───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The next day, Blair woke up early and went down to the Black Lake, thinking everything over. She was worried. What if Hermione was starting to think that she was crazy and that she didn't want to date Blair anymore? What if these lessons with Dumbledore would make her more vulnerable to the Dark Side? What if she betrayed everyone and everything she loved one day?

Blair rubbed her chest and sighed deeply. Then, she felt people sitting down beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw Neville, Dean and Seamus. Blair was just about to ask why they were there when Neville spoke. "Bellatrix Lestrange is out of Azkaban."

"W-What?" Blair felt her heart sinking. That was why Voldemort was so happy last night. His most faithful Death Eaters had broken out of Azkaban, and they were coming back to his side.

"So did Dolohov, Rookwood and all the others," said Dean grimly.

Without another word, Blair brought Neville into a hug. She felt Neville relax and the arms of Dean and Seamus wrap around them. Blair felt happiness. In that moment, it seemed that everything was forgotten. All the fights, all the shouts, all the hurtful words that have been said. It seemed that the Prancers were back together.

Blair pulled away and looked at Neville with a determined look in her eyes. "We're going to make your parents, proud, Gramen, and we're going to bring back Bellatrix to Azkaban. We'll do it together, okay?"

Neville smiled at her. "Thanks, Caelum."

Dean patted Neville on the shoulder. "We're with you all the way, Neville."

"Yeah, Nev, I'll fight with you," Seamus said, grinning.

Blair and Seamus locked eyes, and the atmosphere turned tense. It was silent as they stared at each other with Neville and Dean looking at them with uncertainty in their eyes.

Blair broke the silence and smiled cheekily, "How about we do something, Prancers?"

Neville, Dean and Seamus grinned back. "Let's go!"

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The Prancers were the first ones to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom as they fixed something to Umbridge's table and prepared their first prank in that year. The four stifled their laughter as they sat down at their seats.

"Remember. When she asks who, you won't say a word, all right?" Blair said warningly before moving to another table. While Seamus looked confused, Neville and Dean frowned, but they all agreed anyway.

The door opened and Harry, Ron and Hermione came. Blair smiled and waved them over. As they huddled together, Harry, Ron and Hermione told her about the Ministry blaming the breakout on Sirius and how Broderick Bode, an Unspeakable, was killed by Devil's Snare. It only increased their suspicions about the Department of Mysteries, but what downed Blair the most was the news that Hagrid was on probation.

"That toad," she growled then smirked as she remembered their plan, "Luckily, we're taking vengeance today." She smirked at Dean, Neville and Seamus who were at a nearby table and they smirked back, anticipating Umbridge's arrival as more students came in.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows at Blair. "What are you planning?"

Blair grinned at her. "Hey, Granger, I'd say you aren't beautiful but I'd be lion." Harry and Ron started laughing while Hermione blushed and smacked Blair on the arm.

"With that said, will you go out with me on Valentine's?" said Blair in a soft voice so that only the two of them would hear.

Hermione couldn't keep the smile off her face as she nodded, her heart fluttering as it always did when she was with Blair. Even more now that they were official. "Of course."

Blair's smile went wider and Umbridge finally came in. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," the class muttered back.

Blair exchanged glances with the Prancers, who were just as excited as she was. Umbridge walked over to her desk. "Now, please, turn your books to- AH!"

The class burst out into laughter because when Umbridge sat down, her pink clothes turned into a shade of an ugly green. Umbridge's face turned scarlet red as she looked at the smirking Blair. "You- CROAK!"

The class laughed even more. Some even had tears in their eyes as Umbridge croaked in between her sentences. "Detention-CROAK! This- CROAK! Evening-CROAK! WOOD- CROAK!"

Blair just laughed even more, "Could you repeat it, Professor? I couldn't hear you over all the croaking."

While the class laughed harder than ever, Umbridge was now scarlet as she marched over to Blair, "WOOD! CROAK! FIX! CROAK! THIS!"

The door suddenly opened, and Professor McGonagall came in, "What is all-" She cut herself off and burst into unnaturally carefree laughter. "Oh, Dolores, I think green suits you well, doesn't it?"

Blair fell to the floor, laughing and wiping her tears away as Umbridge glared at her. "DETENTION! CROAK! FOR! CROAK! THE REST! CROAK! OF THE! CROAK! YEAR! CROAK! WOOD! CROAK!"

Blair calmed down a little and smiled innocently at her. "You have to wait in line, Professor, I'm already packed for the rest of the year with Professor Snape. You can get back to me next year."

Umbridge was now looking livid, but Professor McGonagall beat her to it, "You should get that fixed, Dolores, I'm sure Poppy can help you." Umbridge closed and opened her mouth a few times before she stormed out of the room, still croaking as she muttered under her breath. Professor McGonagall sent Blair a wink as she went out of the room.

"That was amazing, Blair." Ron said through his bursts of laughter.

"How long will it last?" said Harry while wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I dunno, that was the first test, I called it Toad-lores Umbridge," said Blair with a mischievous smile. She turned and her smile went soft as she watched Hermione try and calm herself down.

"You're brilliant, you are," said Hermione with a chuckle.

"I learned from you, love," Blair winked at her.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Blair thought it would be all right with her and Seamus after that, but it seemed that the awkwardness had settled in again, and so, Blair and him were back to strangers. Fred and George were proud of the stunt Blair pulled off and immediately put it on their product list.

To Blair's surprise, Draco Malfoy defended Hagrid from some people who were talking bad about him. Though he said that he was just in a bad mood, Blair smiled slightly at the thought that Draco was truly a good person. It seemed that only Blair, Harry, Ron and Hermione cared about the death of Broderick Bode, but there was only one topic of conversation in the corridors now: the ten escaped Death Eaters, whose story had finally filtered through the school from those few people who read the newspapers.

Rumors were flying that some of the convicts had been spotted in Hogsmeade, that they were supposed to be hiding out in the Shrieking Shack and that they were going to break into Hogwarts, just as Sirius Black had done. Those who came from Wizarding families had grown up hearing the names of these Death Eaters spoken with almost as much fear as Voldemort's; the crimes they had committed during the days of Voldemort's reign of terror were legendary.

