“I didn’t like the price of lying and I’m sure I won’t like the price of fame,” James frowned crossing his arms.

Over the next two weeks the D.A. slowly morphed into an exciting learning experience. The representatives or ‘Council’ as they were now called quickly learned how to act as a team and play off of each other’s strengths. The biggest surprise was Neville who once he got over his nervousness had no problem demonstrating. D.A. meetings were on Saturday nights with Council meetings the following morning. There was also another Council meeting Wednesday night in the Room of Requirement to run through everything and make sure every single member of the Council could perform the charms, spells and jinxes they would be covering.

During D.A. meetings Harry would simply observe, throwing the occasional comment in only when he needed to. Using Remus’ style of teaching had certainly paid off. Every single member of the D.A. was making progress and feeling better that they were preparing themselves as quickly as they could. So far no one had any idea of the D.A.’s existence which allowed the regularly scheduled times to remain.

“What’s up Padfoot?” James asked Sirius who had his arms crossed and was managing to pout and glare at the same time.

“Why is Moony’s style such a hit? What about me?” he whined and the others rolled their eyes.

With D.A. meetings, almost nightly Quidditch practices and homework, Harry was lucky if he got five hours of sleep at night. The first Quidditch match of the season was Saturday and with Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the entire school was eager to see the game. The problem now was that in addition to Professor Umbridge and Professor Snape, Harry had to worry about running into any Slytherins who would try to hex him since he had never lost to Malfoy, the Slytherin Seeker.

Ron was performing better as a Keeper but he still had a long ways to go. He had a tendency to become frustrated after missing a goal causing him to miss more. The entire team had tried to convince Ron that he needed to focus on the present and not the past but it only worked until he missed another Quaffle. Harry had a feeling that the sooner he caught the Snitch on Saturday the better off Ron would be.

With the arrival of the first week of November, the howling winds turned bitterly cold forcing many to cover up every exposed skin they may have. The morning of the match Ron was up at the same time as Harry for once. They ate what little breakfast they could swallow in silence. The Great Hall was filling earlier than usual, many wishing the Gryffindor Quidditch team good luck which only increased Ron’s nervousness. Ron’s hands were visibly shaking so much that Harry had to grab Ron’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down…

…and was overcome with such an overwhelming force of anxiety that made his head pound.

Remus bit his lips and said slowly, “I hate to say it but it sounds like-“

“Then don’t say it!” James glared at him.

“But James,” Lily said cautiously. “Remus is right. I mean Harry touched Ron and felt-“

“MY SON IS NOT AN EMPATH!”

“Denial will get you nowhere James,” Sirius shook his head.

Harry quickly released Ron’s shoulder as he shook his head, trying to push away the strange feeling that was quickly leaving. Where had that come from? Rubbing his still aching forehead, Harry glanced over at Ron whose hands were no longer shaking. Whatever that had been Harry was certain he never wanted to do it again.

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” James said fiercely and glared at whoever tried to open their mouths.

It wasn’t long before Angelina called the Gryffindor Quidditch team to head to the pitch. Hermione wished them both luck by kissing them on the cheek, something that seemed to snap Ron out of his daze. The shock of what had just transpired seemed to vanish any nervousness he had on their way to the pitch. They changed quickly then met for the pre-match talk. That was when Harry and Ron learned that Crabbe and Goyle were the new Beaters for the Slytherin team. Today was certainly going to be interesting.

“You mean dangerous,” Lily snorted.

The Gryffindor team stepped out onto the pitch and was welcomed with deafening cheers and whistles. The Slytherin team was already waiting for them; the Captain, Montague, was massively overweight with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. Malfoy was standing off to the side, with a smirk on his face as he stared at Harry. Oh yeah, this was one game Harry couldn’t wait to get over with.

“What is he up too?” Sirius asked narrowing his eyes.

“Captains, shake hands!” shouted Madam Hooch, the referee. Everyone waited as Angelina and Montague approached the center of the pitch and shook hands. “Mount your broom!” Madam Hooch announced then put her whistle in her mouth and blew.

