Dolores Umbridge poured herself some tea as she did usually in the morning. Times were turbulent to say the least. But as long as she had her tea, as she did every morning, there was some form of order, and Dolores had to have order.
Tea to start the day, and a different ending to each. She had many days like this. One morning she had a cup of tea, and that evening she officially took her place as Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Another morning she had a cup of tea and began her duties as Hogwarts High Inquisitor shortly after. A few months later she had her tea and a few minutes later placed a shiny golden block reading "Headmistress" on her little pink desk in her little pink office. A few days later and Dolores had her tea in the morning and was captured by centaurs in the evening.
She had her tea the day she attended Dumbledore's funeral, and the day Thicknesse became Minister for Magic, and the day that Harry Potter and his friends assaulted her at the Ministry. But most significantly, she had her tea on the day she discovered that Lord Voldemort had perished, and her dreams of a pure-blooded society were dashed.
Lord Voldemort was of little concern to her. The Dark Lord served a similar purpose to Cornelius Fudge, Rufus Scrimgeour, and Pius Thicknesse: he accepted her antics, and she capitalized on that advantage. And today, that would be her biggest disadvantage.
When Kingsley Shacklebolt became Minister for Magic, his first act was to replace Dolores Umbridge with Hermione Granger as Senior Undersecretary. This angered Dolores greatly. So she packed her tea cups, doilies, and precious collection of ornamental plates and returned to her London flat, where she hid for days. An owl had brought her a court summons for this hot, August day.
And so Dolores finished her tea and pulled on her fluffy pink cardigan, and her prim pink shoes. She reached for her handbag and her wand.
Her wand.
So much relied on it, and yet she never really thought about it. Her wand, like many people in her life, were means to an end: power.
However, today she spent a minute looking over it: a crimson, segmented creation, 10.5 inches long. The pink gem sparkled cutely in the center of the piece which ended in a saccharine yet threatening point. Her wand, like tea, was one thing she could always be sure of. For now.
Dolores stepped out of her comfortable townhouse in London and walked her way to the Ministry. For the first time, she used the visitor's entrance, a red telephone booth that Dolores somewhat understood. While she detested Muggles on principle, she found the telephone to be a useful implement. In fact, she, like many high-ranking Ministry officials, had a cell phone: a small, pink device with a background of meowing kittens.
She entered into the Atrium, now filled with life again, after the peaceful yet brooding period of Voldemort's rule. She pushed her way through to the golden elevators, which she dialed down to the Courtrooms. She realized she was to be tried in the same room that Harry Potter had been prosecuted a few years ago, back during her days as the established power.
The Courtroom door magically opened and Dolores walked in proudly, with her head held high. She had been called a toad before by many students at Hogwarts, but she seemed nothing like a toad today. She entered like a proud Queen, who had just lost her kingdom to another kingdom in a war. As it had been when she inspected Sybil Trelawney's class a few years ago, the whole room fell silent.
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat where Cornelius Fudge had once sat, at the height of power. To his left, in the center of the gallery, sat Hermione Granger, in the very seat Umbridge had always occupied during trials. She noticed others in the gallery that she knew: Arthur Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, and (with a jolt of fury) Harry Potter. She also noted that the well-known journalist Rita Skeeter was sitting in a corner, Quick Quotes Quill at the ready. The last person she recognized was sitting where Amelia Bones used to be: Percy Weasley. Percy was, of course, a Weasley, a family who had caused her much trouble in the past. But Percy was always kind to Dolores at the Ministry. She spoke highly of him, like an aunt who knew that her nephew didn't pay much thought much about her, but was still proud of his accomplishments. He offered her a small smile as she sat pristinely in the chair.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge, you are here on this fifteenth day of August to answer to crimes against wizardkind," began Kingsley, in his deep, slow voice.
"Interrogators are Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic, Hermione Jean Granger, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister-"
"Witness for the defense, Cornelius Oswald Fudge!" came a nasally voice from the back of the room.
"Really, Cornelius! Don't get involved!" Dolores glared.
"Fudge! You're defending this woman?" Kingsley asked incredulously. "Do you know what she is accused of?"
"I do know, Shacklebolt," Fudge responded indifferently. "I may not agree with Madam Umbridge's personal views, but she always defended me when I was under fire during my tenure as Minister, and I am returning a favor to an old friend, no matter how disgraced she is."
Dolores blushed slightly. Friend, he had called her. Dolores never had time for friends. She never thought of Cornelius as a friend, and it was truly shocking to her that after all she'd done, he was still remaining loyal to her. Must have been a Hufflepuff. She foundthat thought rather amusing.
This reminded her of when the late Albus Dumbledore defended Potter. But the effect was not similar.
The trial proceeded with many harsh accusations from Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione Granger, and Granger's surprise witness, Mary Elizabeth Cattermole.
Fudge fought tooth and nail for Dolores to be pardoned, but there was nothing he could say that could convince the court of her innocence. In fact, his statements must have been doing the opposite, as Rita Skeeter's Quill began moving at the speed of sound.
The worst part of the trial was Hermione Granger. Whenever Fudge would begin to make an argument in Dolores' defense, Hermione would perform a fake cough that sounded eerily familiar and present more evidence on behalf of the prosecution.
Then came the vote.
"All those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?" Kingsley asked.
No one seemed to be stirring, but Dolores thought she caught a hint of movement in Percy Weasley's direction. She looked at him pleadingly, and he seemed to understand what she was trying to convey but he then looked away, fearing catching the attention of the crowd, though it seemed Rita Skeeter was whispering something to her Quick Quotes Quill.
"Those in favor of conviction?"
Every hand raised. Even Percy. He hesitated, but lifted his hand in the air, looking at his shoes so not as to catch Dolores' eye. Fudge bowed his head in defeat.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge, I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment in Azkaban for your crimes against Muggle-born witches and wizards," Kingsley stated grimly. "Court dismissed. Aurors, you will escort Madam Umbridge to Azkaban immediately."
Before the imminent chatter, Dolores could swore she hear a girlish giggle from Hermione Granger's direction.
Fudge left the room immediately. The Aurors that Kingsley commanded turned out to be none other than Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, and Harry Potter himself.
"Madam Umbridge, we will be escorting you to Azkaban Prison," said Potter in a dull, learned by heart way. "Please do not struggle. And please turn over your wand to us," he added, holding out his hand.
Dolores took one last fleeting glimpse at her wand, her most prized possession. She remembered the time she tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on Potter. She wished she had, as she handed it over with a glare. They walked behind her in a row as she walked down the stone corridor, drawing many stares.
They silently ascended the elevator, to the atrium, where the Portkey awaited. The crowd gathered silently around it, waiting for the former power-monger to be taken away. When this happened, typically criminals hid in shame, but Dolores Umbridge walked through the crowd the same way she had walked through the courtroom.
It was she who broke the silence: "Hem, hem! I may be going to Azkaban for life, but remember my lesson: Power is what matters in this world. Sometimes power changes hands, as it has several times in the past few years. I did what was necessary to maintain my power during a change, and now I am reaping what I have sewn. But even after my conviction, it was still completely worth it." She then gave a little giggle, and grabbed the Portkey.