Adaptations

ADAPTATIONS PART 14

The next morning, a Sunday, Ron Weasley was awakened by the sound of his own stomach grumbling. He rubbed a sleepy hand across his eyes and tried to focus as he spoke.

"Harry, you awake, mate? How d'you fancy heading down to the Great Hall for some breakfast?"

There was no response from Harry's bed and Ron looked over to see that it was empty.

"Hey! Where's Harry gone?" he asked his other roommates.

Seamus shook his head sleepily and answered, "Maybe he's in the loo."

Dean was slightly more awake than his mate. "Or else he got up early to go down to the Ravenclaw dorms and snog Cho some more. I know if I got kissed like that..."

"Twice!" Neville chimed in.

"...last night I'd certainly be looking for more today."

Ron nodded his head for a moment and then suddenly scowled. "But that's never happened, has it?" he said, sounding as menacing as anyone could while wearing pajamas with little broomsticks flying around on them. Dean gulped once but said nothing.

Dean was, in fact, correct and at that moment Harry Potter was sitting in an alcove watching the hallway the Ravenclaws always came out of when they came to meals. He didn't know exactly where their common room was located but he supposed it ought to be down this hallway.

He had been waiting about half an hour when he heard a group of people coming. He stood and backed into the shadows to try to keep hidden. He watched as a large group of students, mostly first and second years, came past him on their way to breakfast. 'Maybe Cho is going to sleep in today?' Harry thought to himself. 'Maybe she won't be coming past at all?' But at that moment he heard another group of students approach. An unfamiliar voice, probably one of the Prefects, was warning the new firsties that if they had any questions in Potions they should never ask them in class as it only annoyed Professor Snape. Instead, he told them to write their questions down and ask some of the older students in the common room. That way they would get their answers and the house wouldn't lose any points.

Harry pulled back into the shadows again as the group passed. Suddenly, there she was. Harry recognized her rich black hair bobbing between the heads of some of her dorm mates. As she went past him he stepped out of and called softly, "Cho?"

She turned around immediately and, when she saw it was Harry, her face lit with a broad smile. Waving her friends to continue on, she walked back to him.

"G'morning Harry," she said quietly. "What are you doing here?"

Harry blushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

She put a hand on his arm to shush him. "What did you want?" she said gently.

Harry hung his head and shook it in embarrassment. "It's just that, after last night, I sort of wanted to see you again, just to make sure."

"Make sure of what?" she asked him.

Harry looked into her eyes, hesitating to voice his uncertainty. "Make sure that I didn't dream it all."

Cho flushed prettily and answered, "Well, if you did than I had the same dream, and I'm not sure I want to wake up from it."

"Yeah, me too."

Cho looped her arm through his and said, "Come on, you can walk me to breakfast."

Together they walked to the Great Hall. Harry took her to her usual seat at the Ravenclaw table. He was about to leave to join the Gryffindors when one of Cho's friends piped up, "Aren't you going to snog her senseless again, Harry?"

Harry looked around and answered with a glint in his eye, "I'm more than willing but remember, McGonagall and Flitwick agreed that the next time the points will be docked from Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor."

He leaned down to kiss Cho when several giggling girls began to push him away. "Oh no you don't," one said, "we thought we had a sure way to keep Gryffindor out of the running for the house cup this year, but I suppose we'll just have to think of something else."

"Well, wait just a sec," Cho called. She stood again and gave Harry a quick buss on the cheek. "I think I'm willing to risk a 1-point kiss, at least."

Harry grinned and turned away. Suddenly, he turned back again. "Cho, fancy going for a walk around the lake with me later?" He looked up at the bright blue sky shining through the enchanted ceiling. "It's a beautiful morning."

"As beautiful as Cho?" one of the girls asked teasingly. Cho blushed deeply and swatted her friend's shoulder.

Harry blushed too. "Not hardly," he whispered.

Cho looked at him and answered his original question, "Sure, meet you at the doors at about 10."

Harry nodded and headed over to his own housemates.

* * * * *

The late summer sun shone brightly on their shoulders and a warm breeze stirred their hair as the young couple strolled down to the lake. Harry took in a deep breath and looked up at a large vee of migrating geese winging their way overhead. He reached out and tentatively took the hand of his companion. Cho gripped his fingers tightly in return. They were both smiling as they looked anywhere but at each other.