There were relatives of their victims among the Hogwarts students, who now found themselves the unwilling objects of a gruesome sort of reflected fame as they walked the corridors: Susan Bones, who had an uncle, aunt, and cousins who had all died at the hands of one of the ten, said miserably during Herbology that she now had a good idea what it felt like to be Blair and Harry.

"And I don't know how you stand it, it's horrible," she said bluntly, dumping far too much dragon manure on her tray of Screechsnap seedlings, causing them to wriggle and squeak in discomfort.

It was true that Blair and Harry were the subjects of much renewed muttering and pointing in the corridors these days, yet Blair thought she detected a slight difference in the tone of the whisperers' voices. They sounded curious rather than hostile now, and once or twice she was sure she overheard snatches of conversation that suggested that the speakers were not satisfied with the Prophet's version of how and why ten Death Eaters had managed to break out of Azkaban fortress.

In their confusion and fear, these doubters now seemed to be turning to the only other explanation available to them, the one that Blair, Harry and Dumbledore had been expounding since the previous year. It was not only the students' mood that had changed. It was now quite common to come across two or three teachers conversing in low, urgent whispers in the corridors, breaking off their conversations the moment they saw students approaching.

"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," said Hermione in a low voice, as she, Blair, Harry, and Ron passed Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout huddled together outside the Charms classroom one day. "Not with Umbridge there."

"Reckon they know anything new?" said Ron, gazing back over his shoulder at the three teachers.

"If they do, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" said Harry angrily. "Not after Decree... What number are we on now?"

For new signs had appeared on the house notice boards the morning after news of the Azkaban breakout:

— BY ORDER OF —

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach. The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-six.

Signed:

DOLORES UMBRIDGE

HIGH INQUISITOR

This latest decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class. "Exploding Snap's got nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor! That's not information relating to your subject!" When Blair next saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly. Blair recommended essence of murtlap.

Blair had thought that the breakout from Azkaban might have humbled Umbridge a little, that she might have been abashed at the catastrophe that had occurred right under her beloved Fudge's nose. It seemed, however, to have only intensified her furious desire to bring every aspect of life at Hogwarts under her personal control. She seemed determined at the very least to achieve a sacking before long, and the only question was whether it would be Professor Trelawney or Hagrid who went first.

Every single Divination and Care of Magical Creatures lesson was now conducted in the presence of Umbridge and her clipboard. She lurked by the fire in the heavily perfumed tower room, interrupting Professor Trelawney's increasingly hysterical talks with difficult questions about Ornithomancy and Heptomology, insisting that she predict students' answers before they gave them and demanding that she demonstrate her skill at the crystal ball, the tea leaves, and the rune stones in turn.

Blair thought that Professor Trelawney might soon crack under the strain; several times she passed her in the corridors (in itself a very unusual occurrence as she generally remained in her tower room), muttering wildly to herself, wringing her hands, and shooting terrified glances over her shoulder, all the time giving off a powerful smell of cooking sherry. Blair did comfort her a few times, but it seemed that Trelawney was still persistent on predicting Blair's death and muttering about the changing fate.

Unfortunately, Blair could not see that Hagrid was putting up a better show than Trelawney. Though he seemed to be following Hermione's advice and had shown them nothing more frightening than a crup, a creature indistinguishable from a Jack Russell terrier except for its forked tail, since before Christmas, he also seemed to have lost his nerve. He was oddly distracted and jumpy in lessons, losing the thread of what he was saying while talking to the class, answering questions wrongly and glancing anxiously at Umbridge all the time.

He was also more distant with Blair, Harry, Ron, and Hermione than he had ever been before, expressly forbidding them to visit him after dark. "If she catches yeh, it'll be all of our necks on the line," he told them flatly, and with no desire to do anything that jeopardized his job further, they abstained from walking down to his hut in the evenings.

It seemed to Blair that Umbridge was steadily depriving her of everything that made her life at Hogwarts worth living: visits to Hagrid's house, letters from Sirius, her Firebolt, and Quidditch. Well, at least she still had her friends and Hermione. Blair and Harry took their revenge the only way they had: redoubling their efforts for the D.A.

Blair was pleased to see that all of them, even Zacharias Smith, had been spurred to work harder than ever by the news that ten more Death Eaters were now on the loose, but in nobody was this improvement more pronounced than in Neville. The news of his parents' attacker's escape had wrought a strange and even slightly alarming change in him. Blair was pleased to know that her words had gotten to Neville.

Neville barely spoke during D.A. meetings anymore, but worked relentlessly on every new jinx and countercurse Blair and Harry taught them, his plump face screwed up in concentration, apparently indifferent to injuries or accidents, working harder than anyone else in the room. He was improving so fast it was quite unnerving and when Blair and Harry taught them the Shield Charm, a means of deflecting minor jinxes so that they rebounded upon the attacker, only Hermione mastered the charm faster than Neville.

Blair was currently having her lessons with Dumbledore, and she was nervous since it was the first Occlumency lesson. After she told Dumbledore about the prickling of her scar, the headmaster decided to start the Occlumency lessons. It was because of her connection with Voldemort, and they needed to solve that. 

But what Blair didn't tell him was about her dreams. She was now dreaming about walking down the corridor toward the entrance to the Department of Mysteries almost every night, dreams that always culminated in her standing longingly in front of the plain black door. And she could only hope Dumbledore wouldn't see that.

"Ready, Blair?" Dumbledore asked gently. "I suppose you're familiar with Occlumency?"

"Yes, Professor." Blair smiled weakly, remembering that particularly horrible experience with Snape.

"Alright." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "Wand at the ready. Legilimens!"

Like before, Blair could see various moments of her life, flashing through her mind. Playing Quidditch with the Weasleys and Harry... The moment she and Oliver had last summer after their parents' funeral... Her first kiss with Hermione with the lights in the background... The dementors last summer, sucking the life out of them... Then, Blair was running again towards a black door at the end of the corridor... The same door she had been dreaming about for so long now...