Everyone shot up in the air as the balls were released. Harry instantly started looking for the small glint of gold, dodging a Bludger as he soared higher. He couldn’t worry about what anyone else was doing or what anyone was saying. Becoming distracted could cost him the Snitch. He started roaming around the pitch and nearly collided with both Bludgers that had been hit in his direction.

“HARRY! PAY ATTENTION ON THE REST OF THE GAME TOO!” Lily cried.

“Where the hell were Fred and George?” James roared.

Harry quickly dived to avoid being hit, pulling up just a few feet from the ground before coming to a halt at the Slytherin goal posts. He started looking for the Snitch again but it wasn’t long before he heard the whistling noise of one of the Bludgers coming directly at him again.

“That’s persecution!” Remus protested.

Pulling up, Harry shot up, high above the pitch only having to take off as quickly as possible when the other Bludger came at high speed directly at him. It was clear now that Crabbe and Goyle were trying to take him out of the game. Diving again, Harry flew past both Crabbe and Goyle, making them nearly fall off their brooms. He pulled out of his dive and found himself face to face with Malfoy.

“What’s the matter, Potter?” Malfoy sneered. “Too busy showing off to look for the Snitch?”

“At least I don’t need others to distract my opponent so I can catch the Snitch,” Harry shot back as he looked around for the Snitch.

“Yeah! Why don’t you play fair?” Lily growled.

“Because he is a Malfoy,” Sirius offered.

“When are you going to stop relying on others to do things for you, Malfoy?”

“Never,” James grunted.

Not wanting to wait around for a retort, Harry took off towards the Gryffindor goal posts, rising high in the air so he would be prepared for anything.

It wasn’t long before Harry was once again the target of two Bludgers forcing him to dive and maneuver among the other players. Pulling up again Harry looked towards the Slytherin goal posts and nearly cried out when he saw the tiny golden Snitch fluttering a few feet about the ground. He didn’t even bother looking around for Malfoy before sharply diving at a forty-five degree angle. Nothing happening around him seemed to matter. He was nearly there when the Snitch took off towards the other side of the field, forcing Harry to turn sharply in order to follow it.

It was then that Harry noticed that Malfoy was right on his tail. Leaning forward on the broom to dampen the wind resistance, Harry took off as fast as he could, pushing his Firebolt to the limit. He could feel Malfoy trying to grab hold of his broom in an act of desperation. Dropping a few feet, Harry reached out for the Snitch, stretching as much as he could and felt his fingers wrap around the tiny, struggling ball.

“YES!” James punched the air.

“Take that Malfoy!” Sirius cried.

Harry instantly let out a sigh of relief as he pulled upwards, holding the still struggling ball in his hand for everyone to see. Glancing at the score, Harry saw the final score: Gryffindor 200, Slytherin 40. He could only hope that Ron wouldn’t take missing those four goals too hard or it was certainly going to be an extremely long day.

WHAM!

“What was that?” James asked worried.

A Bludger hit Harry right in the small of his back, causing him to fly forward off of his broom as pain shot through his entire back. Before Harry could even register what happened something slammed into his left side, causing bones to break with sickening cracks and sending pain throughout his upper body. It was impossible to think, impossible to breathe. Harry couldn’t even bring himself to move and slammed into the ground, face down, sending more pain throughout his chest.

“They are trying to kill my baby!” Lily cried.

Silence filled the air as everyone seemed to be waiting for Harry to move but he remained still. Madam Hooch’s whistle rang through the air, snapping everyone out of their daze. The crowd was in an uproar as the Gryffindor Quidditch team hurried to Harry’s side. Harry felt hands carefully turn him over onto his back, the simple movement drowning him with pain. He felt like he was trapped in his own body, unable to do anything, even breathe.

“He’s not breathing!” shouted George then gently slapped Harry’s face. “C’mon Harry, snap out of it. Breathe, blink…do something!”

“He’s not breathing!” James cried shaking Sirius. “Do something people! Don’t just stand there!”

“All of you out of the way!” ordered Professor McGonagall.