"Funny, isn't it?" Cho asked after a few minutes.

"What's funny?" Harry answered.

Cho bit her lip for a moment before replying, "This. Us. I'm actually a bit nervous." Harry looked over at her and tilted his head in a question. "It just strikes me as funny that we have been walking together all summer, and even holding hands, but now it's just so different and I'm actually a bit nervous."

Harry smiled at her. "Yeah, I know what you mean. What do you think makes this different?"

"Well, I suppose that this summer we were just friends and we both knew it. There were boundaries and so we knew what to expect. We knew where we were going."

Harry looked down at her and said teasingly, "Well, I know exactly where we are going now."

Cho looked back at him with a hint of apprehension in her eyes. "And where might that be?"

"Around the lake, silly!" he said before giving her a playful shove and taking off at a sprint. Cho huffed and then, laughing, took off in pursuit.

On the far side of the lake, they sat in the tall grass and let the sun warm their faces. In front of them, across the glittering surface of the lake, stood Hogwarts castle, standing tall against the sky, its spires and towers pointing at the clouds drifting past. Harry could make out the windows of the Owlery and occasionally the shadow of one of its occupants would flit past it as a bird came or went. He was amazed that a single train ride could take him so far away from Privet Drive. He was the same boy that he was yesterday but he felt as if the whole world had changed around him, and he was glad of it.

"Cho?" he asked and Cho answered with a small grin. "Would you mind if I... well, if I kissed you again?"

She rose up onto an elbow and said, "You don't have to ask, you know. If you want to kiss me then just do it. I'm not going to object."

"You sure?" Harry answered tentatively. "I mean, I don't want to seem too pushy or anything. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to take advantage..." Cho silenced him by placing her lips softly over his. A few minutes later, she rolled back into the grass and Harry lay smiling up at the sky. After a few more minutes of easy quiet, he sat up again and looked down at Cho's deep brown eyes. He seemed as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked him to break the logjam. "I know you want to say something."

"It's just..." he began and then stopped to pull several tufts of grass from the sod beneath him. Releasing them into the breeze, he watched their shadows dancing across the ground. "I'm just not any good at this relationship stuff," he said at last. Cho sat up and took his hands in hers. "I mean, you know, you're the first girl I've really gone out with. The first one I've kissed. I've not done any of this before and you've gone out with tons of blokes."

Cho's eyes grew hard. "Harry, are you implying that I'm some sort of tramp?"

Harry's jaw fell in his shock. "NO! I'm not saying that at all!" He shook his head in frustration and collapsed back onto the grass. "That's just what I mean. I'm no good at this. I don't know how to talk to girls, how to sweet-talk them. I'm hopeless."

Cho swallowed her initial reaction, knowing that it was just clumsiness and not malice. "Harry, you don't have to sweet-talk me to get me to like you. I already do and I know how sweet you are. And I haven't really gone out with that many boys."

"I know that but you have gone out before."

"Well, you took a date to the Yule Ball, remember? So, you have gone out with other girls."

Harry snorted. "I wouldn't exactly call that a date. Parvati and I walked into the Ball together and sat at the same table, but I doubt anyone would call that a date. Especially her."

"You did dance with her," Cho pointed out.

"Yeah, but only the first song and that only because McGonagall said I had to. After that, I spent the whole night sitting on my rump with Ron and acting like a complete twit. Parvati wound up dancing with that lot of fellows from Beauxbatons."

"At least she had a good time," Cho said, trying to lighten the mood.

Harry thought about this for a moment. "You know something?" he said seriously. "I hope she did. I suppose I really ought to apologize to her or something for being such a rotten date."

"I think that would be nice," Cho said with a smile, "just don't go and ask if you can make it up to her next Hogsmeade visit. You're mine now!"

"I reckon that's really my point," Harry continued. "I don't know any more now about how to be a good boyfriend than I knew then. I don't want to mess this up, not after the way things went between us last year."

"I don't want to mess things up either, Harry. I was just as much to blame for the mess we made of things as you were."

"Yeah, but you have an excuse. I was just a prat. And I don't want to be a prat anymore. I want to be a good boyfriend, the kind you deserve," Harry said quietly.

