Draconica let out a heavy sigh as she flopped onto her bed in the Slytherin dormitory. Why did everything in life have to be so complicated? The last few weeks had been particularly challenging. Initially, when she heard through the grapevine that Harry had started dating someone, she felt a twinge of sadness, but ultimately resolved to accept it.
However, seeing him with Katie changed everything. A wave of jealousy washed over her, and for the first time, she desperately wished to be in Katie's position, even though she knew she shouldn't feel this way—especially with the contract that bound her. In an attempt to quell her emotions, Draconica tried to distance herself from the green-eyed wizard. Yet, with their schedules intertwined due to shared classes and Saturday detention sessions, avoiding him proved nearly impossible. Harry remained his usual friendly self, making it even harder for her to maintain her new attitude.
She shook her head in frustration. During the Hogsmeade visit earlier that day, she had once again been forced to watch Harry and Katie together. Each sighting only intensified her longing to be the one beside him. To complicate matters further, a persistent, nagging sensation was stirring within her—one that wouldn't dissipate easily, especially when her thoughts turned to Harry.
If this continued, she feared she might lose control and do something foolish. Desperate to rid herself of these feelings, Draconica could think of nothing but oblivion, yet even that seemed precarious; who would say she wouldn't experience the same emotions again? No, she needed a viable solution, but her options appeared nonexistent.
She considered giving in to her desires before her body made the decision for her, but the constraints of her contract held her back. She didn't want to come between Harry and Katie, especially with the potential fallout. Caught in a corner, she saw no way out.
With another resigned sigh, Draconica buried her face deeper into her pillow, wishing her troubles would simply vanish. Yet deep down, she knew that wishful thinking wouldn't change her reality.
~/ *** \~
Griselda Marchbanks was a witch, three decades older than Albus Dumbledore, yet her spirit remained vibrant despite her age. As the head of the Educational Committee and Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, she had dedicated nearly a century to ensuring that new generations of witches and wizards received a quality education. While she typically gathered data during her annual visits to Hogwarts for OWLs and NEWTs, she didn't neglect her responsibilities throughout the rest of the year.
Thus, when she received a letter from Hogwarts on Monday, September 13th, her curiosity was piqued. It was unusual for her to receive correspondence from students, a clear indication that the matter was significant—otherwise, the wards wouldn't have allowed it past. As she read the letter, her frown deepened. The quality of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors Dumbledore had employed over the years had reached a new low. The mere fact that students from all four houses had signed this open letter was a telling sign of the urgency.
Not one to make hasty decisions, Madam Marchbanks resolved to conduct an investigation into the DADA situation at Hogwarts. She knew that if the new professor was lacking, she would need to take action.
After two weeks of thorough evaluation, Madam Marchbanks was far from pleased with her findings. While the textbook was adequate, it was unsuitable for the students. Unfortunately, the professor herself, Dolores Umbridge, was conducting her lessons in a way that prohibited effective learning—an outright violation in the eyes of Madam Marchbanks.
Given the tools she had employed to gather her information, Madam Marchbanks acknowledged that they may be flawed, and thus, decided to send a committee to observe DADA classes. Although she would have preferred to visit Hogwarts herself, her age prevented her, and she had to delegate the job to her subordinates within the Committee. Yet, the men proved slow, taking an additional week to prepare before they finally set out for Hogwarts.
~/ *** \~
Harry had faced a grueling few weeks as Umbridge attempted to strip away his privileges for reasons as trivial as "breathing too loudly." Now reduced to just being Harry Potter, no one seemed inclined to question the fairness of his punishments. To make matters worse, there had been no updates from the Educational Committee, leaving everyone in the dark about whether an investigation would take place.
That uncertainty was shattered on Wednesday, October 6th, when a trio of wizards with badges from the Educational Committee entered the Great Hall just as breakfast neared its conclusion. Unsurprisingly, neither Dumbledore nor Umbridge welcomed their presence, but sending them away would create additional issues. Thus, they were stuck pretending to do their jobs.
Unfortunately, the investigation was worthless; the committee members left during lunch, pockets bulging with gold—an indication that they had accepted bribes in exchange for a fraudulent report assuring that everything was fine at Hogwarts.
~/ *** \~
Despite his concerns, Umbridge did not immediately retaliate against Harry. However, it wasn't long before her response came in the form of a detention during DADA class on Friday. The sickly-sweet tone of Umbridge only heightened his apprehension.
"Do come in," she said, her voice dripping with false cheer. "Sit." She gestured to a corner of her office where a long roll of parchment lay. Once Harry was settled, she continued, "I want you to write lines with this special quill of mine." She handed him a dark red quill.
Harry recognized it immediately: a blood quill, classified as a Class D restricted item. Although it wasn't dangerous for signing documents, using it to write the same phrase repeatedly could leave permanent scars—clearly a torture device. Still, he decided to go along with the detention. If he could gather evidence, he might be able to call in the DMLE and remove Umbridge from Hogwarts, maybe even send her to Azkaban.
"I want you to write, 'I must not undermine the authority of the Ministry,'" she instructed, her sugary tone unchanged. "You'll keep writing this until the message sinks in." Nodding, Harry complied, fighting back the pain as the words carved themselves into the flesh of his non-writing hand. This was indeed torture, and he was determined to gather enough proof to bring down Umbridge. With Madam Bones on the case, Umbridge wouldn't be able to bribe her way out.