“Yes,” Remus cried. “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”

Two familiar faces came into Harry’s line of sight as his chest started to burn from lack of oxygen. Harry could feel a tear escape his right eye at the worried looks his guardians were giving him. He had been so caught up in Ron’s nervousness that he had completely forgotten that they were coming to the match. How could he have forgotten about Sirius and Remus?

“It’s understandable,” Sirius soothed. “You were preoccupied. Now BREATHE!”

“We need to get him to Poppy,” Remus said to Sirius as he conjured a stretcher. “Remember the last time he couldn’t breathe.”

“No, I don’t think I want to Moony, thank you very much,” Lily whimpered.

Sirius jumped to his feet and levitated Harry onto the stretcher. Harry was then hurried back to the castle, Sirius only stopping for a moment to warn Professor Dumbledore and Madam Hooch that something had to be done to punish the Slytherin players responsible for what happened. That was the last thing Harry heard before he passed out.

“Don’t worry,” James said confidently. “Padfoot and Moony will make everything better.”

---

Loud voices quickly pulled Harry out of his painless slumber. His back felt stiff and his left side was aching. After a moment Harry remembered why he was in pain and was grateful that at least is wasn’t anything like it had been before. He could breathe without any effort which was definitely a plus. Too tired to open his eyes, Harry could only listen to the voices around him.

“Don’t you dare try to wiggle out of this, Snape!” Sirius spat angrily. “Those students of yours deliberately attacked Harry after the end of the match! They should be suspended at the very least! They could have killed him!”

“They should be arrested!” Lily cried outraged.

“Hem, hem,” Professor Umbridge said, sounding like she was attempting to clear her throat. “Mr. Black, this is a first offense—”

“WHAT?” Remus cried. “Shut up old hag! I don’t care if this was the only offense in their life; they tried to kill him!”

“—NO IT’S NOT!” Ron shouted. “MALFOY AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE BEEN AFTER HARRY EVER SINCE WE GOT HERE! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO ATTACK HIM!” Ron let out a sigh as he sat down at Harry’s bedside. “Harry didn’t want to cause problems so he didn’t say anything. That was why we had Madam Hooch supervising our practices. We were trying to protect Harry.”

“Well done Ron,” James nodded approvingly. “Tell them!”

“Mr. Weasley, when was this attack?” asked a stern Professor McGonagall.

“The first Saturday of the term,” Ron said softly. “Harry had been grounded by Madam Pomfrey so he was watching us practice. All we knew was that Harry was watching us one minute and the next he was gone. We thought something happened so the team went looking for him. We found him cornered in the changing room by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and Bulstrode. Malfoy was taunting Harry about his parents, Sirius and Remus. They had their wands pointed at him, Professor. They were going to hurt him.”

“Yes they were. And they should be expelled!” Lily hissed.

“I find it extremely convenient that you bring this matter up now, Mr. Weasley,” Professor Umbrige countered. “It seems to me that you simply want to cause trouble for a handful of students. There is no proof—”

The four teens stared at the book shocked and Remus spluttered, “She cannot be serious!”

“Umbridge, SHUT UP!” Sirius shouted.

“Yes, thank you Sirius!” James cried but Remus and Lily winced. One thing was to tell a book to shut up, another completely different was to really tell a Ministry official who wants to make their life hell to do it.

“Why are you even here? This matter had nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts. It seems to me that you are doing everything in you power to protect Draco Malfoy. Why is that?”

“Because her beloved Fudge is in Lucius Malfoy’s pocket,” Sirius offered his older self.

“Now, now, Sirius,” Remus warned calmly.

The four teens grinned evilly. Nothing better then false calm Remus.

 “I’m sure Professor Umbridge didn’t mean to sound biased.

Snorts were heard.

 I mean, she knows the trouble Lucius Malfoy can caused when his precious son is mistreated, even if it is only in young Draco’s mind. Of course, that is nothing compared to the trouble you, Sirius, can cause for what happened today but none of us want to cause trouble now, do we?

“Nooo,” James said innocently. “We just want justice to be seen. Malfoy being expelled and Umbridge being sacked. Just that.”

