Written For:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Trick or Treat
Trick - Delores Umbridge

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Writing Club
Days of the Month - Beer and Pizza Day - Write about a bachelor/ette

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Around the World in 31 Days
Honduras - Item: Howler

Career Woman, Thy Name is Dolores

Dolores was proud to a bachelorette. She didn't need a man to be happy. She had her job. Her life at the Ministry of Magic was great! What else did she need?

X

She tried to ignore the budding relationships she saw at Hogwarts during her time there. They were all such children, wasting their time with something that didn't even matter in the real world.

She ignored the pang in her heart she felt when she thought about how she never experienced the innocence of teenage infatuation.

Even as a teenager, she had been focused on how to get ahead in a career. As a Half-blood, she knew she'd have to work harder and nothing was going to stop her, especially not something as ridiculous as a romantic entanglement. Such nonsense would only distract her from her ultimate goal.

Still, she saw how girls turned to guys for comfort when something bad happened. Even Potter seemed to have people he could go to. Not necessarily a girlfriend, but he wasn't alone. In fact, he was almost never alone.

That was okay, though.

Dolores was a strong, independent woman. She didn't need anybody. She was just fine by herself.

X

Dolores gulped when she saw the Howler fly into her office. She opened it with a cringe, expecting the worst. And of course, she was right to expect the worst.

"HOW DARE YOU BRING BLOOD QUILLS INTO HOGWARTS. YOU'RE A MONSTER. AND DID YOU ACTUALLY THREATEN A CHILD WITH AN UNFORGIVABLE! I HOPE YOU GO TO AZKABAN!" Molly Weasley screeched.

And it burst into flames.

Dolores sat at her large desk in an empty room. There was no one there to see her humiliation. There was also no one there to provide her comfort, no one to say that everything would get better.

Like always, she was alone. And suddenly, the idea of maybe having a husband didn't sound like such a bad idea. At least then she'd have someone tell her she had been justified in her actions at Hogwarts.

She sighed. The life of a career woman was certainly a lonely one, and also a thankless one.

xXx

(word count: 359)