Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "Threatening a professor, Potter? And in front of a prefect, no less? You are in need of discipline."
Jones was looking from one to the other in confusion. On the one hand, Umbridge was a teacher and therefore to be obeyed. On the other hand, Harry wasn't really the troublemaking sort. There had to be some reason for him to be acting so out of character.
"What's going on, Harry?" she asked, her own wand out but still pointing to the floor.
"There is no need to talk to him, Miss Jones! Kindly do as you are told and place him in a body-bind so that I can continue his detention!" When Jones still hesitated, uncertain as to what to do, Umbridge huffed, "You people are useless!"
Jones' eyes narrowed. "Excuse me, Professor? Which 'you people' would you be meaning?"
Umbridge swept the girl with a disdainful glance. "You island people. You should have stayed there under your coconut trees and stuck to your hoo doo and all that nonsense, rather than coming here and taking spots at Hogwarts away from real British witches and wizards."
Uh oh. Even Harry was appalled. "I was born in Brighton," Jones said evenly, but now her wand was up and pointing at Umbridge.
"Then you should understand enough English to do as you're told," the professor snapped back. "Restrain Potter, you stupid тАУ ack!" Whatever epithet Umbridge had been planning to use was swallowed as Jones' temper finally exploded and a ruby bolt shot out of her wand.
Umbridge managed to get up enough of a Protego that the bolt was deflected into the nearby wall where it caused a minor explosion and sent stone chips rattling to the floor. An instant later, both Jones and Harry were locked in a duel with Umbridge, spells flying thick and fast across the corridor.
Umbridge was, despite her faculty role, hardly a good duelist, but she did have the advantage of experience on her side. Moreover, Jones was struggling to reach Harry, so as to better protect the firstie from some of the nastier hexes Umbridge was sending his way.
Jones made it to Harry's side as he blocked a painful Furnunculus, then she cast a powerful shield over both of them.
"I'll see you deported for this!" Umbridge yelled at her. "Right back to wherever you came from."
"I was born in Brighton, you racist cow!" Jones snarled. Behind her, Harry marveled at how well she maintained her shield, despite being more annoyed than he had ever seen her.
Just then, a loud shout of "Stupefy!" rang out, and a bolt of magic slammed into Umbridge from behind, throwing her against the far wall. As the short witch collapsed to the ground, Jones and Harry were startled to find Percy hurrying down the hall towards them.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, reaching out to enfold Jones in a hug while catching Harry by the shoulder with his free hand. "What happened?"
"Wow, Percy!" Harry stared at the unconscious woman with awe. "You hexed a professor!"
"Wow indeed," Jones said admiringly. "That was some stunner, big fella."
"Well, erm," Percy colored. "I was looking for you тАУ to patrol!" he added hastily, recalling Harry's presence. "When I turned the corner and saw that woman trying to hex you, what else was I to do?"
"I'm thinking you might be having a bit of trouble landing that Ministry job you were hoping for," Jones observed, nudging Umbridge with her toe тАУ none too gently. "The little toad is the Minister's lackey, after all."
Percy huffed. "As if I'd work for someone stupid enough to hire that," he nodded contemptuously at Umbridge. "I was thinking that I might be better suited to working with the goblins anyway. I can owl Bill about it."
"Goblins, hmm?" Jones asked, taking Percy by the tie and drawing him close. "It takes a dangerous kind of man to work with goblinsтАж" She gave him a kiss. "Did you know I like dangerous?"
Percy's color rose even higher, but that didn't stop him from returning her kiss with enthusiasm. Harry groaned and looked away.
"WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?" Upon first turning the corner and beholding the spectacle that confronted her, Professor McGonagall had wondered if she had finally lost her mind. Seeing two prefects snogging over the inert form of the DADA professor while The Boy Who Lived stood to one side looking bored, she had wondered if she would need to consult Poppy.
But no, at her words the two prefects jumped apart, and Harry started in surprise. "Professor!" he yelped. "What're you doing here?"
"I think the proper question is what on earth are YOU doing, Mr Potter? And you, Miss Jones, Mr Weasley? Ignoring for the moment that public displays of affection are hardly appropriate for prefects, why are you not summoning assistance for poor Professor Umbridge?"
"ErmтАж" Percy began to stutter while Jones quickly tapped her prefect badge with her wand.
"What happened to her anyway?" McGonagall demanded, stooping over the groaning witch who was beginning to come around.
"Ah, it was, uh, a, er, Stupefy," Percy admitted.
Minerva's wand was out. "From whom?" Could Death Eaters have infiltrated the castle?
"Erm, me actually," Percy admitted.
"What!!" Once again, Minerva wondered if she were hallucinating. "You stunned a professor?"
"She was attacking us!" Jones put in. "Percy saved us."
"Miss Jones, I find this entire story difficult to believe! Are you aware that attacking a faculty member is grounds for automatic suspension, if not expulsion? At the very least, you will both lose your prefect badges and тАУ "
"What is going on here?" Snape swooped around the corner, wand out and looking ferocious.
"Da!" Harry yelled in relief and charged towards the man.
Snape caught him by the shoulders. "Are you all right?" He scanned the little knot of people. Umbridge unconscious; Minerva looking uncharacteristically flustered; Weasley his usual stammering self around Jones; Jones unusually anxious.
"Da, you should've seen it! Percy was great! He saved Jones an' me!" Harry exclaimed.
"What?" Snape's eyes widened. Percy had saved Jones? Now that was unexpected. And where did Umbridge fit in? Had someone attacked the students and she had been injured trying to protect them?
" 'Save' is hardly the term I would use," Minerva interjected tartly. " 'Attack' appears more appropriate." At Snape's look of incomprehension, she explained, "Apparently Mr Weasley stunned Professor Umbridge when Miss Jones and Mr Potter were unable to do so."
"WHAT?!" Jones took an involuntary step back at the expression on her Head of House's face, but Harry just shivered a bit and clung closer to his guardian.
"What. Exactly. Happened. Here?" Snape said, his voice very low and very menacing. The three students all quivered, while behind them, McGonagall helped a groggy Umbridge to her feet.
"Erm, I saw Professor Umbridge firing spells at Davidella and Harry," Percy said, his face now very pale. "So I тАУ I hexed her."
"And why was Professor Umbridge attacking you, Miss Jones?" Snape asked silkily.
"Because I was helping Harry." Jones appeared composed, but there was a slight tremor in her voice which revealed how much the calm exterior was costing her. "He was trying to leave her classroom, and she was trying to make him stay. They were struggling with each other when I came up."
Now everyone was looking at Harry. "And why were you struggling against Professor Umbridge?" Snape demanded.
It was Harry's turn to flush. But his da had said he could always tell him the truth, so he did. " 'Cause I wouldn't do my detention."