I seem to remember that when I was a teacher here an offense to this degree would warrant suspension from the Quidditch team and removal of one’s Prefect status. It doesn’t matter who Draco Malfoy’s father is or who Harry Potter is. What matters is that a student was attacked today after the game had ended with intent to cause physical harm and according to Ron, this isn’t the first attempt. I’m sure we could gain access to a Pensieve and view Harry’s memories so there is no doubt that the first event did indeed happen. Wouldn’t you agree, Professor?”

Lily hugged Remus and said, “Gotta love your wicked ways Moony.”

A tense silence filled the room. No one missed the underlying threat Remus had just issued. If something wasn’t done, Sirius and Remus would do whatever they could to ensure Harry’s safety, just like any parent would. It was a threat that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape were quite familiar with by now. It was also one Professor Umbridge didn’t like in the slightest.

“Too bad for her, because I won’t be budging an inch,” Sirius growled.

“Severus, what happened today was unacceptable,” Professor Dumbledore said firmly. “I am sorry but action needs to be taken to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again, to any student. We can investigate the other attack further. Vincent Crabbe shall have to be suspended indefinitely for his actions. As far as Draco is concerned, he may choose whether to lose his Prefect Badge or his position on the Quidditch team and is once again on probation. I will send a letter to Vincent and Draco’s parents notifying them of their inexcusable behavior. If they have a problem with their punishment then I will deal with them myself.”

“Excuse me,” James said. “Did he just say Malfoy had a choice?”

“Yes,” Sirius scowled.

“Any other student wouldn’t have had. They would have lost both in a second. Why the bloody hell does Malfoy get to choose?” James cried.

“Because Dumbledore doesn’t want to let this pass but also can’t afford the trouble that Malfoy Sr. and Umbridge would cause,” Lily said grimly.

There was no room for argument so no one bothered to try. Regardless of Professor Umbridge’s position, Professor Dumbledore had the final say in any decisions. “Oh, and one more thing, Severus,” Professor Dumbledore added. “You will inform your students that what is happening to Vincent and Draco is the result of their own actions. They are not to take their frustration out on Harry or any other Gryffindor.

“Oh yes, that is so happening,” Sirius snorted.

 Minerva, you will tell your students that they are not allowed to avenge Harry in any way. It would not due well to have two houses at each other’s throats because of the poor choices a few have made.”

The only thing that could be heard was several footsteps walking out of the hospital wing followed by one walking in. The individual walked directly to Harry’s bed and started checking him over alerting Harry that it had been Madam Pomfrey who had entered. He felt her lift his shirt up and start to poke at his aching left side causing him to release a moan of pain.

“I think another pain relieving potion is in order,” Madam Pomfrey said softly. “Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, you may visit Mr. Potter later. He needs rest now.” She hurried off before Ron and Hermione could even try to object.

Ron and Hermione left as Madam Pomfrey returned. Harry was on the verge of sleep when his upper body was lifted so the ill tasting potion could be poured down his throat. Even though Harry was partially awake he was still caught of guard by the potion in his mouth and started to gag. A hand gently massaged his throat and the liquid went down. That was the last thing he knew before he succumbed to darkness.

---

The next time Harry woke darkness had fallen outside. Opening his eyes, Harry immediately picked out the blurry figures of Sirius, Remus and Professor Dumbledore through the dim lighting, sitting nearby and talking quietly. At the moment Harry was too content in his warm bed to move or to let the three adults know he was awake. Right now his mind was too overloaded with everything that had happened. He didn’t know what was worse: the fact that everyone knew about the first attack or that Malfoy was being punished for his poor sportsmanship. No matter what any of the teachers said, Harry knew Malfoy would want revenge for his punishment.

“How long do you think we have until Fudge steps in and declares another decree about issuing punishments?” Remus asked softly.

“A second,” Lily said grimly.

“Tomorrow morning,” Professor Dumbledore said casually.

“Dumbledore is very optimistic,” Remus said.

“It was bound to happen, Remus. Fortunately for us Dolores won’t be able to overturn to decision made today and before you ask I do not regret standing up for Harry. Draco Malfoy is out of control. If something hadn’t been done matters would only worsen. Harry has enough to worry about beyond the walls of the castle without having to worry from attacks within.”

