Umbridge was watching her class, which contained Gryffindors and Slytherins, as they read her "Ministry Approved" textbook. She was confident in the knowledge that now, there was no way that they were going to rise up against the Ministry. That was everyone's (who was truly loyal to the Ministry anyway) worst fear, an army of students being commanded by that doddering old fool, Dumbledore.

She took a particular pleasure in watching young Mr. Potter read through the book and write some notes down with a scowl on his face. Nothing seemed to brighten her day then to see the horrible little liar get taken down several pegs.

"Ahh...being a teacher to small little children is so wonderful" she thought with a large smirk on her toad like lips.

If she had moved a little closer towards the young, raven haired lad she would have noticed him writing in a small black book. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know that it wasn't anything that spelt good news for her.

After the bell had rang to signal that it was the end of class, Harry, Hermione and Ron had wandered down to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry was still writing into his little black notebook as they walked and that, in itself, attracted Hermione's attention.

"Harry, what are you writing?" she said trying to peer into the small book.

Harry looked sideways at her and smiled. "Something that will completely eradicate that sorry excuse for fiction she insists that we read."

Hermione frowned at this.

"Harry, while it's true that the book preaches non-practical use of magic, it is still reasonably sound, the Ministry would have checked out all the facts. The Department of Magical Education wouldn't let the book past them without it having at the very least 95% truth to it." she said shortly.

Harry smirked "One word, Lockhart." and with that he turned away from the Great Hall's staircase and traveled onto the direction in which the library was located. Hermione wanted to follow him, but Ron held her back.

"Leave him be, when he gets this way, you know it will be good." he said with a wicked grin on his face.

"How can you say that! Every time he plans or thinks he knows what's really going on, it turns out he's wrong. Name one time that he was right and I was wrong." said Hermione with a slightly snobby attitude.

"One word, Lockhart" said Ron with that same evil grin, as he took an embarrassed Hermione by the hand and led her to the Great Hall.

Thankfully it was only a half-day that day because Harry didn't reappear to them until dinner had already started. They even went to the library to find him and try as they might. It was to no avail. Madam Pince had shuffled them both out, with a strange smile on her face, telling the both of them that Harry didn't want to be disturbed. It was no secret that even she held some contempt for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

When he arrived in the Great Hall, he wasn't carrying anything except for a small white envelope and his little black book, the strange thing was, he wasn't alone. A tall, stern looking man came walking up behind him.

As Harry stopped he held up the small envelope, the man walked past him and snatched the envelope right out of his hand, without even stopping. Harry gave a small smile and placed both hands into his pocket, leaned back on his right foot and smirked up to Umbridge, who didn't have any inkling of what was going on, but she did look quite frightened.

"Delores, how nice to see you again." said the man with an indifferent look upon his face.

Umbridge gulped. "H..Hello, R...R...Rivers. Nice to s..see you t..too."

"Do you have any idea, why I am here this evening?" said Rivers still looking indifferent, but ripping open the envelope and reading it quickly.

She shook her head quickly. He looked down at his chest and slowly shook his head. While he held the bridge of his nose in his left hand, he put the letter in the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a copy of her textbook.

"Recognize this?" when she nodded quickly, he continued. "I received a message from a very concerned student that you were teaching, outdated, unproven and harmful material in class."

"What do you mean, outdated, unproven and harmful? That book was certified by the International Department of Magical Education!" she said indignantly.

"True, it WAS certified by my department. In 1921. Since then the 'Theory of Glympdons Conjurtor' alone has caused many people who have tried to defend themselves with its so-called aid to suffer lifelong injuries. And that is the entire basis of the book! None of the other theories in it or any better. In fact, they are several times worse."

He then waved his wand over his head and every last copy of the Defense Against the Dark Art textbook was summoned to him. Then, they were gone.

