Denial – Chapter 10

Although Julius was aware a lynx wasn't exactly an animal people expected to find in the city, he had transformed into his animagus form to make sure no one recognized him. At least for now it was enough some people in Hogsmead knew he was back.

Getting into Cornelius Fudge's house wasn't as difficult as he had visualized it. It made him highly suspicious, but when he looked around and found the house almost empty he came to the conclusion the lack of security derived from the lack of interest.

"This is worse than I thought," he mumbled and roamed the house.

"Cornelius?" He yelled, but received no answer. He continued to yell for him, but there was nothing but silence in return. In a final attempt to find him he made his way to the door behind which Cornelius used to have his study. He never liked the room and especially the painting over the chimney showing his father was something he hated with passion, but he was there to bury the past and not to revive it. He knocked forcefully.

"Cornelius… come on, open the door or I'll have to destroy it." He pulled out his wand.

Several seconds passed and then the door opened. Julius made a step forward until he stood in the doorway. Cornelius Fudge sat in his chair behind his desk. The portrait of his father hang above him, but the difference between both men couldn't be more evident. Fudge was only a shadow of himself. He looked sunken-cheeked, smaller than he was and much older. The man in the portrait on the other hand was tall, his chest proudly puffed-out, but the way he eyed his son weren't filled with pride or happiness, but he didn't say a thing. Or to be more precisely he couldn't say a thing. Julius looked with growing amusement at the painting and asked: "Did you curse the old man?"

"I had to. Otherwise I had burned him sooner or later," Cornelius answered, apparently unimpressed by his visitor. Julius saw the empty bottle on the desk and said: "You'll regret that very soon."

"You appear here after 20 years of hiding and have the nerve to talk about regrets?" Fudge asked accusingly.

"You don't seem very surprised to see me," Julius remarked and went slowly into the room.

"I've seen you… I have a foe glass," he opened his drawer and showed it to Julius who raised his eyebrows.

"I see… didn't know you consider me a threat."

"I don't… I wonder why the foe glass does." Fudge cleared his throat and rose. "We've never been particularly close. I never knew on which side you stood and that you return now, in times like these makes me wonder, if you're a threat."

"It was never my intention to be your enemy." Julius said and took the picture that showed him with Cornelius and his father. "Those were the days," he mused. "I heard your wife left you. I've always told you, you should have married Minerva."

Fudge froze by the mentioning of her name and Julius noticed it.

"Minerva doesn't share your opinion," Fudge retorted coldly.

"Aehm aehm."

Julius turned and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a small, pink woman standing in the doorway. She wore a cardigan over her robe and a big yellow bow tie graced her short mouse-coloured hair and her hands were hidden behind her back. He had a hard time to control his impulse to laugh.

"My name is Dolores Umbridge, I'm Cornelius personal assistant," she introduced herself and made a few steps towards Julius who stumbled a bit backwards. Then he took her right hand, which she had produced from her back and he noticed it was sweaty. He pulled it quickly back.

Her sight fascinated him in a way that caused him a wave of nausea and he forgot to tell her his name.

"This is my brother, Dolores. His name is Julius."

"How nice to meet Cornelius little brother."

"Actually I'm the older one," Julius cleared his throat.

"Cornelius never talks about you," Umbridge said sweetly without taking his eyes from her. "I wonder why."

"There isn't much to talk about," Julius answered and smiled back at her. Her frogeyes seemed to check out every detail of his appearance; something he couldn't stand and needed to stop.

"I'm sorry, but this is a private conversation. Would you care to wait outside until we've finished?"

The smile on her face died out and she looked warningly at Cornelius who just shrugged.

"It won't take long," he simply said and undecided if you take Julius order serious she remained where she was.

"You'll get him back in a heartbeat," Julius assured her and his smile turned sweeter by second. Umbridge bit her lower lip, but finally realized she had lost. Before she turned on her heels she bent over to Cornelius and handed him a rolled up piece of parchment.

Fudge opened it and nodded shortly at Umbridge. She smiled at him and the smile let the blood in Julius veins turn to ice.