“I can’t believe Harry didn’t tell us about the first attack,” Sirius muttered bitterly. “I thought Harry trusted us.”

“He does,” Sirius said tiredly. “But Harry has some very messed up ideas. It was unavoidable, I mean,” he sighed theatrically, “There’s only so much where Lily’s brains can overcome James’. Poor kid,” he finished shaking his head and was assaulted by flying pillows.

“It wasn’t about trust, Sirius,” Remus said calmly. “What would you have done if Harry told you?”

“He would have thundered towards Hogwarts,” Remus said.

“Kicked down the doors to the Entrance Hall,” Lily continued.

“And strangled Malfoy in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner,” James finished and the disturbing thing was that Sirius nodded all the while.

“I would have made sure something was done about it,” Sirius said like it was obvious. “Dumbledore has a point. Harry has enough to worry about as it is. He shouldn’t have to worry about the Slytherins attacking him whenever they feel like it.”

“That was why I didn’t tell you,” Harry said softly. “It would only cause more problems.”

Sirius and Remus hurried to Harry’s side with relieved smiles on their faces. Remus gently slid Harry’s glasses on allowing the teen to see everything clearly. Both of the Marauders looked exhausted which made Harry feel guilty for worrying them. Why couldn’t anything ever be simple? Why did Ron have to open his big mouth? The last thing Harry wanted was for Sirius and Remus to worry about him.

“See? What did I say?” Sirius moaned desperately.

Before Harry could say anything he found himself pulled in to a tight embrace by Sirius. “Don’t you even start feeling guilty, Pronglet,” Sirius said softly. “No matter what you’re thinking, it’s not your fault. You never have to hide anything from us, Harry. We’re supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around. You know that, right?”

Harry couldn’t do anything but nod. His face was buried in Sirius’ chest, muffling anything Harry would even try to say. He sincerely wished that he didn’t have to keep anything from his guardians. He wanted to tell them about Professor Umbridge but if Sirius found out about the detentions he would act like he did today. Sirius would demand for something to be done which would cause even more problems between Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry, right?

“Wait just a second here,” James said raising his hands. “Didn’t Madam Pomfrey see his hand when she treated him?”

“I guess the injury was already healed,” Remus said.

“But the scar was there,” Lily pointed out. “How did she miss a new scar on Harry? Hey Madam Pomfrey; what do you think you’re doing?” she cried annoyed putting her hands on her hips.

Sirius gently lowered Harry back down on the bed and pulled up a chair. “You’ve had quite a few visitors throughout the day, Pronglet,” he said with a smile. “It seemed that several people were rather disappointed to learn you wouldn’t be released until the morning.”

It took Harry a moment to realize that tonight had been a D.A. meeting. He couldn’t help but groan at the though of having a Council meeting early in the morning. He had a feeling that the next D.A. meeting wasn’t going to be a high priority on the list of things the other Council members wanted to cover. “So how angry is Professor Snape?” Harry asked breaking the silence.

“Well he can stuff it if he’s angry,” Sirius growled crossing his arms.

That certainly wasn’t what Sirius had been expecting. “How do you know Snape’s upset?” he asked.

“No one can sleep through your yelling, Sirius,” Harry said honestly as he closed his eyes. “Oh, and telling Professor Umbridge to shut up…probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”

“Have to agree with him,” Lily said raising her eyebrow to Sirius who just shrugged.

“He has a point about the yelling, Sirius,” Remus added, “but I’m not so sure about Umbridge. She was interfering in a matter that didn’t concern her.”

“When isn’t she,” Remus snorted.

“As far as Professor Snape is concerned, Harry,” Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly. “He is aware that only his students are to blame. I think even Professor Snape will admit that Draco is out of control. He has physically attacked you twice and according to Ron attempted to attack you once more. I wish you would have said something.”

Harry shook his head slowly. “It would only have caused more problems,” he said softly. “I was trying to prevent a war between the houses.” He could feel sleep over taking him again. Why was he so tired all of a sudden? He had slept through most of the day! “It wasn’t what she wanted,” Harry mumbled.

“Who, Harry?” Remus asked curiously. “Who are you talking about?”

Harry was already asleep.

