Chapter Eight

Percy opened the door to the Muggle Maintenance department and inhaled the thick smell of fear from the Muggle-borns there to be processed. The rows of desks, each with waist high barriers turning each into its own office, stretched down the office space and into the room beyond. Each space was filled with Muggle-borns, half-bloods and their families. Those that had not managed to escape the reach of the ministry or were there "co-operating with the information gathering.

The conversations buzzed around him and he took a moment to focus in on the small cub hole at the back. He could see the four heads of the family being dealt with and a witch so small only the top of her head could be seen over the dividers.

Percy strode between the other desks straight through the noise. He did not look up from his clipboard until he arrived at his destination. He looked at the family in the box with exaggerated disinterest.

They looked up with hate and suspicion.

"Family unit Pond?" he asked in a bland monotone. When they failed to respond he simply continued. "This way please."

Percy turned and waited for them to follow when he heard the smallest, "hem hem" from the witch behind his back.

Percy turned and looked down his nose at the witch. "Madam Umbridge, this family unit is no longer your concern."

He looked at his clipboard and made a mark. He ignored her second "hem, hem" choosing instead to look down the office and then back at the family. She moved into his eyeline and Percy gave the impression of surprise that she was still there.

"Now Percy, dear, just where do you think you are taking them? It is my responsibility to properly deal with these..." Umbrigdge crinkled her nose. "People. How can I properly assess their situation if you pull them away from me?"

"Madam Umbridge, I've been sent here by the Minister himself who wants to know why you are spending time dealing with these cases individually."

"I am performing in my role as head of this department in order to remove the undesirables from the general population. I'm sure you understand; I know the Minister does."

"The Minister understands. He is however concerned about the corner cutting that is happening in this department."

"I assured the Minister only last week that we are doing our very best job to get everyone rounded up and separated out."

"Yes, Madam Umbridge but due to the number of Muggle-borns you are sending to Azkaban for thieving magic within the day of apprehending them rather appears that you are not doing any work to assess how they came by these magical powers." Percy took a step towards her. "After all how would this department continue if it were to suffer a scandal of wrongfully imprisoning a descendant of Merlin?"

Umbridge pursed her lips. Percy of course couldn't possibly know what he knew about what had happened last Thursday. He tried not to smile as the woman had to resist saying anything that would confirm any sort of suspicions.

"Furthermore," Percy continued, "the Minister wants to know why the head of the department is performing the same role and the junior interns from Hogwarts? He also requested that I should I discover she is working in this capacity he shall speak to our pay roll department to ensure that her wages are adjusted accordingly."

"And tell me, Percy, what does the Minister think of his Junior Undersecretary taking over the position?"

"He told me to relieve you of your current responsibility so that you could attend a meeting with him." Percy leaned down from his great height over her. "Immediately."

This of course was the original message he had "interpreted" from the minister in order to get him sent down to the office. There was no need to haul the family out from under her. There was no need to have this conversation in the open office. There was no need to stare at her like she was of no more importance than those interns he had mentioned.

Then again, there was every need.

"This is insubordination."

It was but Percy had heard the tale of what had happened to his baby sister two years ago because of this woman.

Umbridge's smile tightened. She wanted to go suck up to the Minister but she didn't want to leave Percy alone with the family, didn't want to look like she was backing down. "I'm only doing my duty to the Ministry and to Wizarding society."

"And you are preventing me from doing mine." Percy took out his pocket watch and examined it like he didn't know exactly what time it was. "You have just enough time to speak to the Minister before your budget meeting."

Umbridge went purple in the face.

"You must return these Muggle-born thieves into my custody and I have them sent to Azkaban for their theft."

Hateful, hateful woman. Percy was glad she was not popular or funny or clever or well liked. The staff did not look up to her, that much was clear. They might have looked down on him but they clearly had some respect for his position within the Ministry. He could fight this; fight her, in a way that he could never fight Fred and George. And that thought made him smile.

"I must do nothing of the sort. The minister has asked me to perform a task and here I am to the best of my ability performing it while you seem content to make an example of every nobody that comes into your pathetic little office. Do you really think that what you would be doing would have gone unnoticed? The minister needs to discuss your responsibilities within this department. After your, ehem, adventure at Hogwarts where you were absent from the office for a whole year you managed to waste hundreds of man hours with your so called 'Ministry Decrees'. There is a war happening Madam Umbridge, did you really think it required your time and attention that the Ravenclaw Quidditch team be disbanded?"

Of course Umbridge had been at Hogwarts before the official war had started but his point remained a salient one. And the effect was to needle Umbridge.

"Do not cross me little boy," she whispered. "A tiny word from me in the Minister's ear and you shall be out on yours. I've been working here longer than you."

Percy leaned forward and whispered too. "I'm better than you at this Madam Umbridge. I will tie you up in so much red tape you will not be able move."

"I dealt with your siblings at Hogwarts. I know how to deal with Weasley trouble makers."

"But you've never had to deal with me."