What Blair didn't know was that there was another reason Dumbledore decided to do Occlumency lessons. It was to find out the secret. The secret of the night of the return of Voldemort. He searched hard while trying not to let Blair know. Then, he found it.

"Surgant angues. Et occidit potestate. Vitam æternam, per dolorem et certaminis defore." 

Dumbledore's eyes widened, his fears realized. Then, he saw an image of a lion and a snake. The snake coiled around the lion and then -

'Expelliarmus!' Blair thought like she did before, and she felt the memories fade away as she fell onto the ground, panting for breath.

"You've done well, Blair. I only saw the memory with you and Oliver. So, take a little break." Dumbledore immediately masked the surprise on his face with a small smile and patted Blair on the shoulder although the thoughts were still stuck in his head.

What he desperately wished to not be true happened. Voldemort had indeed done it, and to Blair of all people. Why did that poor girl have to suffer all this? It wasn't her fault she became a vessel of all that power. But Dumbledore wasn't giving up. As he promised to the Woods and to himself, he would try everything he can to try and save Blair Wood. 

If it wasn't too late yet. He hoped it wasn't.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"That's what's been happening in our dreams." Blair finished up. She and Harry just finished their classes with Dumbledore and Snape respectively. 

She was steadily improving with her wandless and non-verbal magic that she was advised to use only during emergencies. Regarding her healing abilities, Dumbledore warned her not to use them much. Blair asked why, but Dumbledore told her he would explain soon. The Occlumency lessons were proving to be harder than she thought, and add that to the other lessons she was having with Dumbledore. and they told Hermione and Ron about their dreams and the twinges from their scars. 

"Maybe it's a bit like an illness," said Hermione, looking concerned when Blair and Harry confided in her and Ron. "A fever or something. It has to get worse before it gets better."

"It's lessons with Snape that are making it worse," said Harry flatly. "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting, and I'm getting bored walking down that corridor every night."

Blair rubbed her chest angrily. "I just wish the door would open, I'm sick of standing and staring at it —"

"That's not funny," said Hermione sharply. "Dumbledore doesn't want you two to have dreams about that corridor at all, or he wouldn't have asked Snape to teach Harry Occlumency or teach you. You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."

"I am working!" said Harry, nettled. "You try it sometime, Snape trying to get inside your head, it's not a bundle of laughs, you know!"

"Maybe..." said Ron slowly.

"Maybe what?" said Hermione rather snappishly.

"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," said Ron darkly.

"What do you mean?" said Hermione.

"Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry..." Blair, Harry and Hermione stared at him.

Ron looked darkly and meaningfully from one to the other. "Maybe," he said again in a lower voice, "he's actually trying to open Harry's mind a bit wider... make it easier for You-Know —"

"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione angrily. "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you ever been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough."

"He used to be a Death Eater," said Ron stubbornly. "And we've never seen proof that he really swapped sides..."

"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione repeated. "And if we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

With so much to worry about and so much to do — startling amounts of homework that frequently kept the fifth years working until past midnight, secret D.A. meetings, and regular classes with Dumbledore — January seemed to be passing alarmingly fast.

Before Blair knew it, February had arrived, bringing with it wetter and warmer weather and the prospect of the second Hogsmeade visit of the year. Blair was proud to walk down the corridors while holding hands with Hermione. She was even more pleased when it was Hermione herself, who would initiate the contact.

But one of the most surprising things that happened during the first week of February was Draco Malfoy, suddenly coming to them and apologizing for everything, but before any of them could say a word, he had ran off. And it seemed that he had apologized to Hagrid as well. Though it was unusual, Blair was happy when she saw that Draco and her friends weren't glaring at each other anymore when they would lock eyes. Though they were a long way to being friends and completely forgiving the Slytherin, there was a silent agreement between them.

"Blair!" Someone called from behind her, making Blair turn around and she smiled when she saw it was Cedric. He grinned and wrapped an arm around the tall girl as they continued walking on. 

"Hey, you know it's a Hogsmeade weekend a few days from now. And it's Valentine's that day." Blair wiggled her eyebrows at him, making the older boy blush. Currently, Blair had a dilemma about who to support between Draco and Cedric in their conquest for Harry's heart. However, with how things were now, it seemed like Cedric was winning the fight as he and Harry were spending time more these days.

"Y-Yeah, about that..." Cedric rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with a pout, making Blair snort. He glared playfully at her. "Hey, shut up. I need your help."

"Fine, fine." Blair stopped chuckling and smiled at him. "What can I do for you, Mr. Head Boy?"

Cedric now wanted to roll his eyes but he remembered he needed Blair's help so he ignored her comment. "I want to ask Harry out... as friends... on a date."

"Are you serious?" Blair shook her head and frowned, patting Cedric on the shoulder. "I feel bad for you and your poor flirting skills, you young pitiful man."

"Hey!" Cedric frowned at her.

"Don't you think it'll make him upset if you only ask him as a friend?" Blair could see Cedric was now understanding what she was saying as he nodded absentmindedly. "You have to be confident and be forward!"

"What do you mean be forward?" Cedric stopped walking, letting out a sigh. "Blair, not everyone can be as confident as you in confessing their - "

"I didn't mean you have to tell him exactly what you feel right away, Cedric." Blair reassured him immediately. "Just don't let him feel that you think of him only as a friend. Harry's a simple person, I'm sure if you'd ask him out, he'd agree. Maybe, a Treacle Tart and a broom ride would help?"

Cedric couldn't help but smile at that, giving Blair a quick hug and he knew he made the right choice. "Thanks, Blair." He was about to go to get ready to ask Harry out before looking back at Blair with an unexpected hesitance in his eyes. "If I get rejected, will you wait in the kitchens and drink some firewhiskey with me?"

Blair's eyes softened at his statement. She knew what he felt. It was what she felt the whole of her second year when she tried denying what she felt for Hermione. "I'll be there."

Cedric gave her one last hug before running away to ask out the Boy Who Owned His Heart. It was quite awkward for him at first, especially since they both liked Cho once upon a time but when Cedric realized just what he felt for Harry and Harry slowly moved on from Cho, it got better between them and Cedric hoped that Harry had feelings for him even just a bit. Just owning a small part of Harry Potter's heart was enough for him.

