Chapter Seven
Voldemort sat on this throne as he looked down at the masked Death Eater kneeling before him.
"You know your missing?" the dark lord asked.
"Yes," answered the masked Death Eater. "And I pledge with my life that I shall carry it out to the fullest, or die trying."
"Good," said Voldemort. "And should you survive unnoticed, you shall have earned your place within my inner circle."
"Thank you my lord," said the masked Death Eater.
"Now go," said Voldemort.
The masked Death Eater stood up bowed his head, and spun where he stood, disapparating away.
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Harry, Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all sat in the Gryffindor team locker room after the recent tryouts as they tried to decide who would fill in as the teams new Keeper.
"Alright," said Angelina, "let's start with the obvious. Ron Weasley."
"Well, considering that ickle Ronnie-kins is unconscious in the Hospital Wing," said Fred.
"Mostly due to us hitting him with a Bludger," said George.
"We say no," they said together.
"Why did you guys do that anyways?" asked Katie.
"It's a possibility in the game," said George.
"He needs to be ready for it and he wasn't," said Fred.
"I agree," said Angelina. "Oliver got knocked out by a Bludger a few times during his time on the team, so the risk is there. If Ron isn't ready for it in tryouts and practice, it's safe to say he won't be during a game."
"And Slytherin will more than likely take advantage of that and try and take his head off," said Alicia.
"So we're all in agreement that Ron is off the list?" asked Angelina and everyone nodded yes, including Harry. "Okay then, next up. Cormac McLaggen."
"He grabbed my ass," said Katie. "He's lucky I didn't take a beater bat to his skull."
"Right then, no on the pervert," said Angelina, not needing to hear anymore. She didn't want someone on the team that would attempt to fondle any of her fellow Chasers without their approval. Well, unless it was her and Fred alone in a broom cupboard. But that was a different story.
For the next hour, they went through the list of everyone that had tried out for the only open spot on the team.
"Let's face it," said Fred after they had rejected the last person from the list. "No one is going to be as good as Wood was."
"Or as psychotically dedicated," added George.
"Well, we still need someone to play," said Angelina. "So if any of you have suggestions for someone who might work that didn't tryout, let me know. I'd really like it if my last year here and my only year as captain of the team ended with us winning the cup."
As they sat there trying to think of someone, they could hear the sound of laughter from outside, followed by someone saying, "Knock it off."
This got their attention and they all got up and looked outside to see a group of Slytherins using their wands to throw small rocks and clumps up dirt at Colin Creevey, who was blocking them with his hands, batting most of them away in order to prevent them from hitting him in the face,
"OI!" shouted Harry as he pulled out his wand, followed by the rest of the team. When the Slytherins saw them coming, they quickly turned tail and ran away as fast as they could.
"Colin, you alright?" asked Alicia.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Colin as he brushed the dirt from his robes. "Bloody stupid snakes."
As Alicia used her wand to heal a small scrape that a particularly jagged rock had left on the young boys' cheek, the gears inside Angelina's head were working overtime.
"Hey Colin," Angelina said. "Have you ever thought about playing Quidditch?"
Fifteen minutes later, the three Chasers were taking runs at Colin, who due to his slightly smaller size, moved pretty quickly as he defended the three hoops. This feat was made even more impressive since Colin didn't own a broom and was currently using one of the schools worn out brooms. Occasionally, either Fred or George would send a Bludger towards Colin, who would duck or move out of the way each time.
"Bloody hell," said Fred after Colin had made a quite impressive save while simultaneously dodging a Bludger.
"I thought I had him that time," said George.
After another ten minutes, Angelina told everyone to head to the ground. Once there, the six current players huddled together.
"Well?" asked Angelina.
"Did Wood polyjuice himself to look like Colin?" asked Katie. "Because for someone who says he hasn't been on a broom since his riding class in first year, he's freaking good."
"No shite," said Alicia. "I swore he was going to lose it when that Bludger came for his head while I tried to score a goal. He just blocked and dodged like it was nothing."
"No offense Harry, but I think he beats you in natural talent," said George.
"None taken," said Harry.
"So, we're all in agreement then?" asked Angelina, and they all nodded.
"Congratulations Colin," Angelina said as they broke the huddle and walked over to the young Gryffindor. "Welcome to the team."