“Who the bloody hell is she?” James asked.

“Dunno,” Lily shrugged confused.

---

When dawn arrived, Harry was allowed to leave the hospital wing by Madam Pomfrey after being advised to take it easy for the next few days. His left side was still a little tender. Sirius and Remus had left after a stern lecture from Sirius about keeping secrets why Remus tried to play mediator. In the end, Harry promised his guardians that he would say something if Malfoy or any other Slytherin caused any more trouble.

Remus sighed and hid his face in his hands, “I don’t think Harry understood the meaning of what Sirius said.”

“Oh, he understood all right,” Lily huffed. “He just side stepped it.”

After a quick change of clothes, Harry hurried off to the library for the Council meeting. He found the six members of the Council at the normal meeting place, deep in the library. To say that everyone was surprised to see Harry would be an understatement. Cho and Ginny hurried to Harry, pulling him into a group hug. Everyone else greeted Harry warmly, asking him how he was feeling and congratulating him for beating Slytherin. Soon enough they had jumped back into going over what had been covered last night and what would be covered next week.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Harry left with Neville and Ginny for the Gryffindor Tower. Both Gryffindors immediately informed Harry on everything he missed, including Crabbe’s suspension from the Quidditch team, Professor McGonagall’s lecture of the Gryffindor House, Professor Dumbledore speech to all houses last night a dinner along with Malfoy’s probation and removal from the Slytherin Quidditch team. This didn’t really surprise Harry. Malfoy could cause more damage as a Prefect than a Seeker.

Dumbledore’s speech to the entire school last night was a surprise. According to Neville, Professor Dumbledore declared that any feuding between and even within houses would not be tolerated. Both Neville and Ginny had revealed that quiet a few Gryffindors had wanted to avenge Harry, feeling that the punishment given to Malfoy was too lenient, and were now frustrated that they couldn’t do anything because of the announcement. The Gryffindors felt that it was their right to defend one of their own.

Harry didn’t know what to think about the entire mess. He was touched that people cared but was still uneasy about Malfoy being punished. Malfoy’s group had never been one to follow the rules. They were just discrete about how they broke them. Harry had a strong feeling that wasn’t about to change just because Professor Dumbledore gave everyone a warning.

“But Malfoy had to be punished,” Sirius said. “Or else he would just escalate because he thinks he’s untouchable.”

Lily was about to comment and James cut her off, “We get punished all the time Lily. I already told you and we would never injure someone like that. But maybe if we had never been punished, if everything we did was met by a pat in the head like Malfoy we would be just like him now because we thought we had the right to do it. I’m not excusing Malfoy, I’m just saying that no one is helping him either by letting him run loose.”

Entering the Gryffindor Tower, Harry found himself bombarded with voices of sympathy and congratulations. Questions of Harry’s recovery were mixed with praise for causing the Slytherin team to lose two members. Much to Harry’s relief, Ron and Hermione pulled him away from the crowd and up to the empty fifth year boy’s dormitory. Ron closed the door behind them and locked it while Hermione cast a few silencing charms.

“Hagrid’s back, Harry,” Hermione said urgently. “We saw him last night. He’s in rough shape. He looks like he’s been fighting giants.”

“Maybe he has,” Remus said worried.

Harry instantly tensed. The thought of something happening to Hagrid had never crossed his mind. “But he’s okay, right?” Harry asked nervously. “He would have told me if something went wrong. The last thing I heard was that he was delayed. How bad is he?”

Ron and Hermione looked at each other in surprise before returning their gaze back to Harry. “You’ve been in contact with Hagrid?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded as he sat down on the nearest bed which happened to be Dean’s. “He felt guilty that he couldn’t be around when I had…well, almost died,” he said uncomfortably. “He would send an owl every few weeks, asking how I was doing and what trouble Sirius and Remus were causing. He never told me what he was doing so I didn’t ask. You know Hagrid. He can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.”

“That’s true,” Lily smiled. Then her smile faltered and turned into a frown. “Hum, Moony, why the long face?”

“What kind of trouble Sirius and Remus are causing. I do not cause trouble! I am lured into trouble, because of my naïve personality, by Sirius and James!”

