Nunquam Titillandus
When Ron and Harry came down the next morning, after a surprisingly nightmare-free night, Ginny and Molly were already sitting in the kitchen and eating breakfast.
''Where's Dad?'', Ron asked before attacking his smashed eggs.
''In the garage'', Molly said while filling up Harry's plate. ''Merlin knows what he's doing in there again.''
- ''D'you want me to have a look, Mum?'', Ginny asked. ''Just to make sure he doesn't have to arrest himself?''
- ''No, it's alright, dear. Let him have his fun, it's his first free Saturday in weeks. I'll have a look at it on Monday, when you're all at work.''
She left for the garden.
Harry kissed Ginny what made Ron pretend to vomit on his plate. She chuckled.
''Slept well?''
- ''Yes, although Ron kept mumbling Hermione's name in his sleep.''
- ''I'm not surprised. Our ghoul's already starting to get jealous.''
Ron glared at her. ''Aren't you surprised to help George at the joke shop?''
- ''Angelina and Lee are there today, so he mercifully agreed to grant me a holiday'', she said.
Harry suddenly realised that she was sitting on the Daily Prophet and moaned.
''That bad?''
- ''What's so bad back there, Potter?''
- ''I'm still here, guys'', Ron complained.
''Er, no, that's all perfectly okay. I'm talking about that newspaper you're sitting on.''
- ''Okay?'', Ginny asked. ''Well, I must say-''
- ''Ginny'', Harry sighed. ''How bad is it?''
Ginny's grin faded. ''Very. Really not nice. I'd suggest you, er, don't even read it-''
- ''Everybody else is reading it, too.''
She sighed and put the newspaper on the table. On the front page was the picture of Malfoy and him shaking hands, though Harry was quite sure that he hadn't looked that devious at that moment.
''Potter forestalled that the known Death Eaters were put to justice...schoolmates...Potter's word seems to be an excuse for murder and blackmail...''
Harry stopped and swore loudly. ''But is there more in this sudden Potter-Malfoy union than it seems?
'Mr Potter and Mrs Malfoy are both heirs to the enormous Lestrange family fortune', says Gurtuk of Gringott's Bank. 'It may very well be possible that Mrs Malfoy offered him her part of the fortune as a reward.'
While these are of course only speculations, they do make the sentence appear in a dark light, and Minister Shacklebolt would do well to have a close a look at them.'
- ''That beast'', Ron said in disbelief.
''I didn't even know I was going to inherit anything from the Lestranges'', Harry said furiously.
''No one's going to believe that filth'', Ginny said.
''That's not what it's about any more'', Harry said. ''Now she's crossed the line. I'm not going to sit here and let her tell dirty lies about me. That bloody press- sorry, Molly.''
Molly had just returned from the garden. ''So you've read the Prophet'', she said while going to the cupboard where she kept all of her cooking books.
''How can she even be allowed to publish something like this?'', Harry asked.
''There are enough reporters who write positive stuff about you, Harry'', Molly said calmly while rummaging through her books.
''Do they? Fancy enough that I never seem to see that stuff'', Harry said.
Molly found what she had been looking for and put it on the table in front of him. It was last week's Witch Weekly. His was on the front page, grinning widely over the caption 'Most Charming Smile of the Year'. Harry felt how he was turning pink.
''You're the new Lockhart!'', Ron laughed.
''That smile's already taken'', Ginny said proudly.
Harry didn't mention that the Daily Prophet covered topics that were definitely more important than those in that newspaper.
The trials against the collaborators began at the beginning of the next week. Harry saw how Thicknesse was freed of all charges (Yaxley had already confessed that he had placed the Imperius Curse on him) and gave testimony against Runcorn and Umbridge. The former High Inquisitor was charged with complicity in murder, because many of the muggle-borns she had sent to Azkaban had died there. While speaking, Harry felt a mixture of fury and satisfaction, for that woman finally had to pay for her many crimes.
''She enjoyed it, Minister'', Harry said, while everybody in Courtroom Ten was listening eagerly. ''She enjoyed to humiliate these people and to send them to Azkaban.''
- ''Tell us about the trial you witnessed, Mr Potter, the one of Mrs Mary Cattermole.''
- ''Umbridge laughed at her'', Harry said. ''Because Mrs Cattermole's parents are greengrocers. She took an incredible joy in frightening her.''
- ''Do you think that Madam Umbridge was under the Imperius Curse, Mr Potter?''
Harry shot a cold look at the toad face.
''No, Minister. She kept the Dementors at distance with her Patronus. As far as I know, you're not able to cast a Patronus when you're under the Imperius Curse.''
Barty Crouch Jr. had taught him that when he was pretending to be Moody.
''Umbridge also enjoyed to observe her subordinates with the help of Mad-Eye Moody's Magical Eye'', he said in cold wrath. ''How did she get that eye, I keep asking myself? Moody's corpse was never found. Apparently, the Death Eaters took it. So how could this eye end up being in Umbridge's office door?''
He cleared his throat. ''She has always enjoyed to abuse her power. When she was High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, she made us write lines with our own blood instead of ink.''
Harry raised his hand and saw, how the scars on his palm were enlightened by a flash. Rita's photographer was taking a dozen pictures, but the reporter was nowhere to be seen.
Tudgeberry leaned forwards. ''What did you have to write, Mr Potter?''
- ''I must not tell lies.'' He put his hand down again. ''Nobody dared to interfere, because Fudge had her back.''
- ''Thank you, Mr Potter'', Kingsley said. ''Madam Umbridge, do you wish to ask the witness a question?''
- ''No, Minister.''
Harry went back to his seat.
''Do you want to respond to Mr Potter's accusations?'', Tudgeberry asked coldly.
''I always only followed my superior's orders, Madam'', Umbridge said with her horrible voice. ''During the trials and during my time at Hogwarts.''
- ''Cornelius Fudge ordered you to torture children?'', Tudgeberry asked sharply.
''The Minister ordered me to restore order at Hogwarts, at any cost'', Umbridge squealed.
''And if Mr Fudge had ordered you to kill everyone who proclaimed Voldemort's return'', Kingsley asked, ''would you have done that, too?''
Umbridge closed her toad mouth and didn't say anything any more.
''In the name of magic'', Kingsley said after the judges had finished their short discussion. ''Dolores Jane Umbridge, this court finds you guilty of all charges.''
The visitors roaned and many started to clap while Umbridge screamed in horror.
''For complicity in murder in 31 cases we sentence you to a life-long sentence in Azkaban. The trial is closed.''
The aurors led Umbridge out of the room and Harry breathed out deeply. Kingsley came over to him.
''That's that'', the minister said quietly.
''Yes.'' Harry nodded in relief. ''But do you know what gives me the creeps?''
- ''What?''
Harry looked around critically. ''Rita Skeeter's not here. Did something bad happen?''
Kingsley showed a rare grin. ''You might put it that way. She's been fired this morning.''
- ''What?!''
Kingsley nodded. ''Apparently, the Prophet has been flooded with furious readers' letters. I think we won't be reading a lot from her in the future.''
- ''Most likely'', Harry said thoughtfully. ''Though I don't think she'll leave it at that.''