And Blair was in the kitchens for an hour after she and Cedric talked. She was talking to Dobby and Winky and telling them the whole story between her and Hermione, not even noticing how some of them dozed off. Suddenly, the doors to the kitchens opened and the sleeping house-elves awakened, revealing a blushing Cedric Diggory.

"I've got a date." Cedric grinned widely, making Blair cheer along with the house-elves. She hugged him tight, grinning as wide as he was. She only wished happiness for him and Harry who had gone through so much already. And they finally got what they both deserved, happiness in each other.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The next morning, Blair smiled when she found Hermione's arms around her waist, the Prefect had seemed to sneak into Blair's bed the night before. She kissed her girlfriend on the forehead and went down to the Black Lake early, humming a tune. The Giant Squid and the two mermen Blair once spoke to suddenly rose up from the Black Lake.

"Hey, Squiddy, er, sorry I don't know what to call you two," said Blair in a cheerful voice. "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you for a while, but guess what?" Blair told them about how Hermione and her finally got together and how much she loved the witch. She went on and on that she didn't notice that the mermen and the Giant Squid had gone back deep into the lake.

"And, she told Cho-"

"Who are you talking to?"

Blair's head snapped around and a smile grew on her face when she saw Draco Malfoy. "Draco! It's bloody good to see you."

Draco looked surprised before smiling back. "It's good to see you too."

Draco handed her the treacle tarts wrapped in tissue, and Blair thanked him before taking it. They sat in silence while Blair ate. Blair looked at Draco and saw that he opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally spoke. "I'm sorry. About everything."

Blair stared at him with a blank look, and Draco opened his mouth again, but Blair beat him to it. "It's fine, Draco. I'm sorry for punching you. You've been forgiven a long time ago, and they're warming up to you, especially Harry."

"I deserved that punch," muttered Draco, blushing before letting out a sigh. "That's great then. I-I'm really trying. I know it's not enough, but it's the best I can do."

"It's more than enough," said Blair softly. The two of them smiled at each other when suddenly someone cleared their throat from behind them. Blair yelped and dropped her treacle tarts into the black lake.

A scowl came onto her face. "Who-" Her scowl quickly fell off when she saw that Harry was behind them, the glow on his face making Blair grin. Blair glanced at Draco who was blushing and avoiding Harry's eyes.

Blair grinned and waved Harry over. "Harry, come here." Harry hesitated before he sat down on the other side of Blair.

"Harry, meet Draco. Draco, meet Harry," said Blair. The two boys looked at her confused but Blair raised an eyebrow and shook her hands. The two boys stared at each other, blushed and shook hands while avoiding each other's gazes.

"See, Harry, this is Draco, my friend. We've been friends for quite a while now, but we haven't talked due to, er... a misunderstanding. He's had a change of heart and realized he wants to be friends with me, the amazing Blair Wood," Blair winked at them, and Draco and Harry let out chuckles.

"And Draco, this is Harry, sometimes James, and you see, he's got a scar on his forehead. Don't mind it, it's just a tattoo, that's all it is," said Blair lightly, and Harry smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Now, I hope you don't mind, but my lovely Granger may be looking for me, so I'll get going," said Blair, quickly running off and leaving a flustered Draco and a confused Harry. Her grin soon left her face as she remembered Cedric. She knew Harry was liking Cedric more but she was a friend of both Cedric and Draco. She couldn't choose anyone's side.

The next time Blair saw Harry that day was in Potions. She was sitting with Hermione when Harry pulled her up. "Hermione, I need to talk to Blair, okay? Bye."

"What-" But Hermione was cut off because Harry dragged Blair out of the classroom while keeping an eye out for Snape.

"So, how was it? With you and Cedric? And you and Draco?" Blair asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Now, Harry was blushing a deep crimson.

"W-Well... Ced asked me out to Valentine's, wanting to get to know me more. As me, Aika. As Harry." Harry seemed so happy then that Blair smiled as well. She knew he was tired of people treating him as royalty. "And Draco... He wants to be friends, to start anew."

"That's great. He really is changing." Blair grinned at his response and ruffled his hair. "Oh, James. Do you perhaps like Cedric?"

Harry blushed even more before sighing. "I don't know, Aika, only you know the only boy I liked for about a minute is the boy who has tormented us for 5 years though he's changing now. It was quite awkward between me and Ced since we both liked one girl... I-I don't know. I like whatever this is between us, and I don't want to ruin it."

Blair patted him on the back. "You'll figure it out, James. Cedric is a great guy, and I'm sure whatever that is between you two won't be ruined. It'll be something beautiful."

Harry smiled softly and hugged Blair. "Thanks, Aika."

"Anytime, James."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The next morning, it was Valentine's Day. Blair was awoken by the feeling of kisses on her face. She smiled and opened one eye to see a grinning Hermione on top of her.

"Happy Valentine's, baby," said Hermione breathlessly. Blair leaned up to give her a long, passionate kiss. Every time they kissed, the butterflies in Blair's stomach would flutter even more. It made her feel complete and alive.

Blair pulled away and smiled at Hermione. "Happy Valentine's, love. You know, I'd love to be woken up every morning like that."

Hermione giggled before getting off Blair. She smirked at Blair and slowly walked to the bathroom, aware that Blair was watching her with an open mouth and amazement in her eyes. Hermione turned around, winking at Blair, "Get ready."

As she went in the bathroom, Blair let out a breath she had been unknowingly holding the whole time and grinned, "Bloody hell." Blair lay down in bed and waited for Hermione to finish. After a few minutes, Hermione finally came out, and Blair's mouth dropped open.

Blair had seen Hermione Granger more times than she could count, but there was no doubt. Every time she saw Hermione, she felt her knees going weak, her heart beating faster and her mind going blank. Time seemed to slow down while Hermione walked towards Blair, and Blair knew the memory of Hermione Granger walking towards her was one that would be engraved in her heart and mind.

