It was loud in the Slytherin dungeons that morning. People were preparing for today's Quidditch match. And against Griffindor, no less. Danny had a dilemma. He wanted to support his friends, but then he will be labeled as traitor in his own house. The same with another way around. Phantom noticed that some of his housemates were wearing crown shaped badges 'Weasley is our king'. He chuckled, Ron isn't the only king here.

He was now going to breakfast, meeting Luna by the way. Danny blinked in surprise, she had managed to procure a hat shaped like a life-size lion's head, which was perched precariously on her head.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor," said Luna, pointing unnecessarily at her hat, "Look what it does ..."

She reached up and tapped the hat with her wand. It opened its mouth wide and gave an extremely realistic roar that made everyone in the vicinity jump.

"Are you sure it's healthy, wearing so much weight on your head?" Danny asked.

"No, it's not heavy. It's good, isn't it?" said Luna happily, "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. I hope you don't mind, being in Slytherin and all..."

"Nah, it's fine. Hey, every house has own seats, right?" Luna nodded, "May I sit with you?"

"You don't want to offend anyone?"

"Yep," Danny said popping 'p', making her to laugh maybe too hard.

But destiny had other plans. Professor McGonagall approached him at the table and asked Danny to come with her.

"Professor, is something wrong?"

"Mr.Work, would you like to be a comementator?"

-Llateer-

After breakfast Danny and Luna went together to the Qudditch pitch. It had the shape of an oval, five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide, with a small central circle of approximately two feet in diameter. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the pitch so the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the pitch were golden poles with hoops on the end. They then parted ways, as Danny went to the Professor's seats where commentator sat.

"Captains, shake hands," ordered the referee Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Montague reached each other. "Mount your brooms ..."

Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew.

The balls were released and the fourteen players shot upwards. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron streak off towards the goalhoops. Harry zoomed higher, dodging a Bludger, and set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of gold; on the other side of the stadium, Draco Malfoy was doing exactly the same.

"And it's Johnson...Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, give me your number..."

"WORK!" Yelled Professor McGonagall.

"...I'm just kidding, Professor! Need to add a bit of interest...and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's...Ancients, that hurts...hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe...Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and...nice present there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse-passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away..."

Danny's commentary rang through the stadium and Harry listened as hard as he could through the wind whistling in his ears and the din of the crowd, all yelling and booing and singing.

"...dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger, ouch, that's close, Alicia...and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them. Hey, how fella like me is supposed to comment here?"

And as Danny paused to listen, the song rose loud and clear from the sea of green and silver in the Slytherin section of the stands:

'Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King.

'Weasley was born in a bin

He always lets the Quaffle in

Weasley will make sure we win

Weasley is our King.'

"...and Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Danny shouted loudly, and as Harry swerved, his insides boiling at what he had just heard, he knew Phantom was trying to drown out the words of the song, "Come on now, Angelina, looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat! SHE SHOOTS, SHE, aaaah ..."

Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, had saved the goal; he threw the Quaffle to Warrington who sped off with it, zig-zagging in between Alicia and Katie; the singing from below grew louder and louder as he drew nearer and nearer Ron.

'Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He always lets the Quaffle in

Weasley is our King. '

Harry could not help himself: abandoning his search for the Snitch, he wheeled around to watch Ron, a lone figure at the far end of the pitch, hovering before the three goalhoops while the massive Warrington pelted towards him.

"...and it's Warrington with the Quaffle, Warrington heading for goal, he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead..."

A great swell of song rose from the Slytherin stands below.

"FlAMES ABOVE, quiet, people! So it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper Weasley, obvious brother of Beaters Fred and George, you will recognize this red hair everywhere, a promising new talent on the team, well, good luck, Ron!"

But the scream of delight came from the Slytherins' end: Ron had dived wildly, his arms wide, and the Quaffle had soared between them straight through Ron's central hoop.

"Slytherin score!" came Danny's voice amid the cheering and booing from the crowds below, "so that's ten points to Slytherin"

The Slytherins sang even louder:

'WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN

HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN... '

"and Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch! Give me some water I'm thirsty!" cried Danny valiantly, though the singing was now so deafening that he could hardly make himself heard above it.

"Harry, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Angelina, soaring past him to keep up with Katie,"GET GOING!"

Harry realised he had been stationary in midair for over a minute, watching the progress of the match without sparing a thought for the whereabouts of the Snitch; horrified, he went into a dive and started circling the pitch again, staring around, trying to ignore the chorus now thundering through the stadium:

'WEASLEY IS OUR KING,

WEASLEY IS OUR KING ... '

There was no sign of the Snitch anywhere he looked; Malfoy was still circling the stadium just as he was. They passed one another midway around the pitch, going in opposite directions, and Harry heard Malfoy singing loudly.

"...and it's Warrington again," bellowed Danny, taking on the fluffy headphones he took out of nowhere, "who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Spinnet, come on now, Angelina, you can take him...nope, you can't...but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley I mean, George Weasley, oh, who cares, one of them! And Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell...er...drops it, too, so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle and he's off up the pitch, will Gryffindor block it?"

Harry zoomed around the end of the stadium behind the Slytherin goalhoops, willing himself not to look at what was going on at Ron's end. As he sped past the Slytherin Keeper, he heard Bletchley singing along with the crowd below:

'WEASLEY CANNOT SAVE A THING ...'

"...and Pucey's dodged Alicia again and he's heading straight for goal!"