Cho suddenly flushed and caught him into a tight embrace. "You are a good boyfriend," she whispered in his ear. She released him and smoothed the front of her robes. "You just need a little polishing to be a perfect Knight-in-Shining-Armor, that's all. And it's not like I can write books on the subject, you know."

"Yeah but..." Cho gave Harry a look that told him he had better tread carefully. Harry took a deep breath and, like a true Gryffindor, jumped right into the deep end regardless. "You already know that you are the first girl I've ever kissed. The only one in fact." Cho nodded carefully at this. "And you told me that Roger Davies gave you your first kiss. And then you dated Cedric. You even went out with Michael for a bit and I assume..." Harry looked over and caught the potentially explosive glint in Cho's eye before he went too far. "Er... I assume I have no idea what happened between the two of you. And it's really none of my business anyway." Cho seemed to accept this and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "I just... I feel a bit lost here. I don't want to make a mistake but I also don't know how to avoid them."

Cho stood and, for one horrific second, Harry thought she was going to storm off, but instead she extended her hand to help Harry up. After they both stood, she hooked her arm through his and they set off to continue their stroll around the lake.

After a slow minute Cho spoke, "I think I understand what you mean. When I started dating I was really nervous too, but as a girl all I had to do was follow my date's lead. But then, standing there in the Great Hall with everybody watching me ask you if you wanted to start going out again... I sort of got the idea of how frightening it can be. But remember Harry, I haven't dated that many boys myself. I'm just as nervous as you are, and I don't want to mess this up either. Let's just take things slow and easy at first and we'll feel our way along."

Harry snaked his arms around her back and slowly ran his fingers up her spine. He was rewarded with a shiver from Cho as she melted against his chest. "Feel my way along, eh?" he said with a grin. "I like the sound of that."

The grass shuffled beneath their feet as they again made their way towards the great oaken doors of the castle. Their arms swung easily as their hands remained linked.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Cho asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "I dunno, nothing yet. How about you?"

"Well, this is my N.E.W.T.s year and I need to get started early if I'm going to do my best."

Harry thought for a moment about what Cho had said before, about Hermione not wanting to date a fellow from her own house because it would interfere with her studies. He knew that he would have to give Cho plenty of time for that. "Well then, why don't you get a head start on that this afternoon? I think I can convince some of the guys to join me in a pick-up Quidditch game."

Cho eyes suddenly brightened. "Oh! Did you make Captain? That would be so marvelous!"

Harry looked at her excited face and suddenly realized something. "You made it, didn't you? You're the Ravenclaw Captain." Her flush was all the answer he needed. "That's wonderful, Cho. I'm really glad for you."

"But what about you? Are you the Gryffindor Captain?"

Harry smiled sadly, "Cho, I'm not even on the team, remember? I was banned last year. Ron's Captain."

"You mean you won't even be playing?" she asked.

"Nobody's told me the ban was lifted so I reckon not."

"But I was so looking forward to beating you this year!"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"That's not fair!"

"Not much in life is," was his calm answer.

Cho looked around, trying to think of some way to salvage the conversation. She finally lit on an idea. "OK, so I'll study this afternoon and you see if you can get up a game. We can, maybe, meet for a bit after dinner? Seeing as this is just the first day back, I don't think the Astronomy Tower will be too crowded."

Harry looked at her with a surprised grin and said, "It had better not be." With that he kissed her lightly and they headed in to have lunch.

The Gryffindors jumped at the idea of playing Quidditch and a group, including Ron, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, and, surprisingly, Lavender and Parvati, headed down to the pitch after lunch. Hermione brought a bag full of books to study as she watched them and Snuffles lay dozing in the shade. The afternoon was spent in a joyous pursuit of nothing in particular as they played, ending games and rearranging teams as the whim took them. Once, as Harry soared above the pitch, enjoying the feeling of freedom that flying always gave him, he noticed a group of girls spread out on the lawn near the castle, studying. A small hand waved at him and he immediately recognized Cho. Harry did a roll in response then dove straight towards the ground at a speed that had Hermione shrieking in fear.

Later that night, long after everyone else in the castle had gone to sleep. Harry lay quietly in his comfortable four-poster and locked the memory of this day carefully away in his mind. No matter what the future brought for him, no matter what horrors or trials he would have to face, he would always have the memory of this one perfect day to carry him through.