Hermione blushed deeply as Blair's eyes followed her all the way as she walked towards Blair. There was something in the way looked Blair at her, and it made Hermione feel loved. Her heart rammed against her chest, but she kept herself calm and smiled at Blair, "I'll see you downstairs."

As she walked away, Blair turned to Lavender, Parvati and Fay who were watching the whole thing, with a soft smile. "Did you see her? I'm so bloody lucky. I've got the most beautiful, most brilliant, most lovely woman in the world as my girlfriend, and I'm so in love with her."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Blair went down to the great hall in a white hoodie and jeans, and she wore her glasses (and it was not because she wanted to look cute for Hermione). Ron couldn't come to Hogsmeade because they had Quidditch practice. Blair smiled when she saw that Harry had dressed well for his date with Cedric and wished him luck. Then, she walked behind Hermione and kissed her on the cheek, "Good morning."

Hermione blushed at the sight of Blair. She looked cute, handsome and beautiful at the same time in her outfit. Then, she pointed to the glasses. "What are those for?"

"Well, you made my world so bright and beautiful that my eyes were wounded for a second, Granger." Blair said mischievously.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned away to hide her blush, "Oh, shut up." Blair grinned and took some treacle tarts, and she began eating it.

"Oh, right. We have to meet someone in Three Broomsticks around midday, all right?" Hermione suddenly said.

Blair tilted her head in confusion. "Who?"

Hermione couldn't resist anymore and she pinched Blair's cheeks. "You'll see." 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Blair and Hermione walked around Hogsmeade for the first part of their date. Hermione tugged on Blair's arm and pointed at the window of Dervish and Banges. A large poster had been stuck up in the window and a few Hogsmeaders were looking at it. They moved aside when Blair and Hermione approached and Blair found herself staring once more at the ten pictures of the escaped Death Eaters. The poster ("By Order of the Ministry of Magic") offered a thousand-Galleon reward to any witch or wizard with information relating to the recapture of any of the convicts pictured.

"When it was Sirius who escaped, there were dementors all over Hogsmeade," said Hermione in a low voice.

Blair glared at Bellatrix Lestrange's portrait, "Remember what Dumbledore said? The dementors would be the first ones to turn to Voldemort's side. They're outside Ministry control now."

"Come on, let's go to the Shrieking Shack," Hermione said, tugging her back so that they could walk, but everywhere they went, Blair could see the posters of the ten escaped Death Eaters staring from the windows. 

"You know, I thought that I was going crazy that day. I thought that I was imagining something behind me, then Lavender screamed about the Grim, and I thought she was going crazy," said Hermione, chuckling at the memory.

Blair crossed her arms and pouted. "I just wanted to know if you liked me then. If I had a chance."

Hermione looked at Blair seriously. "Did you ever think of giving up then? When I kept rejecting you?"

Blair smiled slightly at her, "I did think about it at time. Specifically those times when we didn't talk last year, but every time the thought came into my mind, I hated it. I didn't care if you would reject me until the end. I would've stopped only if you were happy with someone else, and I know I wouldn't get in the way of your happiness. All I know is that I love you, Mione, and I would never give up loving you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She cupped Blair's face. "Thank you. For loving me and for never giving up on me. And just know that I'm yours, Blair. I'm still not ready to say those three words, but I know I soon will be. No matter what we'll face in these dark days, we'll be all right. We'll be together through it all, and I will never leave you."

Blair smiled softly and wiped away Hermione's tears before leaning in and connecting their lips in a gentle kiss as rain went falling down. It was different from the kisses they had shared before. It held their happiness, their longing and the promises they made. Blair and Hermione knew they would do everything to make sure those promises would be fulfilled and they would fulfill them together.

Blair and Hermione separated and laughed loudly. They started running. Blair and Hermione came into the Three Broomsticks and waved to Hagrid, who was sitting alone in a corner, looking morose.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Blair said while sitting down beside him, shaking her hair to get rid of the wetness. Hermione went to look for a table, seemingly waiting for someone. Hagrid jumped and looked down at Blair as though he barely recognized her. Blair saw that he had two fresh cuts on his face and several new bruises.

"Oh, it's yer, Blair," said Hagrid. "Yer all righ'?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Blair, "Here, let me." Blair pointed her wand towards Hagrid's arms and healed the bruises on it.

"How are you, Hagrid?" Blair hid her wince as she felt her arms hurting and she cast a nonverbal cleaning spell to make sure the blood won't seep into her clothes.

Hagrid smiled gratefully. "Thank yer, Lil' B. I'm grand, yeah, grand..." He gazed into the depths of his pewter tankard, which was the size of a large bucket, and sighed. Blair patted him on the back comfortingly. They sat side by side in silence for a moment. Then Hagrid said abruptly, "In the same boat, you an' me, aren' we, Blair?"

"Huh —" said Blair.

"Yeah... I've said it before... Both outsiders, like," said Hagrid, nodding wisely. "An' both orphans. Yeah... both orphans." He took a great swig from his tankard.

"Makes a diff'rence, havin' a decent family," he said. "Me dad was decent. An' your mum an' dad were decent. If they'd lived, life woulda bin diff'rent, eh?"

"Yeah... I s'pose," said Blair cautiously. Hagrid seemed to be in a very strange mood.

"Family," said Hagrid gloomily. "Whatever yeh say, blood's important..." And he wiped a trickle of it out of his eye.

"Oh, Hagrid, it will be all right," said Blair, giving him a big hug. 

Hagrid smiled and hugged her back, "Thank yer, Lil' B. I'm glad I have yer."

Blair frowned and looked at his face closely. "Hagrid, where are you getting all these injuries?"

"Eh?" said Hagrid, looking startled. "Wha' injuries?"

"All those!" said Blair, pointing at Hagrid's face.

"Oh... tha's jus' normal bumps an' bruises, Blair," said Hagrid dismissively. "I got a rough job." He drained his tankard, set it back upon the table, and got to his feet. "I'll be seein' yeh, Blair... Take care now..."

And he lumbered out of the pub looking wretched and then disappeared into the torrential rain. Blair watched him go, feeling miserable. Hagrid was unhappy and he was hiding something, but he seemed determined not to accept help. What was going on? But before Blair could think about the matter any further, she heard a voice calling her name.

