"We could have been killed, or worse, expelled!"
Hermione Granger was rather shocked that Dolores Umbridge (there was no way she was using an honorific in front of that evil woman's name) hadn't been thrown immediately in Azkaban. In fact, the toad was on 'limited house arrest' because poor Kingsley couldn't bypass enough rules fast enough to get her thrown in Azkaban. Unfortunately, Hermione thought ruefully, she had convinced them to remove the dementors from the prison, but at least Umbridge would be as far from society as possible. With that happy thought, she stood and gathered her small number of paper bags from her shopping in Diagon Alley and headed back towards the entrance, avoiding the huge crowds by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes by taking a back alleyway.
Hermione heard a cackle and spun towards the noise.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" A figure stepped from the shadows, the familiar putrid pink bow perched atop the prim curls.
"All I see is rubbish," Hermione snapped back. Just her luck to run into the Queen of Toads herself.
Umbridge tsk-tsked and did her little throat clearing.
"Well, obviously someone's manner has not improved," she simpered. "Quite a shame, really. Maybe this calls for an attitude adjustment?"
"You seem to forget, it's no longer you with friends in high places, you evil toad." Umbridge fixed her with a pointed glare while she fingered a tassel on her lurid fuchsia handbag.
"Well, Miss Granger, I still have enough friends to have you expelled from your precious Hogwarts." Umbridge shot her with an evil grin. As much as Hermione wanted to stop herself, she could feel her face flush slightly and her heart drop to her toes. "I seem to remember school was ever so important to you?" Hermione couldn't respond for a moment, she was so furious, but soon she had her comeback.
"You do realize, Umbridge, that times have changed? In fact, I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that I learned quite a lot in my time away from school. For instance, you were quite practically a Death Eater and you contributed to Voldemort's immortality. Not that we didn't overcome your pathetic obstacles, but still." That was untrue, the part about the Horcruxes being pathetic obstacles, but Hermione didn't want to give this woman any satisfaction. "But I'd like you to know, whatever you can do now won't hurt me. Have me expelled. Go ahead, try. It'd be a lot better than what I did during the war, nearly dying more times than I could count, you evil cow. Did you know Harry did die? He died to save the lot of us, unfortunately including you! And he was too good and lure and noble to stay dead, unlike what I believe would happen to you if I just happened to find Harry, who is an Auror, and inform him of your continued existence. Obviously an Auror would never kill anyone, but I'm sure we can make things quite difficult." Hermione matched the evil woman's nasty simper as she continued. "And oh, by the way, if we were still in the war and I was at Hogwarts, I'd rather die than be expelled. A fat lot better than learning anything from people that have the intelligence of a drunken Blast-Ended Skrewt and a fear of centaurs," she spat. Umbridge turned a vivid shade of pink to match her bag and scurried away. She let a grin of satisfaction settle on her face for a moment before conjuring her Patronus. The silvery otter stood in front of her.
"Message for Kinglsey Shacklebolt," she instructed. "Tell him 'Dolores Unbridge has taken to threatening people in dark alleyways. When you find her, please tell her that Hermione Granger has both higher morals and higher friends than her and that she is a bitch.'"
