"Why didn't you tell me that you are going to be a teacher?" Danny asked. Clockwork smiled.
"Last time we spoke the day before yesterday. Albus offered me, well, I offered my services, this morning," Phantom chuckled.
"And of all jobs you picked to be a Divination teacher"
"Indeed, now excuse me, I need to prepare the teaching program"
"You prepared it long before," Danny deadpanned, his father laughed.
"You know me too well"
-Lateer-
"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" asked Parvati, smirking.
It was breakfast time, two days after the sacking of Professor Trelawney, and Parvati was curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon. They were to have their first lesson with Professor Work that morning.
"Not really," said Hermione indifferently, who was reading the Daily Prophet, "I'm curious about Professor, though"
"Well, you should, he seems pretty mysterious. Funny, Danny isn't like him at all"
"Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawney had gone?"
"We are!" Lavender assured her, "We went up to her office to see her; we took her some daffodils --not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones"
"How is she?" asked Harry.
"Not very good, poor thing," said Lavender sympathetically, "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle for ever than stay here where Umbridge is, and I don't blame her, Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"
"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," said Hermione darkly.
"Impossible," said Ron, who was tucking into a large plate of eggs and bacon, "She can't get any worse than she's been already"
"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," said Hermione, closing the newspaper, "Especially someone related to Danny"
After breakfast Hermione departed for her Arithmancy class as Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender into North Tower, heading for Divination. The classroom hasn't changed a bit, 'Charles' was sitting in an armchair, drinking coffee. He looked very calm and peaceful, but somehow still intimidated. When the door was closed and the last student had sat down, Clockwork gestured around the room.
"Most of you are wondering why I haven't made any changes in this classroom," he received a few nods, "That's simple, I'm not going to stay here for long. I didn't see the need. Now, any questions before we start?" Danny rolled his eyes, he knew what's going to happen.
"Ms. Patil?" Clockwork said. Everyone, besides Phantom, was stunned at the fact that he knows her last name.
"Eh, yes...I wanted to ask you, I don't want to offend..."
"Don't worry. To answer your question, Dumbledore is an old friend of mine. Plus my family has a very good Seer abilities," her eyes widened in shock, "Ms. Granger," he said.
"How good exactly?"
"I just answered the question before it was asked. And Umbridge will enter in three...two...one"
The second he said that, Dolores entered the classroom, wearing her eyes melting pink clothes
"You received the note I sent to your cabinet this morning?" said Umbridge, "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"
"Yes," was Clockwork's short response.
"Now," said Umbridge, looking up at him, "do you have any teaching experience?"
"I taught Daniel everything he knows," Clockwork gestured to his son.
"I see," said Professor Umbridge, obviously not satisfied, "Are you aware about your son's doings?"
"Indeed, and I don't see anything bad in it," he smirked slightly.
"And why so sudden appearance?" She asked, after quick glare.
"Just old friend asked for a favor"
"There is one interesting thing. You are currently the oldest member of your house, and yet, you gave Lord title to your irresponsible son," Umbridge gestured to Danny, who was gaping at her. His father beated him to response.
"As long as I remember, Daniel is the most successful student in his house. And I remember it's not why you are here?"
"Of course," she said sweetly, making yet another note, "Well, if you could just predict something for me?" And she looked up enquiringly, still smiling. People looked at Professor. Umbridge asked the same question as to Trelawney.
"Hm, do you want a happy lie or sad true?" Dolores blinked.
"I'd prefer 'sad true'," she said, rolling her eyes.
"You will get fired by the end of the year," she just made sarcastical 'Hm' and wrote something else, "Now if you don't mind I'd like to continue my lesson. Oh, and don't walk near Gargoyle corridor"
-Lateer-
Meanwhile, as the teachers and Hermione persisted in reminding them, the OWLs were drawing ever nearer. All the fifth-years were suffering from stress to some degree, but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tears during Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school now. Except Danny, who just didn't care in the slightest.
