“I wonder who the new professor is,” Grace said as she sat between Pansy and Draco in Defense against the Dark Arts.

“Me too-” Draco began to say.

“Hello class, my name is Professor Umbridge, and I will be your professor this year.” A small lady dressed in pink walked in, interrupting their discussion.

“That is not what I was expecting,” Grace whispered.

“I am going to have to ask you to not talk during my class or else you will not only be separated, but you will also be spending a lot of time in my office,” Umbridge said sternly.

“This is going to be a long year,” Grace said quietly.

“I don’t know who she thinks she is, just waltzing into this classroom and declaring herself queen,” Pansy said.

“She kind of reminds me of you, Grace.” Millicent smirked.

“Wow, I thought we were friends.” Grace gave a fake sniffle.

“Grace is nothing like this woman, she’s so much better,” Draco said protectively.

“Oh my gosh, you guys are so cute.” Pansy giggled.

“I guess I did get pretty lucky in the boyfriend department.” Grace blushed.

Suddenly, Umbridge whacked Grace’s hands with a ruler.

“Ow, that hurt!” Grace shrieked, jerking her hands away.

“Don’t touch her again,” Draco growled.

“It will hurt much more next time I catch you talking,” she said coolly.

“I can’t believe she’s allowed to do that,” Pansy protested when Umbridge stepped away.

“We should probably be quiet,” Blaise said.

“Grace, did you really get hit by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?” Rue asked.

“Yeah. I don’t really want to talk about it if that’s okay.” Grace dipped her hands into the essence of murtlap.

“That’s fine. Just be more careful next time, please.” Rue gave her friend a concerned look. “You can’t afford to get hurt.”

“I know, I know. We have a game tomorrow and everything.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh no, I’m going to be late for the last practice! I’ve got to go!” She stood and grabbed her stuff, wincing slightly, and ran out of the courtyard.

“Bye!” Rue shouted after her.

“Welcome to the Slytherin versus Ravenclaw match! We’re expecting a great game, so everyone get comfortable in those seats!”

Grace tossed the Quaffle to Urquhart, fixing her gloves and catching it in one hand when he threw it back.

“Remember, Grace has priority, she’s our best Chaser,” their captain reminded them.

“Got that?” Grace said smugly. She looked up at the stands, trying to find her friends.

“And Draco, please pay attention to the Snitch. We need to win or else we won’t have a chance at the Cup this year.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s win this thing!”

“Go Slytherin!”

“Woo,” Grace added mockingly.

“And three… two… one… the game has started! Bradley takes the Quaffle, he’s heading to the Slytherin goals… GOAL! Twenty seconds into the game and Slytherin is already losing!”

Rue cheered, sticking her tongue out at Grace when their eyes met.

“Chang is going for the Snitch- but no, it’s gone! Williams with the Quaffle, going down the field…”

Grace sped towards the Ravenclaw goals, noticing both of her fellow Chasers near her.

“Malfoy sees the Snitch, but he’s too late and it’s already gone! Williams is still after that goal, but what’s that? It’s Urquhart, signaling for her to throw the Quaffle to him. Bad idea, Williams. He’s completely covered, Ravenclaw has a good defense- and he’s coming towards her!”

“Back off Urquhart, he said I’m the best Chaser, let me score!” Grace shouted. “Besides, you’re not open! Figure out how this game works!”

“Pass me the Quaffle!”

“No!” Grace threw it to Montague instead, but Urquhart was already flying towards her, on course for a collision. She screamed and tried to turn away, but he still crashed into her, knocking them both off their brooms. “You idiot!” They fell down, slamming into the ground from almost ten meters in the air.

Not able to see where the floor was as they fell together, Grace landed on her legs, Urquhart landing and squishing her under his heavyweight. Grace lost consciousness from the pain.

When she saw her friend go down, Rue yelped and pushed her way through all the other students in her stand, making her way to the ground. By the time she got down, she saw Grace being taken away to the Hospital Wing and Urquhart crying like a baby.

She jogged after Grace and into the castle. In the Hospital Wing, she got to watch Madam Pomfrey heal both of the broken legs Grace had, then erase all the bruises and scrapes. Pansy and Millicent both came in a moment later, since their seats had been farther from the castle.

“Draco tried to come but they still have to finish the game,” Pansy whispered.

“What’s with Urquhart?”

“He's playing,” Millicent said.

“I can’t believe they’re letting him.”

“I guess they need to finish what they started. Unless he can’t move, like Grace, he has to get back on his broom. No excuses.”

Pansy studied Rue’s face, noticing how anxious she looked. “Oh, this probably reminds you of Cedric,” she realized.

“I’m okay. I’m okay. Let’s worry about Grace, not me.” Rue had to take a deep breath to stop her tears, though.

After about twenty minutes of them pacing across the Wing, Grace woke.

“I’m going to kill Urquhart,” were the first words out of her mouth.

“Grace, you’re awake!” Rue cried, rushing to the side of her bed with Pansy and Millicent.

“I am. I wasn’t gone for that long, right? Did we win?”

They all looked at each other before Madam Pomfrey answered. “No, you lost by about two hundred and fifty points.”

“I went through all that and we didn’t even-”

“It’s probably because Draco was a little distracted,” Rue inserted.

“Oh, where is he anyway?”

“Probably coming,” Millicent answered.