* * * * *

Monday morning came far too early to the sixth year Gryffindor boys' dormitory. Ron grumbled as Harry padded into the showers and Neville watered his collection of plants on the windowsill. They made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast and to receive their class schedules. Harry vaguely wondered what classes he had been assigned, since along with not reading his OWL scores he had deliberately neglected to send in any class selections. Snuffles scooted ahead of them and crawled under the table in front of Harry's usual place. Harry grinned at the memory of last night. Having a dog accompany him and Cho to the Astronomy Tower had turned out to be a blessing as his keen hearing had prevented a possibly very embarrassing interruption by a suspicious Mister Filch. Harry noticed that Cho had not come down yet as he began to eat.

A few minutes later, Hermione came walking along the table, handing out class schedules. Harry looked at his and was not really surprised to see that he had every class he needed to meet his Auror requirements, including Potions. He also had Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology as electives. 'Not bad,' he thought. He had already bought the books for all but the Herbology class and he could get that one by owl.

"So, mate," Ron said cheerily, "what do we have first?"

Harry glanced at his schedule and replied with a grin, "Defense! Now that's a good sign for the rest of the year."

"Yeah," agreed Ron, "maybe we should have stuck with Divination after all?"

As if on cue, there came a screech from outside the doors. All the Gryffindors were immediately on their feet and many had their wands out and at the ready.

"That was Professor Trelawney!" Parvati shouted as they ran for the entrance.

They pushed their way through the doors to see Professor Trelawney standing in the middle of the hall waving her thin arms like a mantis' legs and screaming at the top of her lungs. Before they had even a chance of figuring out what was going on, Snuffles bounded past them and skidded to a stop right in front of the Professor. She stopped mid-screech and pointed one boney finger at the huge black beast.

"THE GRIM!" she wailed. "I knew you would bring nothing but death in your wake!"

Harry ran up to grab hold of Snuffles before he could cause any more damage when he stopped short, finally seeing the person Trelawney was screaming at. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

The shrill girlish voice that answered his question gave no doubt to any who listened who the cause of all the commotion was. "Hem hem, mind your language, Mister Potter," said Dolores Jane Umbridge. "I am a member of the faculty and I will be treated with respect."

"I'll treat you to my boot in your arse, you filthy toad," Harry continued to shout. "Now answer my question: What the bloody hell are you doing here?" His voice was rife with anger.

Umbridge fussed with the collar of her horrid pink cardigan and replied, her voice even sweeter and more sickening than it had been a moment ago. "I am the Professor in charge of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, as you well know. Now why don't you head off on your way before you get into trouble?"

"How could you be back after the cock-up you showed yourself to be last year? Dumbledore can't be that stupid!"

Umbridge smiled widely in that way that usually meant Harry was about to spend a few evenings in detention and was about to speak when another, calmer, voice broke in.

"Indeed he is not," came the amused tones of Albus Dumbledore, "however, there are certain things that are beyond even my control. Now, what seems to be the trouble here?"

Harry turned on him and practically screamed, "How could you allow this revolting hag to come back? She ought to be in Azkaban, not here at Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore's tone remained calm and neutral as he spoke. "As I have already said, Harry, some things are beyond my control and Miss Umbridge is indeed this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."

"If you think for one minute I'm going to tolerate being in the same room at this... thing then you're as barmy as the Daily Prophet usually claims."

Dolores Umbridge, whose accharin smile had been growing increasingly tense and brittle as Harry raged, interrupted. "Mister Potter, I've taken as much of your snide attitude as I am going to take."

"Nobody's talking to you," Harry snapped.

"DETENTION!" Umbridge almost giggled. She made a point of tugging at the hem of her jumper before continuing in her normal grating voice. "The unfortunate conclusion of last term is no excuse for your disrespectful attitude towards the staff, Mister Potter. I am your Professor and you will obey me."

Harry turned on her with hatred dripping off of his voice, "It will be a cold day in hell before I step into any class that you pretend to teach."

"YOU WILL LEARN TO SHOW PROPER RESPECT!" she practically screeched. She had cast off her girlish demeanor and had a gleam of anticipation in her eye.