“Of course you don’t,” Lily agreed. “Harry, Moony is not a trouble maker!” she scolded.

Sirius and James were opening and closing their mouths and gesturing like crazy. “See? See?” James cried desperately, “That’s how he weasels out of detention with McGonagall. With that,” he made a disgusted face, “innocent expression.”

“So unfair,” Sirius sighed crossing his arms, “And we get the bad reputation. Since when has Moony been naïve?”

Remus looked at them and shook his head saying with a straight face, “See, what I am talking about? They even try to convince people I am guilty of mischief.”

“I know,” Lily nodded and James flopped himself on the floor incredulously.

Ron suddenly looked away while Hermione sat down next to Harry. “We noticed,” she said under her breath. “Hagrid told us that he was in the mountains trying to convince the giants to join our side. Evidently it didn’t go to well. First there was some sort of revolt among the giants then Death Eaters arrived. I think Hagrid didn’t want to worry you so he didn’t go into detail about what was going on…just like you haven’t told him about what’s been going on.”

Harry instantly turned to Hermione, eyes wide. There was so much Harry hadn’t told Hagrid because of the fact that Hagrid would immediately abandon his mission to be at Harry’s side if he knew something was wrong. The half-giant was extremely protective of those he cared about. “What did you tell him?” Harry asked nervously.

James smiled fondly, “Hagrid is a good fellow.”

Hermione glanced at Ron anxiously. She was still trying to repair her friendship with Harry and appeared worried that she had endangered what progress they had made. “Well, Hagrid wanted to know why you weren’t with us,” she said as she returned her attention to Harry. “We had to tell him about the Quidditch game. Hagrid didn’t understand why Malfoy had acted that way so we told him that this wasn’t the first time that Malfoy had attacked you this year. Then Hagrid wanted to know why you were grounded from practice so we had to tell him about the attack on the train.”

“He was really angry about that, Harry,” Ron added. “I’ve never seen him so angry. We calmed him down then Umbridge came and started questioning him about where he had been. Luckily we—er—we had your cloak so she didn’t see us. She really doesn’t like Hagrid. I don’t think it helped when Hagrid really couldn’t explain his injuries to her.”

“Why should he?” James said angry.

“He doesn’t have to but Umbridge has been butting her nose everywhere it doesn’t belong since she got there,” Remus said. “And it doesn’t help that she is against half-breeds and Hagrid is half-giant. He’ll be on her ‘to sack’ list.”

Harry kept shifting his gaze between Ron and Hermione as he worked out everything they just said. He had figured Hagrid would find about everything else sooner or later anyways, most likely from Professor Dumbledore. “So you didn’t tell Hagrid about my heart condition, right?” he asked carefully. Ron and Hermione shook their heads allowing Harry to let out a sigh of relief. At least an angry Hagrid wouldn’t corner him any time soon. “In regards to Umbridge, I don’t think she likes any of the teachers here since they’re loyal to Professor Dumbledore.”

“True but Hagrid doesn’t realize how much trouble Umbridge can cause,” Hermione said matter-of-factly. “Hagrid doesn’t realize how much things have changed this year. If he brings out a dangerous creature for class…”

“He’s done,” Lily said in a matter of fact way.

“I get it,” Harry said as he rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. “Umbridge could declare him unfit to teach. I trust you warned him?” Hermione nodded. “Then you’ve done everything you can.” Hermione moved to object. “Hermione, you can’t force someone, especially an adult, to believe something if they don’t want to. I don’t want Hagrid to get in trouble either but nagging him isn’t going to solve anything.”

Hermione let out an annoyed huff and scowled. “Well if you’re going to use logic,” she muttered making Harry and Ron laugh. That was certainly the last thing they had expected to hear Hermione say since she had always been the logical thinker of the group. It was clear that she wanted to argue but knew that Harry indeed had a point. She couldn’t force people to believe what she wanted, no matter if it was the truth or not. Sometimes people just needed to make the mistakes and learn from them.

“Yes,” James said annoyed. “And Harry has been making a huge one that I hope he realizes soon,” he finished tapping his hand meaningfully.