Silver Hourglass

Headmistress Umbridge Chapter 47

If it had not been for the D.A. lessons, Harry thought he would have been extremely unhappy with all the stress and work the fifth years had. He sometimes felt that he was living for the hours he spent in the Room of Requirement, working hard but thoroughly enjoying himself at the same time, swelling with pride as he looked around at his fellow D.A. members and saw how far they had come. Indeed, Harry sometimes wondered how Umbridge was going to react when all the members of the D.A. received "Outstanding" in their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s.

They had finally started work on Patronuses, which everybody had been very keen to practice, though as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different to producing it when confronting by something like a dementor.

"Relax love," Draco chuckled as the same silvery animal from the third year ran around in the air. "I think I finally know what my Patronus is... strange though, having a lion for one. Besides, just hope that they would never have to use them against Dementors like we did."

"Yeah..." Harry said softly, remembering the hundreds of dementors he and Draco somehow fought in their third year, saving Sirius.

Everyone became quiet when the door to the Room of Requirement opened and closed. Dobby the House-Elf was running towards Harry and Draco, clearly anxious and scared. "Harry Potter, sir..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter.... Master Malfoy.... Dobby has come to warn you...but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."

"What is it Dobby?" Draco asked. "Speak!"

"Master Malfoy...she...she..." Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his fist, which Harry grabbed.

"She? You mean Umbridge?" Harry asked.

Dobby nodded. "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 sank to his knees.

"She's most likely coming right now," Draco mumbled to himself and Harry, who nodded in agreement.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RUN!" Harry bellowed. 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 dormitiories. It was only ten to nine, if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer—

"Harry! Let's go!" Draco yelled.'

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

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him to the back of the queue. "Dobby! Go back to the kitchen!" Harry yelled. "If she asks you whether you warned me, lie and say no! And don't you dare hurt yourself!"

"Thank you, Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked, and he streaked off. Harry and Draco continued running. There was a boy's bathroom up ahead, they could hide there and pretend they were there the whole time if they could reach it—"

"AARGH!"

Something caught them around the ankles and they fell spectacularly, skidding along until they came to a stop. "Professor! Professor, I got two!" Someone laughed.

Draco looked up and saw Parkinson walked up to them smirking. "Draco, Potter. Nice seeing you two!"

Umbridge came bustling around the far corner, breathless, but wearing a delighted smile.

"It's him!" she said jubilantly at the sight of Harry on the floor. "And Mr. Malfoy too, oh excellent Pansy, just excellent. A hundred points to Slytherin! I'll take them from here. ...Stand up, Potter! Malfoy!"