"I'll show you all the respect you deserve, you cow. NONE!"

"I AM A PROFESSOR HERE AND YOU WILL CONFORM!"

"You are totally incompetent to teach anything!"

Dolores shook herself to regain her composure and said sweetly, "And I suppose you think you could do better, hmm?"

"I ALREADY HAVE!"

Umbridge smiled her girlish smile, her eyes glittering with what looked like desire, and said calmly, "That will be a week's worth of detentions now, Potter. And you know what that means."

"If you think for one moment that I will..." Harry began, but he was cut off by Dumbledore.

"You will indeed serve your assigned detentions, Harry," he said, taking control. Harry looked at him in betrayal while Dolores seemed to dance with glee. "However, you will serve them with me rather than Miss Umbridge."

Dolores' cheeks flamed as her eyes narrowed. "Headmaster," she said in her most condescendingly sweet voice, "I assigned the detentions and he shall serve them with me. I am after all, the High..."

"Alas, Dolores," the Headmaster interrupted, sounding almost sad, "although you may remain as a member of the faculty, the post of High Inquisitor has been abolished and, in accordance with Educational Decree number thirty, all powers and responsibilities formerly assigned to the High Inquisitor are invested with the Headmaster. Now, to the best of my knowledge, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts and, therefore, I have the power to approve or modify all punishments as I see fit."

Umbridge's eyes darted around the growing crowd as she struggled to regain some semblance of control over the situation. Finally, she grasped onto an idea. "Hem, hem," she coughed delicately, "It is almost time for classes to begin, so why don't we all just proceed to them, eh? I believe your first class, Mister Potter, is Defense Against the Dark Arts... with me." She was smiling gleefully again. "So why don't we get to it?"

Harry looked at her with unmasked hatred. "If you think for one second that I will ever step into any class with you again then you're even more stupid than I thought you were." Professor Umbridge's face grew brittle under her smile and her eyes blazed. Harry looked as if he were about to hex her when Dumbledore stepped between them.

"Harry," he said quietly, "if you miss any class without a valid reason then you will receive a detention." He glanced at the huge crowd of students that surrounded them and raised his voice slightly to be heard by all. "Indeed, any student who deliberately skives off a class will be assigned detention. And you, Mister Potter, since you are so sure that you can do a better job of teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts than the Ministry's designated instructor, will have the responsibility of overseeing those detentions."

"W-w-what?" Harry stammered.

Dumbledore turned and looked Harry straight in the eye, his own blue ones twinkling madly. "If you are so certain that you could do a better job then the Ministry's assigned instructor, prove it. Your assigned detentions with me will be spent developing what you consider to be an appropriate curriculum for the Defense against the Dark Arts class. You will then have the chance to demonstrate your skills by teaching that curriculum to those other students who choose to skip their Defense classes." He then looked at the surrounding students and continued in a loud and clear voice. "Let it be known that any student who misses a Defense Against the Dark Arts class will be given a detention. These Detention Assignees in their fifth year and higher will serve these detentions in a Detention Area that I will designate and be supervised by Mister Potter." His twinkling eyes hardened into a slight glare now. "All students from first through fourth years will serve their detentions with Mister Filch." Many of the younger students, who had gathered around to watch the excitement, suddenly looked at their feet and edged away from the Headmaster. "Now, it is getting late and I suggest that all of you head off to your classes."

He began to make shooing motions with his hands and the crowd of students began to disperse. Soon the corridor was almost empty. Dumbledore looked at Harry and smiled. "As you are scheduled for Defense Against the Dark Arts at this time, I will be awaiting you in my office to discuss your syllabus." With that he turned and walked sedately up the broad marble staircase towards his office.

Harry stood in the center of the Entrance Hal, completely stunned. As the flow of students dwindled, he looked around to see Ron, Ginny, and Hermione looking at him with broad smiles.

"I'm due in Divination," Ginny said brightly, "and I can't wait to see what Old Bug Eyes has to predict today!" She then proceeded to skip off down the corridor heading towards the North Tower.

Ron gave him a quick pat on the back and said, "It looks I've got a free period so I suppose I have time for a bit more breakfast."

Hermione was practically dancing with excitement. "I guess the Headmaster isn't going to let you drop the DA after all?" she piped up, grinning broadly.

