Daphne Greengrass and Theodore Nott started dating almost at the end of March.

The girl almost screamed out loud when the boy asked her if she wants to be his girlfriend. She was so happy because she never thought someone would ask her this. It was usually Erin who boys looked at and when they asked her, she declined because for a certain reason, Erin was never interested.

Daphne now knew for sure she liked Theodore because how could she not? He was incredibly handsome, kind, and despite being friends with someone like Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, he did not share the same views as them and Daphne was very grateful for that because him and Erin, who was a Muggleborn, got along well.

Theo gave Daphne butterflies everytime he smiled at her and the girl's cheeks heated every time when the boy complimented her. Daphne's face was pale so it was easily visible, making Theo tease her a lot afterwards.

Erin demanded to know everything about their relationship. Daphne could not wait for Erin and Hermione to get together so she could be the one asking and teasing (as if she wasn't already enough).

Speaking about the girls, Hermione was no longer ignoring Erin. They spent their afternoons in the library, doing homeworks or revising for O.W.L.s which was nearing in a dangerous pace, making Erin more nervous than ever. However, with a help of Hermione, Erin felt like she could pass.

They both were in the room of requirement, having D.A. meeting.

Unfortunately, Erin still did not manage to cast her patronus, no matter how hard she was trying.

Hermione placed her hand on Erin's shoulder, after next unsuccessfull attempt.

"I'm giving up," Erin said. Hermione could sense how dissapointed and angry the Slytherin was with herself.

"I'm not letting you do that," said Hermione, making Erin look up at her. "There are so many people in this room who did not manage to cast their patronuses and see? They did not give up and neither will you!"

Erin sighed, closed her eyes and thought about the happiest memory. She thought about when she got equipment for painting from her parents, she thought about swimming with her friends in a lake while watching the sunsets, she thought about Hermione.

Hermione, Hermione, Hermione.

Erin thought about their first almost kiss in the snow and in the bookstore, about Hermione's smile when Erin gave her the painting, about their late night talks at Grimmauld Place, about the spying in Hogsmeade and their unplanned kiss.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Hermione gasped, and so did Erin.

"That's Granian Winged Horse!" The Gryffindor keep stared at Erin's beautiful patronus. "It's one of the rarest patronuses, that's so wonderful!"

The winged horse ran and flied around the room a few times before disappearing completely.

"You did it!" Hermione clapped her hands and embraced Erin tightly. "I'm so so proud of you! See, I knew you could do it!"

When they pulled away from each other, Hermione asked, "What were you thinking about?" In hopes that Erin was thinking about her, that she was in Erin's happiest memory that helped her to cast the Patronus Charm.

Erin smiled. "I think you know exactly what."

Next thing Erin knew, She saw a house-elf was tugging at Harry's robes somewhere near the knee. He looked down and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby the house-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eighthats.

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said. "What are you - what's wrong?"

The elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry had fallen silent now: Everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Harry Potter, sir . . ." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir . . . Dobby has come to warn you . . . but the house-elves have been warned not to tell . . ."

He ran headfirst at the wall: Harry, who had some experience of Dobby's habits of self-punishment, made to seize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone, cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of the other girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter . . . she . . . she . . ." Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist: Harry seized that too.

"Who's 'she,' Dobby?"

Erin and Hermione looked at each other. They were suspicious of who, 'she' was.

"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.

Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head off Harry's knees; Harry held him at bay.

"What about her? Dobby - she hasn't found out about this - about us - about the D.A.?"

He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His hands held fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to the.

"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.

Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"

They all pelted toward the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through; Harry could hear them sprinting along the corridors and hoped they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine, if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer -

"Hermione!" Erin grabbed the Gryffindor's hand.

"Harry, come on!" shrieked Hermione from the center of the knot of people now fighting to get out.

Erin and Hermione were running a few meters behind Luna, Daphne, and Astoria.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked but Erin didn't answer, she was kept running.

The trio waited for the two girls to arrive to the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room.

"You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn't a single person on the board. How is that possible?" Asked the Eagle Door Knocker.

They all looked around themselves, not sure how to answer.

"All of the people on the boat are married?" Erin joked, earning a look from Daphne.

"Erin, that's ridicu-" the door opened. "Oh."

Hermione gaped at the Ravenclaw common room. There were stars painted on the dark blue ceiling, portraits of Rowena Ravenclaw on the light blue walls, windows framed by bronze and dark blue curtains. But most of all, Hermione gaped at the amount of books.

"Oh, Godric!" She placed her hand over her mouth. "Look at the books! I want to read them all!"

At that, Astoria grinned and whispered to Erin, "Well, now you know where to take her on your first date." She earned an elbow to her ribs.

But then, Hermione started pacing around the whole room, her head in her hands as she was repeating, "We screwed up, we screwed up, we screwed up!"

"How did Umbridge know where to find us?" Asked Luna.

"There has to be a traitor, of course," answered Daphne.

They were startled by a voice of someone who they had no idea was present in the common room.

"My friend, Marietta, was not at the last meeting nor this one. . . " Admitted Cho Chang, who was sitting in one of the blue armchairs. "I think- No, I'm sure she had told Umbridge. About two weeks ago, she told me she's scared that her mother could lose her job at the Ministry because of this. I haven't seen her in a couple of hours, actually."

"She didn't want you to see how terribly her face is disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that are spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."," explained Hermione. "I casted a spell that whoever tells someone who's not part of the D.A. about us, this will happen."

"Hermione, I'm sure the Sorting Hat made a mistake while sorting you into Gryffindor," said Astoria.

***

They ended up sleeping in the Ravenclaw common room that night and they were happy to wake up there and not in Umbridge's office.

As soon as Erin, Hermione, Daphne and Astoria left the Ravenclaw tower, they saw the sign;

-By order of-

The Ministry of Magic

Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight.

"This has to be my worst nightmare," whispered Daphne in disbelief.

*

**

"Dumbledore will be back before long," said Ernie Macmillan confidently. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me . . ." He dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Ron, Hermione and Erin had to lean closer to him to hear, ". . . that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently she had a right little tantrum. . . ."

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office," said Hermione viciously. "Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old -"

"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?" Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice. "Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," he drawled. He obviously would take off points because of Erin too if she was in a different house.

"It's only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.

"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" snarled Ron.

"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Malfoy;

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad -"

"The what?" said Hermione sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing toward a tiny silver I upon his robes just beneath his prefect's badge. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points. . . . So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress. . . . Macmillan, five for contradicting me. . . . Five because I don't like you, Potter . . . Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that. . . . Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that. . . ."

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "New Head, new times . . . Be good now, Potty. . . Weasel King . . Mckinnon. . ."