"Blair! Blair, over here!" Hermione waved at her from the table she sat at. Blair got up and made her way toward her, and Blair was surprised when she saw that Hermione was with the unlikeliest trio. Harry, Luna and none other than Rita Skeeter, ex-journalist on the Daily Prophet and one of Hermione's least favorite people in the world.

"Hey, love, Luna, Harry... Rita," said Blair, sitting down beside Hermione. Then, she whispered to Harry. "How was your, well, date? You know, getting to know each other?"

Harry blushed and shushed her. "Shut up."

"Love?" said Rita, twisting around in her seat to stare avidly at Blair. "You and Little Miss Perfect?" She snatched up her crocodile-skin handbag and groped within it.

"It's none of your business if Blair's with me," Hermione told Rita coolly. "So you can put that away right now." Rita had been on the point of withdrawing an acid-green quill from her bag. Looking as though she had been forced to swallow Stinksap, she snapped her bag shut again.

"What are you up to?" Harry asked, staring from Rita to Luna to Hermione.

"Little Miss Perfect was just about to tell me when you two arrived," said Rita, taking a large slurp of her drink. "I suppose I'm allowed to talk to them, am I?" she shot at Hermione.

"Yes, I suppose you are," said Hermione coldly. 

Unemployment did not suit Rita. The hair that had once been set in elaborate curls now hung lank and unkempt around her face. The scarlet paint on her two-inch talons was chipped and there were a couple of false jewels missing from her winged glasses. She took another great gulp of her drink and said out of the corner of her mouth, "So, how long has it been, Blair?"

"One more word about Blair's and my love life and the deal's off and that's a promise," said Hermione irritably.

"What deal?" said Rita, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "You haven't mentioned a deal yet, Miss Prissy, you just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days..." She took a deep shuddering breath.

"Yes, yes, one of these days you'll write more horrible stories about Blair, Harry and me," said Hermione indifferently. "Find someone who cares, why don't you?"

"They've run plenty of horrible stories about Blair and Harry this year without my help," said Rita, shooting a sideways look at them over the top of her glass and adding in a rough whisper, "How has that made you two feel? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"

"They feel angry, of course," said Hermione in a hard, clear voice. "Because they've told the Minister of Magic the truth and the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe them."

"So you actually stick to it, do you, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" said Rita, lowering her glass and subjecting Blair and Harry to a piercing stare while her finger strayed longingly to the clasp of the crocodile bag. "You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness — ?"

"We weren't the sole witnesses," said Blair with a glare. "There were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there as well. Want their names?"

"I'd love them," breathed Rita, now fumbling in her bag once more and gazing at her as though she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "A great bold headline: 'Wood and Potter Accuse...' A subheading: 'Blair Wood and Harry Potter Name Death Eaters Still Among Us.' And then, beneath a nice big photograph of you two: 'Disturbed teenage survivors of You-Know-Who's attack, Blair Wood and Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters...'"

The Quick-Quotes Quill was actually in her hand and halfway to her mouth when the rapturous expression died out of her face. "But of course," she said, lowering the quill and looking daggers at Hermione, "Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that story out there, would she?"

"As a matter of fact," said Hermione sweetly, "that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect does want."

Rita stared at her. So did Blair and Harry. Luna, on the other hand, sang, "Weasley Is Our King", changing the lyrics to compliments about Ron, dreamily under her breath and stirred her drink with a cocktail onion on a stick.

"You want me to report what they say about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked Hermione in a hushed voice.

"Yes, I do," said Hermione. "The true story. All the facts. Exactly as Blair and Harry report them. They'll give you all the details, they'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters they saw there, they'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now — oh, get a grip on yourself," she added contemptuously, throwing a napkin across the table, for at the sound of Voldemort's name, Rita had jumped so badly that she had slopped half her glass of firewhiskey down herself.

Rita blotted the front of her grubby raincoat, still staring at Hermione. Then she said baldly, "The Prophet wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes their cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks they're delusional. Now, if you let me write the story from that angle —"

"We don't need another story about how Blair and Harry lost their marbles!" said Hermione angrily. "We've had plenty of those already, thank you! I want them given the opportunity to tell the truth!"

"There's no market for a story like that," said Rita coldly.

"You mean the Prophet won't print it because Fudge won't let them," said Hermione irritably.

Rita gave Hermione a long, hard look. Then, leaning forward across the table toward her, she said in a businesslike tone, "All right, Fudge is leaning on the Prophet, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Blair and Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back."

"So the Daily Prophet exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" said Hermione scathingly.

Rita sat up straight again, her eyebrows raised, and drained her glass of firewhisky. "The Prophet exists to sell itself, you silly girl," she said coldly.

"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," said Luna, chipping into the conversation unexpectedly. Sucking on her cocktail onion, she gazed at Rita with her enormous, protuberant, slightly mad eyes. "He publishes important stories that he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money."

Rita looked disparagingly at Luna. "I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she said. " 'Twenty-five Ways to Mingle with Muggles' and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly Sale?"

"No," said Luna, dipping her onion back into her gillywater, "he's the editor of The Quibbler."

Rita snorted so loudly that people at a nearby table looked around in alarm. "'Important stories he thinks the public needs to know'?" she said witheringly. "I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag."

"Mr. Lovegood's been writing... interesting content these days, and well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" said Hermione pleasantly. "Luna says her father's quite happy to take Blair and Harry's interview. That's who'll be publishing it."

Rita stared at them all for a moment and then let out a great whoop of laughter. "The Quibbler!" she said, cackling. "You think people will take them seriously if they're published in The Quibbler?"

"Some people won't," said Hermione in a level voice. "But the Daily Prophet's version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a" — she glanced sideways at Luna, "in a — well, an unusual magazine — I think they might be rather keen to read it."

Rita did not say anything for a while, but eyed Hermione shrewdly, her head a little to one side. "All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," she said abruptly. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"

"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," said Luna dreamily. "They do it because it's an honor, and, of course, to see their names in print."

