Harry knew Dumbledore had a great many things to deal with. Voldemort had returned completely, the Ministry of Magic was constantly holding him back, and there was the Order of the Phoenix... But no one wanted to be ignored.
That brief conversation with Dumbledore had released the resentment Harry had built up from being ignored by him, and his mindset had shifted slightly as well.
Recent Dumbledore's Army gatherings, Umbridge's misfortunes, and the wonderful uses of Quick Escape Candy had made this period fairly pleasant for Harry.
It was just that Dumbledore apparently had failed to persuade Albert, while Hermione's study of the Advanced Occlumency Guide had made no progress whatsoever. By then, it was already late October.
The match between the Gryffindor team and the Slytherin team was fast approaching.
The only fly in the ointment was Ron's ability. His mental fortitude was simply too poor, and he could not perform at his usual level at all. He had done quite terribly in training, nowhere near as good as Harry's former captain, Wood. Although Ron was working hard to improve his Quidditch skills, Harry knew perfectly well that if Ron could not overcome his psychological barrier, he would become Gryffindor's weak point.
Even as his friend, Harry could not defend him.
Still, Harry remained fairly optimistic about the upcoming match. After all, they had never lost to the Slytherin team before.
The Slytherin team clearly knew that too. Years of defeat had infuriated them beyond measure. They had never believed they could lose to the Gryffindor team, and so whenever a match against Gryffindor drew near, unpleasant conflicts always broke out between the two houses.
This time, not only would their Head of House, Professor Snape, favor them, but the arrival of Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge had also given