"I'm going to be real nice and give you two weeks to get a better book for the students to learn from. If you don't have a better book, that teaches them BOTH theory AND practical, I will find a teacher that will. Oh yes, I almost forgot, you have to run the books by me first. No going past me and authorizing them to the Minister. I can make damn sure that the people higher up on the food chain then him find out about your little stunts." He then turned on his heel and walked towards the door. He stopped when he reached Harry.

"Thanks for letting us know. God knows what kind of damage she could have done." Harry smiled in response. When Rivers left, Umbridge sent Harry a murderous look. Harry only smirked back and the teachers shared in the joy of bringing that old toad some well-deserved misery. The rest of the school stood up and applauded Mr. Potter, including even some of the Slytherins, and just to aggravate her, Harry took a bow.

After dinner Umbridge left the Great Hall, slammed her office door shut behind her. She couldn't believe it, beaten by a lying, spoiled, mentally challenged, brat! She wasn't going to let this slide, though she didn't know how she was going to get even with that little beast. Then, that very same "beast" came in through the door to her office. Umbridge looked up, a little confused, but then she remembered that she had given him a week long detention, and this was the last of those joyful nights. Tonight she was going to do something different.

He made to sit down, but she grabbed his arm and gave him a vicious smile. He had seen that kind of look in his Uncle Vernon's eyes and he knew that he was not going to go to bed tonight without shedding half a pint of his own blood. But she wouldn't be that stupid to do something like that in a school. Not with Dumbledore's office a few floors away.

She walked over to a small picture of Filch's ragged cat, Mr. Norris and nodded at it. The mangy old cat then meowed and turned and hurried off. Filch then came into the room, grinning ear to ear and his grin grew bigger when he saw Harry looking between the two of them.

"Not going to do the normal lines then, I take it?" said Harry, looking at Filch with curiosity, yet edging slightly away from the two of them.

"Not in the slightest Mr. Potter. My little reminder doesn't seem to help you not to tell lies." she said, with that large sneer on her toad like face.

"Actually it does, that's why I sent Mr. River's that owl." he smirked, wiping the grin off the horrible teacher's face. But then it came back in full force. She nodded towards Filch, who then brought out a...

"What's the whip for?" said Harry getting a little nervous now, but his voice didn't reveal it. Both sadists just smiled and moved forward, slowly. He backed up into the desk, and looked round quickly, there was no escape.

Three hours later he finally reached the seventh floor. He had to double over and get his breath to slow down quite a few times. His entire torso was on fire and his legs couldn't carry him anymore, after Filch and Umbridge both took the whip to him for the past three hours he had to hurry down to the school laundry room and wrap his bleeding chest, legs and back with one and a half sheets. It looked as if he gained the twenty pounds that Madame Pomfrey had always wanted him to. He tried to remember what had happened, but some of the parts were starting to get a little fuzzy and he felt himself getting colder and colder. He was getting very dizzy and he wasn't able to keep his eyes to stay focused. He had some healing potions in his trunk just for emergencies, now the only problem was getting to them, he was getting very tired.

Then a voice came from behind him, Harry slowly turned around and saw McGonagall come up the stairs. "Didn't you hear me Potter? I asked you what you were doing out so late, it's about five minutes after curfew." she said sternly.

Harry opened his mouth to answer "Long detention" when he couldn't stand anymore and he started to fall over the railing of the moving staircase. Professor McGonagall screamed and made a grab for him as he tumbled over. She managed to grab his foot and magicked him back onto the stairs.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BOY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH..." she stopped short. She kneeled down quickly laid his head on her lap and felt his forehead, he was burning up with fever. She noticed the sheets under his robes and lifted the layers, she screamed a second time, only this one was louder.

The teachers, who were patrolling the top floors, came running up from all different directions and the Gryffindor students came running when they heard both screams. Students were standing above and teachers below the sobbing Transfigurations Professor. Dumbledore came hurrying to where the throng of people stood and saw Harry laying in his Head of House's lap. His face paled.