“You’re probably going to want a moment alone with him.” Pansy laughed.

Grace rolled her eyes. “If you have no more clever comments to make, you can go do whatever.”

“You what?” Grace shouted.

“You heard me, I joined Dumbledore’s Army! Now stop yelling before the whole school hears you!” Rue retorted.

“Well, this works out just splendidly because I joined the Inquisitorial Squad with Draco and all our other friends.”

Rue gasped. “Why? You hate that woman! Why would you want to help her?”

“I was offered a spot on the Squad, and since Draco accepted obviously I did, I’m not going to let him do it without me. Even if it means I have to put up with Umbridge,” she fired back.

“You’re out of your mind. Harry’s actually trying to fight against her and everyone who’s just going to put us in danger-”

“Harry’s involved in this?”

“He’s the leader.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t invited to join,” Grace said disgustedly.

“I can’t believe it. You’re just going to help her and the Ministry and everyone who thinks You-Know-Who isn’t back.”

“I can make my own decision and I’m doing what I think is best for me.”

“Then you have no judgment. I’m leaving.” Rue threw Grace’s inkpot into her face and walked away.

“Yeah you can leave, I have other friends you know.”

“I didn’t realize I needed your permission to ‘make my own decision,’” Rue said coldly over her shoulder.

“White blocks the Quaffle from Johnson throws it to Smith, to Cadwaller, GOAL!”

The crowd went wild. Hufflepuff was already up one hundred to ten, and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen.

“Weasley and Summerby going for the Snitch!” Nevermind. “Oh, but it’s gone now! White blocks another goal and another ten points to Hufflepuff for Smith’s shot. Weasley, what are you doing?”

Rue cheered and ducked as one of the Gryffindor Beaters hit a Bludger at her. “I don’t even have the Quaffle!” she yelled.

“Oh, now it’s one twenty to ten! Hufflepuff is on a roll. If they keep going like this, they can’t lose!”

When Ginny caught the Snitch, the scores were one hundred and eighty to one hundred and seventy, Hufflepuff leading.

“Yes!” Rue whooped, joining her team in a victory lap.

“Everyone, you know what to do. This is the last day of practicing our patronises! We can’t stay on the same topic forever,” Harry said as Rue walked in, the last one to the meeting.

Rue held back a sigh. She hadn’t been able to get her Patronus. All she saw when she focused was Cedric’s dead body.

So she made her way to a corner next to Luna and began trying.

She told herself that this time she’d get it. She tried to think about the happy memories from before that, like when she’d managed to convince Grace to go to the Yule Ball, and the actual Yule Ball, and before the third task.

“Expecto patronum!” Not even a silver wisp. She added Quidditch to the mix, and the breaks spent with Grace. “Expecto patronum!”

To Rue’s surprise, a dolphin erupted from the tip of her wand. Before it could go very far, it changed to a badger.

“Congratulations!” Luna said dreamily.

“Do you know what happened to it?” Rue asked. “Like why it changed?”

“Must be because of Cedric. His was a badger, wasn’t it?”

“Draco, do you know what we’re supposed to be doing?” Grace asked.

“No, I wasn’t paying attention. Ask Pansy.”

“Pansy, do you know what we’re doing?”

“You know I don’t, but Rue probably does, why don’t you go ask her?”

“I haven’t spoken to her in like a month.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“You need to make up at some point. Go. Shoo.” Pansy waved her away.

Grace walked up to Rue, who was already mixing her ingredients in.

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” Grace asked.

“Apology first, please,” Rue replied, not looking up from her cauldron.

“You need to apologize too, you know.”

“I didn’t start this.”

“Actually you did, you’re the one who told me you joined the pathetic DA, and then I got mad, so you started it.”

“You got mad first, so you started it. Can you leave, please? If you’re not going to say sorry, I’m not going to help you, so you can stop wasting your time.”

“Okay fine. Look, I’m really sorry for getting mad, I didn’t mean for this giant argument to happen. I was just mad about you joining Dumbledore’s Army, but I still shouldn’t have yelled at you, Rue. I’m sorry.”

Rue eyed her critically. “Apology accepted,” she decided. “And for the record, I’m sorry too. Now be quiet before someone hears about the Army. What do you need help with?”

“The whole assignment, please. And just so you know, Pansy and Draco are going to copy mine, so make sure it’s good.”

“Where are the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration?” Leanne asked, flipping through her textbook.

“It's on page eighty-one,” Rue said, finding it in her own book.

“I can’t find it,” Grace complained.

“It’s right there.” Pansy pointed at it.

“Since when are you, Albert Einstein?”

“Shut up.”

“Stop arguing and get studying,” Rue said, shoving an inkpot at her. “Your O.W.L.s aren’t going to pass themselves.”

“Ugh. I’m taking a break,” Millicent said. “I was here before any of you.”

“This is very unproductive,” Leanne said.

“This is the way our group goes, if you don’t like it you don’t need to be here.” Grace scowled at her.

“If you don’t need our help we can leave,” Rue said, standing up.

“You’re not the problem, she is!”

“We’re a package deal at the moment.”

“Please don’t leave,” Grace said with a defeated sigh.

Fred and George made a scene and left (after embarrassing Umbridge and setting off a bunch of fireworks), Hermione got her kicked out, and Dumbledore returned to school. Everything went back to normal.