"Huh?" Harry answered, still a bit shocked.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" she answered. "Don't you see it? Detention Assignees going to the Detention Area? You're back in charge of the DA, and there's nothing Umbridge or the Ministry can do about it!"

Harry shook his head, at last coming to terms with what this all meant, when a drawling voice drifted up the stairs behind him.

"My, my," Draco Malfoy sneered, coming up from the dungeons, "It would seen that Dumbledore's little pet is back in everyone's good graces."

"Stuff a sock in it, Malfoy," Harry replied, irritated by the mere presence of the Slytherin.

"Watch it there, Potty, or I'll have to give you a detention. This one to be served with Professor Snape," the blond boy said with a smirk.

"Oh no, Malfoy," said Hermione, stepping between the two boys, "you'd best watch it, or Harry may just decide to dock some house points."

"What are you driveling about, Mu..." At the glare from Harry and the sight of his hand already on his wand, Malfoy continued more slowly. "Muggle. Potty here isn't a Prefect; Dumbledore didn't think he was good enough for that. Besides, even if he were, Prefects can't dock house points, only assign detentions. Now, the Inquisitorial Squad," he continued wistfully, regaining his stride, "had the authority to dock points but that has been disbanded, at least temporarily." Draco's words held the hint of a threat and Harry and Hermione both felt it clearly.

Harry tensed, but Hermione continued in a voice as sickly sweet as Umbridge's, "Right you are, Draco. Harry isn't a Prefect, and if he was he wouldn't be able to dock points, but you heard the Headmaster as clearly as I did."

Now it was Draco's turn to look confused. "What are you on about, Granger?"

"Harry here was assigned the responsibility, by the Headmaster mind, of instructing students in a proper class of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"So?" Draco sneered, obviously not understanding Hermione's train of thought at all. Harry, too, stood looking at her and waiting for an explanation.

"Well," Hermione continued, now enjoying every second of the encounter, "according to the bylaws of Hogwarts, as stated in Hogwarts: A History, any person designated by the Headmaster or the Board of Governors and entrusted with the instruction of students, whether granted the title of Professor or not, will be deemed as a member of the staff and empowered with all authorities thereto, to include the assigning of punishments and the awarding or removal of house points, as they see fit." Hermione smiled broadly at the nonplussed Slytherin.

"You're lying!" he spat at last. Hermione's reply was to give him a self-satisfied smirk of her own and glance over at Harry.

Harry, too, was grinning as he spoke. "Miss Granger," he said gleefully, "for your remarkable breadth of knowledge about the school, I award Gryffindor

house 5 points." There was a tinkling sound behind them; they all turned to look as five rubies danced up the huge hourglass that represented Gryffindor in the house standings. Harry turned back on Malfoy with a glare. "As for you, Mister Malfoy, for falsely accusing another student I dock your house 10 points!" More noise from behind them signaled that ten emeralds had fallen from Slytherin's glass. "Now may I suggest that you scurry off to class before I have to assign you a detention for being late with no good reason?"

Hermione burst into a fit of giggles as Draco slinked off. "That was absolutely brilliant!" she crowed. "Just like I've always dreamt it would be. Of course, in my dreams I'm the one who is a member of the faculty, but this was almost as satisfying." She gave Harry a fierce hug. "Now, I'm off to the Library to get a head start on classes and you," she said while poking a finger into his ribs, "had better head up to the Headmaster's. He's expecting you."

Hermione practically danced up the stairs as Harry followed at a more sedate, and, he thought, more professorial pace.

The stone gargoyle that guarded the stairway to Dumbledore's office had evidently been told to expect him for it leapt aside as Harry reached it and he stepped onto the moving staircase. Harry paused at the thick oaken door to the Headmaster's office then raised his hand to the knocker, but before he could touch it Dumbledore's voice rang out, "Come in, Harry. I've been expecting you."

Harry entered the room with some small amount of dread. His last time here had not been pleasant. Snape had hexed him and then Dumbledore had removed Sirius from his mind, triggering his return to Department of Mysteries. The Headmaster must have sensed his anxiety for he immediately stood and motioned Harry to a seat on the opposite side of his desk. When Harry had taken his seat, Dumbledore waved his wand and a tea service appeared, along with a plate of scones. He handed a cup to Harry and, as he stirred milk and sugar into his own, he began.