"Minerva?" said Flitwick cautiously. She looked wildly around, this scared her poor Gryffindors to no ends. They thought she had gone mad. Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, or Neville couldn't get to the front of line no matter how hard they tried. They couldn't see that it was Harry that she was crying about.

McGonagall was looking for Snape and when he came to the front, she pulled him done roughly to his knees and lifted the sheets, so little that only he could see. He was so taken aback that he landed backwards into Dumbledore's knees.

"What is it? What is wrong?" he asked Snape. However, the Potions Master did not respond to him. He then scrambled back and started whipping out potions and administering them to the fevered boy. Once Harry was stable enough to be moved, they whisked him off to the Hospital Wing, it was there that the Weasely's and Hermione saw that the injured student was Harry, and they had to hold each other to stop themselves from falling down in shock.

Harry's fever didn't break till a week later, the entire school (including the Slytherins) were happy to see the young man come down to the Great Hall. But they were horrified to see that he had to lean on a cane and was followed by a harassed looking Madam Pomfrey.

"You should have stayed in bed Potter! You're still very weak from losing all that blood!"

"I feel fine, I was losing the feeling in my legs from all the laying around. This gets me the exercise that I need and besides," he added with a look towards the Gryffindor table. "I want to see Hermione and Ron. You never let them in to see me that I know of."

He hobbled over to Ron and Hermione and they both rushed to him and took him in their arms. Harry gritted his teeth, they had clutched at him too quickly and too tightly, but he allowed them to hold onto him as tight as they wanted. They exchanged no words but just held onto each other, then Fred, George and Ginny came over and enshrouded Harry even further. After five minutes of just standing there hugging, they helped Harry to the table and began loading a plate for him.

"Mr. Potter, I have a question for you." said Professor Dumbledore, who had happened to stand behind Harry. Harry looked up at him, for the first time that year their eyes met. Harry couldn't help but smile. Dumbledore sighed with relief, not sensing any redness in his eyes or hatred in his mind.

"Do you remember who had left you in that state that forced you to go to the Hospital Wing?"

Everyone in the Hall leaned forward, eager to duel out some intense judgment to the person responsible. Even Malfoy fingered his wand in anticipation. He disliked Potter, but he really didn't HATE him. Not enough to actually wish him that kind of harm to happen to him. Umbridge and Filch looked deadly pale and nervous, nobody noticed this, with the exception of Professor Snape. He made a mental note to tell Dumbledore his suspicions.

Harry shook his head. " I don't remember, I can only remember leaving the Great Hall to go to detention."

"Whom did you serve detention with that night?" asked Dumbledore quickly.

"Umbridge"

Students and teachers whipped around swiftly and stared. Umbridge composed herself quickly and stated. "He never made it to my detention that night. As a matter of fact, you owe me another one for not showing up, you now have to serve two more nights." she reverted back to her smug self. The students and staff stared at her in shock, but the dam finally broke.

"NO, HE MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!" screamed the staff. None more louder than Professor McGonagall.

DUMBLEDORE, DON'T LET HER! HE WAS INJURED! shouted the students.

IT WAS NO FAULT OF HIS OWN!" screamed the entire staff and student body.

Harry looked around dazed, unsure of what was going on. Dumbledore nodded gravely.

"I will not allow her to do so. Harry won't be serving detention for quite some time. I will also say that you, Harry, are not to attend classes until you are well." said Dumbledore reassuring the students and staff.

"I'm fine" said Harry tiredly.

"You save that particular statement for the periods of time that you are most gravely injured it seems." said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling, but with a sad smile upon his lips. "More of a reason for us who care deeply for you to have you, as they say in the Muggle world. 'sit this one out.' "

The entire school, besides Umbridge and Filch, nodded yes. Filch continued to shake fearfully, but Umbridge was furious. Just then, an owl came fluttering down to her and deposited a note, she opened it with her pink, kitten shaped letter opener and read it. Her eyes danced madly. She had him now! She had them both!