DA members had finally started work on Patronuses, which everybody had been very keen to practise, though, as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different from producing it when confronted by something like a Dementor.
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho brightly, watching her silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room of Requirement during their last lesson before Easter, "They're so pretty!"
"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," said Harry patiently, "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a Dementor..."
"But that would be really scary!" said Lavender, who was shooting puffs of silver vapour out of the end of her wand, "And I still...can't...do it!" she added angrily.
Hermione's Patronus, a shining silver otter, was gambolling around her.
"They are sort of nice, aren't they?" she said, looking at it fondly.
Somewhere in the room Luna conjured a hare Patronus.
"Danny, I did it!" She said, excited. Her boyfriend clapped.
"Nice hare," he said with a smile, "alright, then. Expecto Patronum!" Danny waved with his cane. Green blast erupted from the end and flew into wooden dummy. Everybody looked at him.
"Eh, do you think it will work against Dementors?"
The door of the Room of Requirement opened, and closed. Harry looked round to see who had entered, but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a few moments before he realised that the people close to the door had fallen silent. Next thing he knew, something was tugging at his robes somewhere near the knee. He looked down and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby the house-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eight woolly hats.
"Hi, Dobby!" he said, "What are you...What's wrong?"
The elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the DA closest to Harry had fallen silent; everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.
"Harry Potter, sir ..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir ... Dobby has come to warn you ... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell ..."
"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.
"Harry Potter ... she ... she ..."
Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist. Harry seized that, too.
"Who's "she", Dobby?"
"I think it's darn obvious," said Danny.
Dobby, tried to bang his head on Harry's knees. Harry held him at arm's length.
"What about Umbridge? Dobby, she hasn't found out about this...about us...about the DA?"
He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His hands held fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to the floor.
"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.
Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor.
"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"
Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed, "RUN!"
Danny grabbed Luna's hand.
"Hold tight and hold breath!" He said and they evaporated in black smoke.
They appeared in the Entrance Hall, Luna was gasping for air.
"Sorry," Danny said, "first time is always like that"
"How did you do that?" She asked, "You can't Apparate in Hogwarts"
"Because it was one of Ghost Powers, not an Apparation. Alright, we are currently in the other end of the castle, they wouldn't search for us here"
"Indeed," said Clockwork, coming from behind, "But pack your belongings, there is a possibility..."
"What?! You want to say..."
"Yes, Daniel, you are, but me and Albus made a plan in case it happens. I'll wait behind that corner," he walked away. Danny and Luna looked at each other and hugged.
"So, it's goodbye, then," Danny said with a sad smile.
"You will be back, right?" Luna asked.
"I promise, and you know that I never break my promises"
With this words being said, they shared a deep kiss.
-Later-
Part of the escape plan was to fetch Dumbledore, so Danny flew invisibly into Headmaster's office.
It was full of people. Albus was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, was rocking backwards and forwards on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation; Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard with very short wiry hair whom Danny did not recognise, were positioned either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes. Harry stood near Umbridge, looks like he wasn't able to escape. There was also some girl. You could touch the tension in the air.
"...Well," Dumbledore said, "it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to...what is the phrase?...come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course, but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing"
Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder; she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise, then looked round at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forwards a little, away from the wall. Harry saw his hand drift, almost casually, towards his pocket.
"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly, "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror...I seem to remember that you achieved "Outstanding" in all your NEWTs, but if you attempt to...er...bring me in by force, I will have to hurt you"
The man called Dawlish blinked rather foolishly. He looked towards Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.
"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"
"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling, "not unless you are foolish enough to force me to"
"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.
"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply, "Hogwarts needs you! Plus, who said there will be a fight?"
Danny took it as a cue to appear near him, bowing mockingly. Everyone yelped in surprise, when he materialized from thin air.
"Shall we depart, Headmaster?" He asked with a smirk.
"Yes, I believe it's time"
Danny put a hand on Dumbledore's shoulder. Aurors shot with spells, but they hit only thin air.