Stare and Blink
Author's Note: This is written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competion. Position: Captain. Team: The Bats.
So, here I am doing an outtake where Umbridge is a sociopath. The main prompt I had to show was surprise, without actually typing out the work.
Hope the author's note wouldn't be counted.
Read and Review.
Granger would give up, Dolores was sure of that.
Hermione Granger was a smart girl, but she was tied with too many emotions.
Emotions are binding to humans, they backtrack people, and don't allow them to progress to their full potential. She smirked as the self proclaimed intelligent witch stuttered about Dumbledore's secret weapon.
Following her and Potter through the forest, Dolores could not help but feel smug.
Emotions, she mused again, were always a reason for despair.
She giggled to herself as she recounted the various moments where she would have been a complete loser if she had let her emotions overpower her. Emotions like, guilt and care for example, always lead people to do something harmful for set their goals, desires and deadlines.
Nothing can or should come between people and their set goals, it was as simple as that.
Not one's undeserving father, neither their not so shiny family background.
Never would she admit to the world that she was indeed a half blood, no, she was a pureblood, if not by blood, she was so by skills, her being sorted into Slytherin was just the proof of the fact.
Dolores was also aware that times will come when she will face a choice, her goal, her set target or the people in her life. She was smart enough not to let people get too close, but she was also aware of the fact that she would have to use these people around her to get her to the set goal, be the highest power of the Wizarding World.
She had started her work to achieve this goal way before she left Hogwarts, befriending the right people, charming them into believing her non-existent naivety and loyalty, and getting what she wanted. They were all stepping stones on her path to success. And she felt no remorse. She believed there was no reason to do so.
In her eyes, everyone did that, while people who did it for someone else's well being was considered noble, at the same time someone like her, who concentrated on herself, was considered as selfish.
So, she decided not to let people know of her goals, but she planned. She planned within the shadows, and she was ready to strike, she had used the fear that the Dark Lord had caused, to rapidly rise, and when she was close enough, came the news that Dark Lord had vanquished from the face of the world by a mere toddler. She was enraged, Harry Potter had ruined her well-laid plans, it took her fifteen years, fifteen long years to make up for this loss. Her hair had greyed and wrinkles lined her once pretty face, but she was close, so she was happy.
But then, Potter had to come again and state that the Dark Lord was back.
The fear would send people into frenzy and naive little Cornelius would be thrown off his chair, but still people were not ready to accept her as the Minister of Magic. She needed a year more, so she convinced Cornelius that it was all part of Dumbledore's plan to overthrow him. Insecure, as always, Fudge believed her, and she began to believe in herself.
People were quick to assume that her loyalties were with Cornelius, but she was loyal to no one but herself and she was sure that this was known to none.
The evidences in Hogwarts had her confirmed that Dumbledore was upto something, but it was not to overthrow Fudge but to unmask existence of Dark Lord, she could not let this happen, so she convinced Fudge there was a secret weapon.
The weapon, she assumed, had something to do with the Dark Lord. She wanted to destroy it, so she could buy more time, and Dark Lord, if he was back could take his sweet time to unravel his presence she would be the Minister by then, and then she would support his legacy.
She was so lost in her plans that she didn't notice where Granger had dragged her to, it was a deep part of the forest and she was met with a giant, he was not the largest of the giants, if the texts were to be trusted. A short giant for the lack of better word.
She blinked.
What was Dumbledore to do with that giant?
The mini-Giant talked to Granger girl as if he knew her.
She was astonished for a moment and blinked repeatedly, this made no sense whatsoever, the purpose of this giant being there didn't make sense. It had probably to do something with the half-giant, Dumbledore's pet, but she wasn't sure. She couldn't place a finger on how exactly this was a Secret Weapon.
Before she could further delve into the reasons, there was a crackling of leaves, unmistakable sound of hooves thudding against the forest floor.
Centaurs.
Another half-breed to deal with. Oh joy.
She was cursing her luck.
Her ire was rising. She did not like not knowing things. Things that happened without intensive planning, always caused despair.
have Granger have to make that lot of noise?
Her eyes widened and realization hit her, this was all her plan.
That little-, she mentally cursed, she had planned it all along. The giant was no weapon. It was a cleverly placed decoy.
She was not to be fooled, such rude awakenings were not frequent. And Granger was able to startle her once, but that was not going to happen again.
But first, she had to get rid of these filthy half breeds.
So, she gave them a piece of her mind, telling those beings of half a human intelligence to just give her the way.
She had a lot on her mind.
The shock of Granger's intelligence had not faded away, yet. That little girl had trapped her!
'Incarcero!' She screamed, with her wand outstretched, and the half-breed was strangled with ropes.
The half-breeds were agitated, she shrugged, she just showed them their place.
But before she could further react to their agitation, she was being carried away by a herd of angry centaurs. She screamed, because that is all she could do. Her shock didn't even let her ask for help.
What followed were days of torture, she lost track of time. She didn't even remember when she was rescued, or by whom for that matter.
Everything was hazy.
And for a while, all that was left to do was stare and blink.