Despite River's warning, Umbridge didn't even try to find a different book for her classes. As a matter of fact she didn't even try to accomplish anything in her class. The students, besides Harry who would spend his days in Dumbledore's office, would be getting homework done that they had acquired in other classes. She never noticed them, she was too busy sitting in her chair and counting down the hours in which her plan would take action.

Harry and Dumbledore spent the passing days discussing things that had no real importance. They would discuss the weather, different sweets they both enjoyed and even Quidditch games. Dumbledore was more relaxed around Harry now that he realized that Voldemort wouldn't dare venture into Harry's pure and wholesome mind. However he was ashamed that he had abandoned the poor boy when he needed him the most. Mentally, he promised that he would never let this boy down again.

He was still trying to find out what had happened to his young protege, but nothing came of it. He knew something had happened in Umbridge's office, but what it was, was a mystery to him. He subtley grilled Harry, asking him what had happened, but the poor boy's memory had been blocked by the fever, discovering what had happened would take time.

Harry still had to continue using his cane, so Dumbledore made sure he got down to the Great Hall for dinner alright. McGonagall came rushing up to the pair of them.

"Albus! Umbridge brought the Minister and several Ministry officials here!" she looked pale and nervous. She had not been the same since she had found Harry, nearly dying on the staircase.

"What is it that they want?" said Dumbledore placing a protective arm around Harry's shoulders.

"They said something about Potter's past, bringing the truth to light. What do they mean by that?" said McGonagall, also throwing an arm around the young man's shoulders. Harry kept looking between the two of them. For some reason, since the fever, he was a little slow on the uptake. But talking to Dumbledore about different things, kept building up his mental strength like it used to be.

"I wonder, did you see anything being carried in by the officials? An orb, a mirror, anything? said Dumbledore, eyes slowly taking on even brighter twinkle. "Books?"

McGonagall paused in thought and gasped. "Yes! They were carrying seven books, each one a different color. With silver and gold numbers on each one, one through seven."

"How do you remember that?" said Harry in awe.

"Photographic memory. Her's is slightly more, we shall say, powerful then yours dear boy. As for these books, in the long run we have nothing to fear from them. We know we are telling the absolute truth. It will only strengthen our side."

"Albus, what do you mean, do you know what these books are?" she said gaping at the elderly man.

"Those books are forged from an ancient magic that was used to compose our history for us. We would only have to drop a single blot of blood on its pages and the history of that person would be written, first chapter would entail the significant information of their first year of birth then it would start before the subject's eleventh birthday. That time of age has always been a very important day since the very beginning of magical time. Then it would continue for seven more years. The all-powerful number, Harry, remember that. " said Dumbledore down to Harry, his eyes still twinkling.

"Then what do we do about it Albus?" said McGonagall anxiously.

"Summon the Order, including Sirius, but advise him to stay in his canine form, we don't want him whisked away. Also, invite the Diggorys, Book four should have the painful, but necessary truth behind their son's unfortunate passing. Bill and Charlie Weasely would get some information from this reading to be sure."

"Why would the Ministry read my story in front of everyone?" said Harry, catching on, slowly but surely. Dumbledore sent a warm smile to the young man.

"To spread their belief that you and I are on our way to 'The Funny Farm' as you youngsters like to keep telling me."

"I've never said that to you Professor!" cried Harry in disbelief.

"Which is sad, everyone has a different way of saying it and I enjoy in hearing the different interpretations. Your friend Ron refers to me as 'off my rocker' that may very well be my favorite one."

By the unwanted orders of Madam Delores Jane Umbridge, the entire school was summoned down to the Great Hall. Dumbledore and Harry stood in the middle of the Great Hall and watched as the members of the Ministry and Order came into the ancient Hall that was the place of wonderful memories for everyone who came in those great doors.

"This is a private reading Albus." said Umbridge with her trademark smirk.