With the way Colin was smiling, you would have sworn that Christmas and his birthday had both come early.
"Just one condition," said Harry. "Leave the camera in the castle when you come to practice and the matches."
"Yeah," said Fred. "The last thing Harry wants is for you to snap a picture of his bum and have it end up the cover story of Teen Witch Weekly."
They all had a good laugh about that, even Harry, who just a week ago would have been slightly annoyed about such a comment. After changing out of the training gear and back into their robes, the seven of them headed up to the castle just in time for the start of dinner.
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"Hey Padfoot, what's this?" asked Remus Lupin as he nudged an old trunk with his foot.
"What's what?" asked Sirius Black as he joined his longtime friend. His eyes when wide when he spotted the trunk. "Well I'll be damned. James and Lily gave that to me just before they went into hiding. They said it was full of stuff to help me out with Harry in case something happened to them and Harry survived. I completely forgot that I snuck it into my mothers house to keep it safe."
"Safe?" asked Remus. "Your mother hated you."
"Yeah, but if you were the enemy, would you look for something your enemy was hiding in your own home?" asked Sirius with a grin.
"It wouldn't even cross my mind," said Remus.
"Exactly," said Sirius. "Which is why I hid it here. I guess during all those years in Azkaban, I forgot about it."
"So, did you ever open it?" asked Remus.
"I did," said Sirius. "There were some stuffed animals inside. Some photos of us when we were all at Hogwarts together. Letters that they wrote to Harry for him to open when he reached a certain age. I think James even left a Pensieve memory of himself teaching Harry how to shave for when he was old enough to need it."
Remus chuckled at that and said, "You should write to Harry and let him know about this. I'm sure he'd like to know that when he comes back for the Christmas holidays, he has something from his parents to look forward to."
"You're right," said Sirius. "I should… I'll get on that right now… Crap, we don't have an owl to send it."
"I'll deliver it," said Remus. "I need to go to Hogwarts anyways. Albus got Severus to agree to brew me the wolfsbane potion again, and I need to go pick it up before the full moon next week."
"Thanks Moony," said Sirius as the two of them left the room.
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Delores Umbridge sat in a holding cell in the DMLE, contemplating everything that had happened. She knew she was screwed. Not only did they have a memory of what she had done to Potter, but it was backed up with her own confession under Veritaserum. And to top it all off, in a moment of anger, she publicly admitted that she had been the one to send the dementors after Potter during the summer. She knew that after her trial was over, she would be lucky if all she received was life in Azkaban.
However, the worst thing of all was she had overheard a couple of aurors talking about how Cornelius had granted Bones the authority to investigate Potter's claim about You-Know-Who being back. Why couldn't the world see the truth about Potter? That he was nothing more than a trouble making deviant and a liar. If she had had her way, she would have had hauled the brat in during the summer in suspicion for the murder of that Diggory boy during the tournament. Unfortunately, Fudge had already publicly stated that Diggory had lost his life facing one of the obstacles in the maze and refused to change his decision on it in fear that the public would see him as an incompetent idiot, which is what he really was. The man would do whatever anyone suggested as long as it either made him look good in the public eye, or the bribe was large enough.
Umbridge was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by approaching footsteps.
"Dawlish," Umbridge said when she saw the auror approach her holding cell, putting on her fake sweet act. "You've always been faithful to me when I've needed you. Help me escape and I swear to you once this whole thing is cleared up, I'll promote you to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and give you a very generous pay increase."
"I'm sorry Delores, but I can't," said Dawlish.
The sweetness left her as she said, "Don't you dare turn on me as well. I know all your secrets. All the skeletons you have hidden in your closet. It would be a shame if I were to let slip what happened with that fifteen year old muggle girl back in March."
"You can threaten me all you want Delores," Dawlish said. "You wont be saying anything to anyone."
Dawlish pulled his wand out from within his robes.
"What are you doing?" asked Umbridge as she took a step back.
"You shouldn't have attacked Harry Potter," said Dawlish. "The dark lord was not happy to hear that."
"Impossible," spat Umbridge. "You-Know-Who is dead."
"No," said Dawlish. "The dark lord is as close to a god as a wizard can be. Nothing can kill him. He is back and it is only a matter of time before he takes control of everything."