"and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve, Katie, and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for goal, come on now, Angelina...Griffindor score! It's forty-ten, forty-ten to Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle. Awesome lion, Luna!" Danny shouted, hearing her hat roaring.

"Looks like seekers found a snitch. Malfoy and Potter are now neck and neck...They are reaching for it...and...HARRY CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" He continued,"Oh, that must be painful," Danny added, seeing Harry being hit with Bludger.

-Later-

During another UGH meeting Phantom learned that Fred and George, as well as Harry, got life ban for playing Qudditch. He assured them, that there is nothing to worry about, since DADA professors don't stay for longer than a year. And they are working on making it the worst year of her life. Then there was Hagrid. There were news that half giant returned on his teaching position. Now Danny was making his way to the Care of Magical Creatures.

The High Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen, which is good for her, as he was walking towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for students. on the edge of the Forest. He stood over the class, being very tall. Hagrid had a huge bushy brown beard. He did not present a reassuring sight; the bruises tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seemed to be bleeding. As though to complete the ominous picture, Hagrid was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him,"Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark"

"What prefers the dark?" Danny heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice, "What did he say prefers the dark...did you hear?"

"Ready?" said Hagrid cheerfully, looking around at the class, "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice even more pronounced, "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Malfoy had a fair point, too.

"What wild stuff?" Danny asked.

"He brought Hippogriff here and it bit me!"

"Hippogriffs are proud animals, they don't attack just like that, have you insulted it?"

Hagrid smiled. Looks like trio was right about Danny being different. And knowing about Magical Creature sure adds some points to Hagrid's sympathy. He then hoisted the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder and said that of course they are trained.

"So what happened to your face, then?" demanded Malfoy.

"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily, "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

He turned and strode straight into the Forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. Except Danny, who was leading the rest of the class.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," Hagrid encouraged once they got to the place, where trees stood close together, blocking all the light, "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell 'o the meat but I'm going ter give em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me"

He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed: most of them looked too scared to make a sound. Suddenly, a dark blue mist came out of Danny's mouth.

A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. It surveyed the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, then bowed its head and began to tear flesh from the dead cow Hagrid dropped on the ground with its pointed fangs.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, folded its leathery-wings closer to its body and dipped its head to gorge on the meat, "Now ... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

Some people put their hands up. Neville, some Slytherin boy, Harry and Danny. Hagrid nodded to everyone.

"Yeah ... yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously, "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'..."

"Excuse me," said Malfoy in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

For an answer, Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and Parvati squealed. Harry understood why: bits of flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air had to look very odd indeed.

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree, "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," said Hagrid proudly and Hermione and Danny gave a soft 'Oh!' of comprehension at Harry's shoulder, "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some can't?"

Hermione and Phantom raised their hands.

"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at Danny.

"The only people who can see Thestrals," he said, "are people who have seen death"

"Tha's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly, "ten points ter Slytherin," he never thought he will say this words, "Now, Thestrals..."

"Hem, hem"

"NOT YOU AGAIN!" Danny groaned.

Professor Umbridge had arrived. She was standing a few feet away from Harry, wearing her green hat and cloak again, her clipboard at the ready.

"Oh, hello!" Hagrid said, smiling, having located the source of the noise.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him earlier, as though she were addressing somebody both foreign and very slow, "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid brightly, "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see...or, I dunno...can you? We're doin' Thestrals today..."

"I'm sorry?" said Professor Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning, "What did you say?"

Hagrid looked a little confused.

"Er...Thestrals!" he said loudly, "Big...er...winged horses, yeh know!"

He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard: "Has ... to ... resort ... to ... crude ... sign ... language"

"Says the one who croaked like a frog some time ago!" Said Danny in singsong voice.

Hagrid turned to Harry.

"Are they always like that?" He asked his student quietly.

"Always"

"Well ... anyway ..." said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered, "erm ... what was I sayin?"

"Appears ... to ... have ... poor ... short ... term ... memory," muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her.

"And that's what we hear from old hag with sclerosis"

"Quiet," she growled.

"Oh, yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but ploughing on valiantly, "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted the first horse to have appeared, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favourite, firs' one born here in the Forest"

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified Thestrals as "dangerous"?"

Hagrid merely chuckled.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ', they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh really annoy them"

"Shows ... signs ... of... pleasure ... at ... idea ... of... violence," muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again. That caused Danny to roar with laughter.

"Are...are you kidding me?! You...are the one who cuts kids open!" He said, gasping for air.

"Are you aware that you already got detentions for the whole year, Mr. Work?" He just grinned.

"Really?! That means I can do whatever I want and you will not be able to do anything!" Dolores paled because he made a good point. She wouldn't try to expel him. As long as he here, she can accuse Dumbledore for accepting him in school. She also didn't want to take points from his house, plus it's not like he cared.

-Laterr-

Oh, how Umbridge regretted saying this words. Danny realized his immunity and started to torment her more. Like in that day.

Dolores walked through the corridors for lunch. All the way students started to laugh at the mere sight of her, which she didn't pay attention at first. But after some time it became very annoying.

When she entered the hall, everyone, even some members of the staff, started to snicker.

"Why is everyone laughing, Dumbledore?!" She demanded to know.

"Do you have a mirror on you, Dolores?"

Umbridge immediately screamed. Well, it was very nice Afro haircut.

A.N. I'm a bit confused. In the book only a few events were mentioned, and then BAM! Events of this chapter should be during the end of Autumn. Maybe I missed mention of time skip, I dunno.