"Harry," he said in his usual calm voice, "I will endeavor to make this visit more pleasant than your last few to this office have been. We seem to be making a bit of a habit of making this office a place you wish to avoid rather than a refuge. I hope to change that over the course of the upcoming year." Harry just nodded. Dumbledore gazed at Harry over his half-moon spectacles and Harry began to scan the painting on the walls in an attempt to avoid eye contact. Then, before Harry even saw what he was doing, Dumbledore turned and grabbed one of several shining, spinning silver objects that decorated the shelves behind him. Dashing it against the wall, he smashed it to bits.

"What the..." Harry sputtered, spinning to face the Headmaster, as Dumbledore brought his hands back to rest upon his desk.

"I know it would seem, Harry," the old man began, "that I spend too much time surrounded by things and not enough by people. At times, I admit that I could be accused of treating people as things rather than thinking and feeling equals." He waved his wand and the shattered pieces of the Sneakoscope flew back together and re-settled themselves on the shelf behind his head. "Alas, objects can be easily repaired but people..." He left the sentence hanging. "I shall endeavor to remedy the situation but much of the work needed must be done by those that are damaged rather than the ones seeking to repair them."

Dumbledore took a slow sip of his tea before continuing. "I assume that you are rather concerned regarding the return of Miss Umbridge to this school." He raised his hand to forestall Harry's hot reply. "It was not my doing. Indeed, I would rather leave the post vacant than have that woman within these walls but, alas, that is beyond my power."

Harry looked over at the portrait of Phineas Negellus, who, rather than appear to be napping as the rest of the portraits did, leaned against his frame with an irritating sneer on his face. To avoid blasting the painting off the wall, Harry turned to face Dumbledore again. "Then why is she here?"

"Dolores is in a bit of a unique situation among the staff here at Hogwarts," the Headmaster said evenly. "She was hired neither by me nor by the Board of Governors, as was the rest of the staff. She was appointed directly by the Minister of Magic himself and therefore I have no power to remove her."

Harry was dumbstruck. He worked his jaws for a minute before he managed to get any words out. "Do you mean to say that she's here permanently?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No entirely, no. What I meant was that since she was hired by the Minister, only the Minister has the power to fire her and he has chosen not to at this time." Harry sputtered for a moment before Dumbledore spoke again. "The only other alternative is for her to resign her post and leave voluntarily."

"And that's why I'm here," Harry stated rather than asked.

"The students need to learn to defend themselves," Dumbledore responded. "The results of last term's O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations in Defense Against the Dark Arts were quite telling, Harry. Were you aware that the top ten scores in both sets of examinations were had by members of your club?"

Harry looked grim as he spoke, "And so I'm supposed to make sure that it happens again, is that it?"

Dumbledore remained calm. "The students need to learn what you can teach them."

"You knew this all along, didn't you?"

"I suspected that it might come to this, yes."

"You could have warned me."

"I only suspected it, Harry, I didn't truly know Dolores was returning until just this weekend, and then there was no time to discuss the matter with you."

"If you suspected it, you should have told me," Harry said angrily.

"I am the Headmaster of a school with over 200 students, Harry," he replied calmly. "I am also the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, and the chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. My days are filled with planning for all sorts of possibilities. Should I consult with you on all of them? Would you like to know my contingency plans should the castle be destroyed by an earthquake? Or perhaps what I would do should more than half of the faculty be stricken by some disease and be unable to perform their duties? What about if..."

"All right, all right," Harry snapped. "I get the picture, you're a busy man, but still you ought to let me know when one of your schemes directly involves me."

"Unfortunately Harry, a great many of my potential actions directly involve you in one manner or another," Dumbledore said sadly. "There just aren't enough hours in the day to keep you apprised of all of them. You'll just have to trust me sometimes."

"And what if I don't want to trust you?" Harry asked. The air grew pregnant with the pause as Harry waited and Dumbledore didn't answer, but then Harry knew the answer already: he didn't have a choice. Harry slumped back in his chair in resignation.

Dumbledore took another sip of his tea and then carefully chose a scone to place on the plate in front of him, giving Harry time to take in all this information. "Now, what say we get started on your lesson plans?"