Rita Skeeter looked as though the taste of Stinksap was strong in her mouth again as she rounded on Hermione. "I'm supposed to do this for free?"

"Well, yes," said Hermione calmly, taking a sip of her drink. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the Prophet might give you rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban..."

Rita looked as though she would have liked nothing better than to seize the paper umbrella sticking out of Hermione's drink and thrust it up her nose. "I don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" said Rita, her voice shaking slightly. She opened her crocodile bag once more, withdrew a piece of parchment, and raised her Quick-Quotes Quill.

"Daddy will be pleased," said Luna brightly. A muscle twitched in Rita's jaw.

"Okay, Blair, Harry?" said Hermione, turning to them. "Ready to tell the public the truth?"

"I suppose," said Harry, watching Rita balancing the Quick Quotes Quill at the ready on the parchment between them.

Blair nodded and took Hermione's hand under the table and smiled at her, "So am I."

"Fire away, then, Rita," said Hermione serenely, intertwining fingers with Blair and fishing a cherry out of the bottom of her glass with her other hand.

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Luna said vaguely that she did not know how soon Rita's interview with Blair and Harry would appear in The Quibbler, that her father was expecting a lovely long article on recent sightings of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. "And, of course, that'll be a very important story, so Blair and Harry's might have to wait for the following issue," said Luna.

Blair and Harry had not found it an easy experience to talk about the night when Voldemort had returned, especially the part about Blake and Olivia's deaths, but Hermione squeezed her hand to give her comfort, and Blair felt a sudden surge of courage. Rita had pressed them for every little detail, and they had given her everything they could remember, knowing that this was their one big opportunity to tell the world the truth.

One more thing that pleased Blair about that weekend was that Draco had treated Harry well, and Harry told her that he was so kind and Harry smiled when he remembered how careful Draco was, not wanting to upset or say something that would put off Harry. It was a different but a good kind of different, and Blair grinned when Harry said that he would like to know Draco more.

Blair wondered how people would react to the story. She guessed that it would confirm a lot of people in the view that they were completely insane, well, she knew the fact that their story would be appearing alongside Crumple-Horned Snorkacks would probably not help, but the breakout of Bellatrix Lestrange and her fellow Death Eaters had given Blair a burning desire to do something, whether it worked or not...

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you going public," said Dean, sounding awestruck at dinner on Monday night. Seamus was shoveling down large amounts of chicken-and-ham pie on Dean's other side, but Blair knew he was listening.

"It's the right thing to do, Caelum, Harry," said Neville, who was sitting opposite them. He was rather pale, but went on in a low voice, "It must have been... tough... talking about it... Was it?"

"Yeah," mumbled Blair, "but people have got to know what Voldemort's capable of, haven't they?"

"That's right," said Neville, nodding, "and his Death Eaters too... People should know..." Neville left his sentence hanging and returned to his baked potato.

Seamus looked up, but when he caught Blair's eye, he looked quickly back at his plate again. After a while Dean, Seamus, and Neville departed for the common room, leaving Blair, Harry and Hermione at the table waiting for Ron, who had not yet had dinner because of Quidditch practice.

Draco Malfoy walked into the hall alone and sent Blair, Harry and Hermione a small wave and a smile before he walked to the Slytherin table, making the three smile slightly. Who would have thought the person who had bullied them was going to make amends with them?

Hermione looked at Draco before smiling at her friends. "I know we've had a rocky start with him, but if Draco's changing, then it's worth it giving him a chance. And it seemed that he really isn't evil. It's probably his father's doing." Blair and Harry smiled widely at her words. Draco and her friends and her girlfriend were getting along, and they were taking small steps towards a friendship with Draco.

And then, Cedric came in then, grinning and waving happily at them before sitting with his friends. "Oh, I forgot to ask you," said Hermione brightly, glancing over at the Hufflepuff table, "what happened on your date with Cedric? How come you were back so early?"

"Er... well, it was..." said Harry, pulling a dish of rhubarb crumble toward him and helping himself to seconds, trying to hide his smile, "lovely. He was kind, and he... he listened to everything I had to say. I felt like... Just Harry. It was good. It was good to be with Cedric like that. He remembered I needed to go somewhere so he let me go but not without promising another date." Blair and Hermione shared knowing glances. It seemed that their friend was falling for the Hufflepuff. 

Hermione smiled at Harry. "Oh, Harry, that's great. I know it was quite awkward at first with your situation with him, but Cedric really is a kind person. I'm sure he'll take good care of you and make you happy." Blair nodded in agreement, grinning at Harry's bright face. She knew it was her turn to start a bet for when the two Seekers would get together.

Hermione suddenly frowned. "She's looking at you again."

Blair looked confused. "Who?"

Hermione simply responded, "Behind you."

Blair looked behind her and saw Cho staring at her with a sad look in her eyes. She felt guilt in her. Though she was happy about her and Hermione, she should have told Cho in a better way. "Maybe, I should talk to her."

Hermione remembered the way she and Cho acted towards each other because of their interest in Blair and felt guilty. She should have handled things more responsibly. "I'll talk to her."

"R-Really, why?" Blair asked, suddenly feeling scared for her life as the grumpy and muddy Ron dropped onto the bench across them while pulling every dish within reach toward himself. She didn't expect that from Hermione. 

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, resting a reassuring hand on Blair's shoulder while Ginny arrived. "Don't worry, I got this."

As Hermione walked towards where Cho had just gotten up from the Ravenclaw table and was looking at Hermione in confusion, Ron spoke as he cut up his potatoes. "You should tell her to write a book, translating mad things girls like you do so we can understand you."

"Yeah," said Blair fervently, looking over at the Ravenclaw table where Hermione had finally reached Cho. She was worried for what was going to happen. But then, Hermione wouldn't fight Cho like girls did in the Muggle movies. They were just going to talk... Right?

"Hey, Cho, can we talk for a bit?" Hermione asked with a small smile on her face. The atmosphere between the two was a little awkward and tense, especially since their last confrontation.

