AN: I would like to thank jojobevco and Harmonic Friction for their compliments.
Disclaimer: I own nothing: neither characters, nor the world.
Chapter 4: Mrs. Umbridge and Memories
Again Umbridge realized she could Apparate, and did so immediately. She arrived at her mother's house.
Mrs. Theresa Rachael Umbridge was an old woman, nearing her eightieth birthday. Dolores Umbridge normally made it a policy to visit her mother about once a month, but with what was going on at the school she hadn't been able to visit her since Christmas break.
As she arrived at her childhood home memories came flooding in. They were good memories like her birthdays or her first broom, or other things like that.
Then one bad memory crept in. A memory from when she was eight. A memory of a House Elf uprising.
FLASHBACK
Dolores Umbridge was eight years old, and it had been a long day. She was home early because of the full moon: there might be werewolves about. She was reading a book about the dangers of mermen and mermaids without much interest: her mother had pushed the book on her.
It was late December so the full moon was already rising, even though it was only six o' clock.
A scream. It was her mother.
She ran down.
"You wizards and witches," she heard someone saying, "You think you will be able to control us forever. But you can't. In the end, we will take our freedom. We refuse the bonds that hold us. We will not wait for clothes!" Was it the house elves? Another scream. It was her mother again. She saw her mom running upstairs.
"Dolores, we're going to the Ministry," she said, "We're going to catch the Night Bus. Do you know how? Never mind that, I'll show you. Let's get out of here,"
END FLASHBACK
She tore this unhappy memory from her head. That night didn't need thinking about.
She knocked on the door. She heard her mother walking up to the door. Her mother opened the door.
"Dolores? Oh do come in!" She said that every time Dolores came home.
"Hi mom," she said, "How've things been?"
"Well," she said, "I think you're more the one to tell me, and then I'll tell you what's been happening while you were gone. So Dolores told her mother what had happened. She skipped over the centaurs very quickly, but found some trouble talking about her firing.
"Yeah," Mrs. Umbridge, "I actually knew it was going to happen, everybody did. Fudge made a public announcement of it. Called you all sorts of awful things mind you. After seeing that...I'd say you're better off not working for that man."
"I would be," said Dolores, "If I had a job to go to. But right now, I have no job. It's a good thing I own my house: if I had to pay rent, I don't know what I would do! In any case, what's been going on over here? I know its bad news but please tell me."
"Everything you've done is looked at badly. The Inquisitorial squad is going to be put under tighter supervision come next year apparently. Dumbledore's back as Headmaster. I don't know who he's going to choose for Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it won't be you. Fudge is putting on a full investigation. With You-Know-Who back obviously he's got to be careful, but he's still putting on a full investigation.
"They're looking for something or someone else to replace the Dementors at Azkaban: they've run rampant. There have been several mass breakouts, and nobody knows what to do with them."
"I put to much on the Ministry being right," concluded Dolores, "I didn't realize that if they were wrong my whole world would be toppled."
"Exactly," agreed her mom, "but Fudge won't be around for long. This guy Scimigeour is looking that much better than him, and with election season coming up this July, it's only going to take one bad week for Fudge to be a goner, and with You-Know-Who around...that shouldn't take too long."
"Fall in with Scimigeour and..." started Dolores.
"Get a job," finished Mrs. Umbridge.
"Thanks for having me mom, you've been really helpful," said Dolores, "But I feel like going home."
"Good-bye Dolores," called out her mom through the door.
"Good-bye Mom," she called back.
This time she did not Aparate or even think about it. Instead she took a random path, not really thinking where she was going. She took a left, then a right, then two lefts then stopped. She remembered where she was going. It was the same path she had taken the night of the revolt of the House-Elves.
FLASHBACK
But she lost her mom. She had been following her mom and she lost her. And she had absolutely no clue how to call the night bus. But she knew how to get to the Ministry.
It was a long walk, but then again, she was in plenty off trouble and couldn't afford to worry about getting tired. That was when the trouble started.
She turned a corner and came face to face with a large wolf. And although she wasn't sure, she had a good feeling it was a werewolf. It chased her. She ran, she ran, and she ran until the sun started to rise. She was trying to make it to the Ministry, but couldn't really make heads or tails of where she was going. Then the wolf said, "I was chasing you, wasn't I." It wasn't a question but a statement. And it wasn't a wolf, but a human being. She had guessed right: it was a werewolf.
"Get away from me," she spat at it.
"Look I have no control over myself when I-" it started, but she was far away before it could finish.
"Are you lost?" asked a voice. It was a centaur. Now her mother had pushed on her a book about the evils of centaurs, so she took a step back.
"Yes," she admitted, "Which way to the Ministry?"
"Follow me," he said. It was even more walking, but after all the running she had done it seemed more like a rest, than more work. They walked for a long time until...
"What your doing isn't right," said a centaur calmly. He was addressing the other centaur.
"What?" he said, "because I am helping a human?"
"Yes," said the centaur, "Humans won't share anything with us, so we shouldn't share anything with them."
"She is young," protested her guide, "Perhaps if we help her, she will not think like others!"
"Humans are evil," said the second.
"You are right," said the guide, "I am sorry young human, but I have to drop you off here. Take this road straight and take your first right. There is the visitor's entrance to the Ministry. It looks like an old shack. Dial the number...583-2981, and watch what happens."
She walked away from the centaurs hating them, for not helping her.
END FLASHBACK
She left some bad memories behind and Apparated to her house.
AN: This chapter was very long (4 pages on Word). Originally I had the chapter name as "Home" but I've decided that "Mrs. Umbridge and memories" fits beter.