For the next four hours, Harry endured the pain of the quill etching the words into his skin repeatedly, until his hand was left bleeding and raw. Just before nine o'clock that evening, Umbridge finally dismissed him, clearly frustrated and tired of his presence.
Once free, Harry rushed back to the Gryffindor common room, eager to share his plan with Hermione, Neville, and Katie. While they were understandably concerned for his safety, they agreed his plan was the best course of action, given the committee's apparent corruption.
After calming his friends, Harry sought out Colin Creevey, who had the camera he needed to capture evidence of his detention injuries. It wasn't difficult to find Colin, as he was engaged in a game of wizarding chess with his younger brother Dennis. The second-year willingly lent Harry his camera.
An hour later, Harry sealed a letter to Violet, requesting her to forward the photo of his injuries along with his statement about the events from that day and the previous Wednesday to the DMLE, specifically to Madam Bones.
~/ *** \~
Madam Bones acted swiftly, arriving at Hogwarts on Saturday morning, just as breakfast was underway, accompanied by a small team of Aurors.
"What's going on here?" Umbridge demanded from the staff table as the DMLE operatives made their entrance. Amelia marched up to the professors' table.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge," she declared, "in accordance with Paragraph 138, Section C, and Paragraph 89, Section A, you are under arrest for the illegal use of a Class D restricted item with intent to torture, and for bribery of ministry officials. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." The Aurors advanced to restrain Umbridge. Naturally, she was not inclined to go quietly, but four fully-trained wizards were more than a match for her.
Within moments, she was handcuffed and silenced, ushered out of the Great Hall amid her protests—Aurors were not interested in listening to her complaints about what the Minister would do upon hearing this news.
Amelia wasn't finished, though.
"In accordance with the Hogwarts charter, Paragraph 107, Section A, I, Amelia Susan Bones, hereby restore all house points unjustly taken by Dolores Jane Umbridge." A hundred and twenty rubies fell into the Gryffindor hourglass, signifying the reinstatement of points taken from Harry. "Furthermore, in accordance with Paragraph 107, Section C, I, Amelia Susan Bones, hereby lift all unjust bans imposed by Dolores Jane Umbridge on Hogwarts students."
With that, her work concluded, and after briefly apologizing for the disruption, Amelia Bones departed the Great Hall.
About an hour later, as Harry settled into a book in the common room, Oliver Wood and Fay Dundar approached him.
"Are you free from those bans now?" asked Oliver, eliciting a nod from Harry. With Madam Bones's actions, all restrictions from Umbridge had been lifted, including his ban from playing Quidditch. "Good," Oliver continued. "I want to get your position back as seeker." Fay nodded as well; she had been the best of those who had tried out, but revealed herself to be more suited as a beater.
"Alright," Harry replied, acquiescing.
"Then be ready at the pitch tomorrow morning at nine," Oliver commanded before turning to contemplate strategies for regaining their star seeker.
"Are you upset I'm reclaiming my place on the team?" Harry asked Fay, who merely shrugged.
"It's your spot. I'm better at being a beater anyway," she replied with a light smile, conveying her sincerity.
"Thanks," Harry said. Fay nodded and headed across the common room to join a friend buried in books about Divination.
~/ *** \~
As tradition dictated, the seeker tryouts consisted of Oliver Wood releasing a group of snitches while the Weasley twins played the very willing role of opposing team beaters. Although Fay proved her skills, as she'd mentioned, she was better suited to beater, thus allowing Harry to reclaim his spot on the team before lunch.
The rest of Harry's afternoon passed uneventfully as he caught up on Potions homework—Professor Snape had assigned a lengthy two-foot parchment on basic poisons and their antidotes.
However, as evening fell, things shifted dramatically in the Gryffindor common room. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, had managed to sneak in a few bottles of firewhiskey and began celebrating Harry's return to the team. Soon, Alicia, Angelina, and several others joined the festivities, eager to partake in the merriment. Harry, however, chose to abstain from alcohol, unwilling to endure a hangover the following day.
"Why aren't you joining them?" Katie asked as she seated herself next to him. "They're celebrating your return, aren't they?" Harry shook his head, opting to remain sober.
"Nah, I'd rather not face a hangover tomorrow morning." She shrugged nonchalantly, then, to his surprise, climbed onto his lap, pushing him back against the armchair as she began kissing him passionately.
"Welcome back to the team, Harry," she whispered once they broke apart, then immediately resumed her enthusiastic kisses. The green-eyed wizard reveled in the affection his girlfriend was showering upon him.
~/ *** \~
On the following Monday, the third-year students shuffled into the DADA classroom. Despite Umbridge's arrest, classes were running as usual, with a substitute teacher filling in—all very much in line with the previous schedule. At the sound of the bell, a tall wizard in his twenties with closely cropped dark-brown hair and steely gray eyes stepped into the room, his demeanor exuding seriousness.
"Good afternoon," he greeted the students. "I'm Samuel Stone, a second-year Auror trainee, and under Madam Bones's orders, I'll be teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts for the time being." The wizard continued, "Given the lack of competent instruction thus far, you'll need to work extra hard this year to catch up on what you should have already learned." While some lazy students groaned at the prospect of increased workload, most were relieved to finally have a teacher who seemed destined to properly teach the subject.