"If it is a private reading, then why are the students here? They cannot possibly keep a secret, that, alas, is the curse of youth." Dumbledore stated calmly, eyes twinkling madly. "Also, you have Rita Skeeter here, she of all people cannot be trusted with secrets or privacy." his eyes lost their twinkle as they gazed at her. She shuddered. He looked back at the head table and resumed his twinkling. "It's Mr. Potter's life you are reading, and it concerns this school and the people around him. They have every right to the knowledge quietly festering in those books."

Umbridge could find no argument with that, though she did try to make an effort, but Madam Bones cleared her throat and shook her head sternly. Umbridge reluctantly gave up. Dumbledore then turned to the rest of the school and described to them what the books were. The same explanation he gave McGonagall and Harry. Now, after his small speech, he was happily answering questions, though Hermione and a few Ravenclaws were the only ones asking them.

"Professor, how could it write the last two books if they hadn't happened yet?" asked Padma.

"Ah, Miss Patil, there we get into some very, very advanced and ancient magic that, if you may believe, I myself do not fully understand. But I know that in order to actually read Mr. Potter's future, he would have to hold each book and follow it's instructions. For every wizard or witch it is different."

"How do you mean?" said Padma, still a little confused.

"Well, the one of the last times the books were used, I believe Merlin had to hold the books to his head. The books instantly filled with knowledge. But I have heard that at other times, wizards and witches had to give more blood or even kiss the book. It could possibly be anything. But nothing that permanently harms the subject of the books." said Dumbledore smiling to all the students.

Harry looked up at him, with a question of his own burning in his own heart, and he was feeling ill because of it.

"Professor, whatever happens in these things, will we be held accountable?" he said quietly. Professor Dumbledore smiled down to him and patted his head. Harry heard a distinct sniff coming from behind him at the staff table.

'No one should have that close contact with a child, disgusting.' thought Umbridge.

"The things that you are talking about are called books, my dear boy and absolutely not, whatever mischief you got into in these books you had already gotten away with it. It would be unfair to punish you or anyone else. The same however cannot be the same for adults, they may be held for things they do. Mr. Weasely's flying car, for example, he cannot be fined again for it being enchanted. But if anyone were to hurt you physically, I am happy to say that they will be punished most severely. Even if I must do it myself." Dumbledore held onto his normal smile and glittering eyes, that is until the last statement. Then his eyes grew cold furious, Harry saw this and saw the man that defeated Grindewald. Not the man who he had come to think of as a grandfather.

Umbridge smirked down to them and said in her simpering voice.

"Now, Albus, you cannot possibly think that the Minister would pass up the opportunity to punish the boy, something you have obviously failed to do."

"I have never failed in, 'punishing' him. Especially when he really deserves it. Why, as matter of fact, in his second year after he arrived in the flying car I made it known to him that I was very disappointed in him." said Dumbledore looking up to her.

"I wish you had just screamed at me, at that point, anything was better then you looking the way you did." said Harry looking down. Dumbledore patted his back and Harry looked up to the man and smiled.

"Delores, we won't hold any child accountable for what happens in these books. Or anyone else, you know better than to threaten that. These books cannot be used in a court of law. Unless they are to prove someone's innocence, not guilt. It's a strange law, but one I must uphold." said Madam Bones majestically. Umbridge scowled.

"Now that everything is all explained to suit the answers of students." said Dumbledore giving the staff a knowing smile. "Let us begin, who shall read first?"

"I will" said Madam Bones reaching for the book.

Dumbledore conjured cushions on the floor, some students moved from their tables and went to lay on the floor. Dumbledore led Harry to a large bowl like chair that laid on the floor and was filled with soft pillows and blankets. It was large enough for Lupin, Sirius (dog form) Hermione, Ron and Ginny to fit inside it and give some Harry some support.

Harry leaned back into Lupin's chest and ran his fingers over Sirius's coat.

"You're awfully affectionate today." said Lupin with a smile.

"I'm still a litte tired. Deal with it." he said cheekily.

"The title of the first book is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stoneand the first chapter is The Boy Who Lived" said Madam Bones.

"Here we go." sighed Harry shaking his head.