Julius had observed her closely for the last minutes and his instinct told him the woman was dangerous. He had no idea what kind of role she played in Cornelius life, but according to the way looked, it could only be disastrous. He waited until she had gone before he started talking again: "I have the feeling we need to talk, Cornelius."

"Are you sure about this?" Minerva asked the younger man in front of her and noticed how freakish her voice sounded, but she didn't know how to control herself. She was in shock.

"Absolutely, Professor," Kingsley answered. "We have a reliable source in the editorial department of the Daily Prophet. Rita Skeeter is preparing something big and rumour has it, it involves you and Dumbledore. Apparently a lot of money and influence is involved."

"Does the Minister know?" She asked clearly worried.

Kingsley nodded: "He does know, but since he isn't particularly happy with the way the Order operates he welcomes the possibility to discredit Dumbledore."

"Is there nothing you can do to stop her?"

"Nothing legal, at least. I don't know her sources and her material, but…" Kingsley stopped, biting his inner cheeks.

"Yes?" She encouraged him.

"Rumour has it, Umbridge and Skeeter used to meet frequently in the last few days."

"I see," Minerva swallowed. "You think Cornelius Fudge is behind this."

Kingsley shrugged. "Maybe."

"Thanks for the warning. I appreciate your concern. I'll tell Dumbledore as soon as he's back. If it's not too late then."

"Can you tell me why any healthy and intelligent man would even consider to have this… person around?" Julius asked and shook his head. "She's… awful and one can see in her eyes she's pure evil!"

"She's a reliable person and she's loyal to me," Cornelius defended himself weakly. "That's more than I can say about the other woman in my life. Look around: my wife has vanished from the face of the earth and Minerva… don't even remind me about her!"

"And why?" Julius asked with growing curiosity. "I remember a time when nothing and no one could keep you from drooling over her."

"That was before I knew what I know today."

"What do you know?"

"She lied to me… she made a fool out of me."

"And how?"

"She left me for another man and had the guts to tell me she wanted to be teacher… truth is she only became a teacher to be close to him…"

Uneasy with the conversation and himself Julius moved in his chair.

"Says who?"

"I have the evidence right here in my drawer… and she partly admitted it herself!" His voice was dripping with bitterness.

"You're still angry with her?" Julius asked surprised.

"She tried to use me…. She did everything she could to support Dumbledore. You have no idea how far she wanted to go to safe him." Fudge laughed. It was a small, insane laugh. "It's crazy, but I still wished I had realized earlier what is going on between them."

Julius looked at his brother, his forehead covered with deep wrinkles.

"Dumbledore and Minerva?"

"Yes, but it took me 20 years to notice anything… I remember I found them together the evening after James and Lily Potter's memorial service."

Julius bowed and stared on his shoes. He would never forget this day either. He had watched from afar how other friends of James and Lily had mourned them and had wished he had done more to save them.

"You found them?" Julius asked absent-mindedly.

"Yes, she lay in his arms, crying and telling him how much she needed him…" He scoffed disgusted. "Believe me that scene opened my eyes."

Julius rose from his chair and started pacing the room.

"Dumbledore and Minerva…" he repeated several times and then he laughed. "You know I never thought about that."

In her office Minerva stared pensively into the chimney. The fire in there had died several minutes ago, leaving only huddle of still gluing ashes. Only that she didn't care the room became colder around her. Of course she didn't know what Rita Skeeter was about to write in the newspaper, but something deep down inside her told her, it would turn her world upside down. For 40 years she hadn't allowed herself to think about the past, but now it was inevitable. There was a box in her bedroom. It was hidden deep down in a trunk she hardly used. It contained memories of a time in her life she sought to forget. Memories so painful that the mere thought of touching this box caused her throat to tighten. Memories of a small new-born, she had decided to give up, because she couldn't give her the attention and the family she needed to become a happy grown-up person. Memories of a man she had loved against all odds.

If she went to her room to open it there would be no turning back. Once she faced her past, she had to accept her failures. And she had to pay for them.

Cornelius had fallen asleep in his armchair. He was snoring audibly, just like the man in portray above him had closed his eyes and slumbered peacefully. The intruder acted quickly. He detected the roll of parchment on the desk, took it and had escaped the room, before anyone could notice him.