Cho glanced at Blair who was still looking at them before nodding, knowing that Hermione was a sensible person. The prefect's smile grew wider as she motioned her head outside the Great Hall and the two of them went out for some privacy.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Cho asked as soon as they got out, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I wanted to apologize." Hermione apologized with all sincerity, making Cho's eyes widen in shock. Being with Blair had made Hermione realize some things, a lot of things about herself that she needed to improve, and she knew this was one of the things she needed to fix. Blair was her girlfriend now, and even before they became official, there was no reason for her to feel jealous. Yes, she was allowed to feel jealous, but she needed to know her limits.

"How I treated you just because you liked Blair, how I let you know that we were together, it was very childish of me, and I really am sorry for that." Hermione said with all sincerity. She wasn't expecting Cho to accept her apology. After all, she really was an arse. She just wanted to take responsibility for her actions.

Cho was at a loss for words, following that apology. The proud Hermione Granger, apologizing? Then, she realized that she really was sincere. She really was sorry, and Hermione wasn't the only one at fault. 

"I apologize as well, Hermione. Blair is a person, and we should never have fought over her in the first place." The Ravenclaw's eyes softened, and she held out her hand. "Truce?"

"Truce." Hermione grinned and shook her hand. "I'm glad Blair has you in her life. Thanks for being there for her."

"Just make Blair happy." Cho smiled back at Hermione. "She deserves that happiness. Thank you too, Hermione."

With that, Hermione sent her one last smile, feeling lighter with that one apology. Who knew making peace with others felt like making peace with yourself. She reentered the Great Hall where Blair and the rest of their friends had just stood up. 

The Chaser's eyes lit up at the sight of her girlfriend, and she ran towards Hermione. "So... how did it go?"

"Better than I expected." Hermione grinned and intertwined her fingers with Blair as they walked out again with Blair holding both of their bags.

Blair let out a sigh of relief at that, earning her a playful glare from Hermione. The Chaser zipped her mouth and feigned innocence, and Hermione rolled her eyes in response before finally letting her smile spread across her face. 

Yeah, things may be extremely chaotic and their lives would never be normal (especially if you are dating one Blair Wood), but she wouldn't have it any other way. This was her life and her future.

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By the time Blair had watched the Quidditch game the following Saturday, she would have given any number of Galleons not to care about Quidditch either.

The very best thing you could say about the match was that it was short; the Gryffindor spectators had to endure only twenty-two minutes of agony. It was hard to say what the worst thing was: Blair thought it was a close-run contest between Ron's fourteenth failed save, Sloper missing the Bludger but hitting Angelina in the mouth with his bat, and Kirke shrieking and falling backward off his broom as Zacharias Smith zoomed at him carrying the Quaffle.

The miracle was that Gryffindor only lost by ten points: Ginny managed to snatch the Snitch from right under Hufflepuff Seeker Summerby's nose as Cedric was playing Chaser and making it hard for Ron, so that the final score was two hundred and forty versus two hundred and thirty.

"Good catch," Blair told Ginny back in the common room, where the atmosphere closely resembled that of a particularly dismal funeral.

"I was lucky," Ginny shrugged. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you lot are back on the team —"

"Gin, we've got a lifelong ban."

"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny corrected her. "There's a difference. Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser. Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway."

"Well, I'll be happy to practice with you, Gin," said Blair with a grin. Ginny grinned back. Blair looked over at Ron, who was hunched in a corner, staring at his knees, a bottle of butterbeer clutched in his hand.

"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny said, as though reading Blair's mind. "She says she knows he's got it in him."

Blair liked Angelina for the faith she was showing in Ron, but at the same time thought it would really be kinder to let him leave the team. Ron had left the pitch to another booming chorus of "Weasley Is Our King" sung with great gusto by the Slytherins, who thankfully shut up at Malfoy's yell, who were now favorites to win the Quidditch Cup.

Fred and George wandered over. "I haven't got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," said Fred, looking over at Ron's crumpled figure. "Mind you... when he missed the fourteenth..." He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy-paddle. "Well, I'll save it for parties, eh?" 

Ron dragged himself up to bed shortly after this. Blair frowned before she herself went up to the girls' dormitory. She smiled at Hermione, who was studying in her own bed, before falling back on her own, not wanting to disturb her.

Blair started thinking about the match. She missed the feeling of being back on a broom and the feeling of passing the Quaffle around, zooming and dodging through Bludgers and reaching the end of the pitch and doing some tricks with the Quaffle before finally throwing it through the hoops.

Umbridge had been sitting a few rows below Blair, Harry and Hermione. Once or twice she had turned squatly in her seat to look at her and Harry, her wide toad's mouth stretched in what she thought had been a gloating smile. The memory of it made her feel hot with anger as she lay there in the dark.

Blair took deep breaths, remembering Dumbledore's reminders to empty her mind of all emotions before sleeping. She thought of Hermione and focused on the memories of the girl. Instead of calming down though, her heart started beating faster. Blair listened to the ruffling of the parchment from the nearby bed, and it took her much longer to get to sleep. Her body was tired, but it took her brain a long time to close down.

Blair dreamed that Neville and Ginny were waltzing around the Room of Requirement while Professor McGonagall played the bagpipes. She watched them happily for a while, then decided to go and find Hermione... But when she left the room she found herself facing, not the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but a torch burning in its bracket on a stone wall. She turned her head slowly to the left. There, at the far end of the windowless passage, was a plain, black door.

Blair walked toward it with a sense of mounting excitement. She had the strangest feeling that this time she was going to get lucky at last, and find the way to open it... She was feet from it and saw with a leap of excitement that there was a glowing strip of faint blue light down the right-hand side... The door was ajar... She stretched out her hand to push it wide and —

The door suddenly opened with the sound of Lavender, Parvati and Fay's loud giggles and Blair awoke abruptly with her right hand stretched in front of her in the darkness, to open a door that was hundreds of miles away. Blair looked around. Hermione was still doing her work while Lavender, Parvati and Fay were talking in their beds.

Blair let her hand fall with a feeling of mingled disappointment and guilt. She knew she should not have seen the door, but at the same time, felt so consumed with curiosity about what was behind it that she could not help feeling annoyed with the three other girls... If they could have saved their giggles for just another minute...

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