speaking terms, but the friendship was far from repaired. Seamus knew about the DA and as much as he wanted to go, he hadn't got the nerve to ask Harry. Dean didn't press the issue, it wasn't something he'd have wanted to do himself. He was also up to his eyeballs in homework for Transfiguration due on Wednesday. He had work to do for Divination and Defence Against the Dark Arts too, but he had started it and none of it was nearly as complicated as the Transfiguration assignment.

By seven o'clock he decided he'd better go to the library to check on some of his facts in an Advanced Transfiguration textbook Hermione had recommended to him; it had helped him pull his overall grade up from an Acceptable to an Exceeds Expectations. He found Hermione and Ron huddled over a pile of books near the Charms section. He stopped with them long enough to check that they didn't have the book and left them whispering about something to find the book.

He found Ginny working on a Potions essay right beside the row of books he needed. He smiled at her and gestured to the chair opposite her, raising his eyebrows to ask if it was all right to sit down. She smiled back at him, and pushed the chair out with her foot. He whispered his thanks to her, dumped his bag on the chair and his rolled up essay, quill and ink on the table and went off to find the book.

He lugged Advanced Transfiguration back to the table and opened it to the chapter about Vanishing spells, looking for the section on Partial Vanishment. He was halfway through the chapter, taking notes, when a piercing scream tore through the air from somewhere near the front of the castle.

Ginny accidentally kicked him when it startled her. For an instant they stared at each other in fear then as one rose and ran from the library, hot on the heels of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Anthony Goldstein, Hannah Abbott and a few older students who had also been working in the library.

They thundered towards the entrance hall, hurtling down a not much used staircase hidden behind a tapestry down the hall from the library. They were near the bottom when the cry came again, accompanied by loud clattering noises.

Dean wondered if someone had fallen down the stairs, but dismissed the idea. There was too much despair in the scream; it wasn't a cry of physical pain. They burst through the section of wall that wasn't solid at the bottom to see a ring of students surrounding someone who was sobbing like their heart was breaking.

Umbridge was standing on the stairs, apparently drinking in the misery she was causing someone with great delight. It revolted Dean to see her taking so much joy out of someone else's anguish. Dean heard a familiar voice shriek in anguish. "No! NO! This cannot be happening... it cannot... I refuse to accept it!"

Professor Trelawney was cringing away from Umbridge, her glasses almost falling off.

"You didn't realise this was coming?" asked Umbridge, in her simpering, childish voice that so contrasted with her hard personality.

She sounds... happy. Dean felt another rush of distaste. So Trelawney was hardly a real Seer; no one deserved to be treated like this, especially not in public. He caught a hint of a flowery smell and noticed Ginny had stopped beside him. She stared; apparently full of horror that even Umbridge could treat a person like this. She muttered something under her breath that Dean didn't catch. He wanted very badly to squeeze her hand, but was distracted when Trelawney broke into fresh, louder sobs. "... H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"

Dean watched the evil old wench take a step down the stairs, gloating that the Minister had agreed to sack her. Professor McGonagall stepped forward to try to comfort Trelawney, telling her she wouldn't have to leave. Dean registered a dull thudding noise, and felt a chill around his ankles as he watched Umbridge get a steely look in her eyes and challenge McGonagall's authority. Dean marvelled at her bravado, McGonagall was nearly a clear foot taller than her. "...your authority for that statement is?"

"That would be mine." Dumbledore had appeared at the front door, dramatically emerging from the mist of the night. Dean felt a rush of affection for his Headmaster for exploiting a loophole in the decree, and appointing another teacher Umbridge would detest, a Centaur. Word about Umbridge's prejudice against half-breeds had gotten around; the bitch had even had a part in the law that made it difficult for their old teacher Professor Lupin to get a job.

Dean turned to go back to the library to collect his stuff and saw that Ginny was grinning wildly. She caught Dean's eye, and winked. "That'll teach the old gargoyle! She's not in total control here. And Dumbledore is a lot more intelligent that she will ever be."

With that, she turned and headed back through the wall. Dean went to follow her but was almost pushed out of the way by Michael Corner, who took her by the elbow when he reached her half way up the stairs. Dean was delighted to see her shake him off, before heading on up the stairs, though she was still talking to him.

Dean walked slowly, wanting them to be gone by the time he reached the library. He did miss them, stuck the large Transfiguration book back on the shelf, gathered his things and left. He was so miserable he decided to make a detour to the Room of Requirement.