Panic started to grip Umbridge as she said, "Tell him I'll serve him. I will help him destroy all the mudbloods and half-breeds."
"As I said, you've angered him when you attacked Potter," said Dawlish. "Only he may make a move against the boy. Potter's death will be by his hands only. Goodbye Delores. Avada Kedavra."
A jet of green light erupted from Dawlish's wand and hit Umbridge in the chest, knocking her back a few feet as the life was extinguished from her body and she fell to the cold stone floor.
Unbeknownst to Dawlish, just as he fired the killing curse, Tonks was arriving with Umbridge's dinner. The tray of food clattered to the floor as she dropped it and pulled her wand.
"Drop it John," Tonks said as she pointed her wand at him.
Dawlish sighed as he heard Tonks' voice and said, "I really wish you hadn't been here to see that."
He slowly turned towards Tonks, who gave a slight jab with her wand and said, "I mean it. Put it down or I'll put you down. I don't want to, but I swear I will."
"For the dark lord I live," Dawlish said as he raised his wand. "For the dark lord I die."
Tonks fired off a stunner, but was too late. Dawlish put his wand under his own chin and fired a blasting curse, causing his head to explode.
Tonks stood there in shock, breathing heavily and trying to process what she had just seen. It was only due to her training that her reflexes automatically made her move her hand and press the alarm rune carved into the wall.
In a matter of minutes, every auror in the Ministry had arrived and was evaluating the scene.
"What happened?" asked Amelia as soon as she arrived.
"It was Dawlish," Tonks said, finally gotten herself under control. "I came to bring the prisoner her dinner and witnessed him using the killing curse on her. I pulled my wand and ordered him to drop his. He said something about the dark lord before turning his wand on himself and firing a reducto. I tried to stop him by stunning him, but wasn't quick enough."
Amelia closed her eyes and sighed. The last thing she needed was for one of You-Know-Who's followers to have infiltrated her department.
"I'll need your wand," Amelia finally said. "Just to verify the last spells you've used."
"I understand," Tonks said as she pulled out her wand and passed it to her boss, handle side first.
Amelia checked Tonks' wand and found that the last spell she had cast was indeed a stunner, and the ones before that were some simple cleaning and repair charms, as well as a copying spell on her paperwork.
"Very well," said Amelia as she gave Tonks her wand back. "After checking your wand, I have determined that you did not fire the killing curse, not the blasting curse that took the lives of Delores Umbridge or John Dawlish, and did in fact act in accordance of the law." Amelia then placed a gentle hand on the young aurors shoulder. "Why don't you take the rest of the night off," she said in a soothing tone of voice. "It's not easy seeing a fellow auror die. Be it by their wand or someone else's."
"Thank you," said Tonks. "I could use a drink right now to calm my nerves a bit."
As Tonks walked off, her normally bubblegum pink hair changed to a long and stringy dark brown color as the emotions of what had just happened weighed heavily on her, making her wonder if there was something she could have done to prevented this.
"Madam Bones, you need to see this," an auror said from down the hall by where Dawlish's body was.
"What is it?" she asked as she walked over.
"This," the auror said as he kneeled down and pulled up the sleeve of Dawlish's robes, revealing the dark mark branded onto his skin. "I've known John since before the last war ended. When it did, he didn't have this… This is recent."
Amelia nodded her head. "Alright," she said. "Make sure to get photos of it along with the rest of the crime scene. Then take the body down to the Department of Mysteries. Someone down there is waiting to take a look at it… They might be able to learn something from that mark that we can use."
"Yes ma'am," the auror said.
Amelia then walked into the cell and looked down at Umbridge's lifeless body. The sleeves of her pink sweater had been rolled up, showing that she didn't have the dark mark.
"Why did they send someone to kill you?" she quietly asked herself.
The answer to the question was happening on a small island in the middle of the North Sea, as Voldemort personally lead a small group of Death Eaters which resulted in the release of some of his most faithful followers as well as earning him a small army of dementors and the deaths of near a dozen aurors that had been stationed there.
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A/N: So, there it is. Umbridge was the one murdered. And it was only meant as a diversion to allow Voldemort to free Bellatrix and the others with very little opposition. However, this might not work out as well as Voldemort hopes. Only time (and future chapters) will tell.
