Jack was dragged unceremoniously down to breakfast that monday morning, still half asleep. He sat next to Hermione, across from Harry and Ron, and leaned his head on his hand. He was steadily becoming more alert, but he still couldn't quite figure out why the others looked so anxious. Perhaps the letter from Ron's brother had been bad news. Before he could make a cautious inquiry, however, the mail arrived.
Hermione practically snatched the owl holding her copy of the prophet from the air, burying herself instantly in its pages. Her gasp of shocked outrage had all three boys leaning towards her, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever had upset her. She obligingly held up the paper, and they were greeted by the unpleasant sight of Dolores Umbridge, smiling and blinking her bulging eyes slowly. Jack's lip curled in distaste. He really hated that woman. Harry's face was stormy, green eyes dark with anger and suspicion.
"'High inquisitor'?" he asked. "What does that mean?" Hermione began to read in a hushed, urgent voice. As she read, Jack's stomach sank. Expressions of furious incredulity appeared on the other three faces. Ron's knuckles were white against the table, and Harry had accidentally crushed his toast. Hermione's eyes were bright, and Jack feared she was on the edge of hyperventilating. Wary of a scene, and the possibility he would freeze half the student body to their seats, Jack stuffed the last of his pancake into his mouth, got to his feet, and began hauling her away. Harry and Ron sprang up and followed.
Eventually, they found an empty classroom, Peeves the Poltergeist nowhere to be seen. Jack closed the door, and Hermione locked it, before chanting several complicated sounding spells to ensure their privacy. She stowed her wand and whorled around to face them.
"Well!" She snapped, almost vibrating with the force of her rage. "Now we know why Fudge insisted on Umbridge! Auditing other teachers? It's outrageous!" Jack nodded in agreement, cautiously edging away from the Gryffindor girl. Hermione wasn't one to lose her temper easily, the most level headed between the friends, but if she snapped she would almost certainly be the most dangerous.
"I know," Harry agreed glumly, presumably, like Jack, remembering the blood quills.
"How could Dumbledore let them do this?" Ron snarled.
"I don't think he had much choice," Jack replied, running a hand through his hair. Jack wasn't interested in politics, but he had been around for a long time. He had seen the rise and fall or regimes, seen revolutions succeed and fail, so he knew at least a bit about political maneuvering. Harry was visibly upset at the mention of the headmaster.
"Jack," he said softly.
"Yeah, Harry?"
"Do you think Dumbledore knows?" Jack didn't need to ask what he meant. The Horcrux. He deliberated momentarily.
"I… I don't know, Harry. He's a very powerful wizard and, I believe, Legilimence. It's unlikely he wouldn't know. On the other hand, he clearly cares for you a lot. I don't know why, if he knew, he wouldn't say." Harry's expression grew stomry.
"Dumbledore knows a lot that he doesn't feel the need to mention." Ron and Hermione winced.
"Harry," Hermione began, attempting to reason with her friend. She wilted slightly at the poisonous glare he sent her, but persisted. "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore is only doing what he thinks is right." Harry scowled, and Jack noticed the condition in her sentence: what he thinks is right, not what is right.
"Well that isn't going to matter much anymore, if Fudge is taking over Hogwarts." Jack shook his head.
"Fudge can't take over Hogwarts, yet, at least, the wizarding world would riot."
"Yet!" Ron exclaimed. Jack nodded.
"It doesn't matter how powerful a man is, his reputation still matters. As of now, Albus Dumbledore is a hero to most of wizarding Britain, but have you noticed? Harry's not the only one the Prophet has been nasty to." Hermione nodded grimly.
"They're trying to take Professor Dumbledore down, too. But if they do that, then Hogwarts is defenceless! Everyone knows he's the only one You-Know-Who is frightened of."
"Yeah, but that won't matter if Fudge won't admit he's back," Ron pointed out. Jack was a bit surprised; he forgot, sometimes, just how good a strategist Ron was.
"Exactly," he agreed, frowning. Jack wasn't particularly happy with the Headmaster himself, at the moment, but there was no denying he was a very powerful wizard. Hermione was right; without Proffesor Dumbledore, Hogwarts may well be in serious trouble. There had to be a way to get rid of Umbridge, and do something about her meddling.
"Even with Dumbledore, everyone is still in danger. He may be powerful, but he's just one man," Jack mused. Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a look, although there was something in Hermione's face that the others hadn't caught yet. She had realised something, and whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"That's why they appointed that foul woman as defense professor first, instead of naming her 'high inquisitor' immediately," she fumed. "She's not teaching us anything, we can't defend ourselves!"
"Or," Jack said, a horrible though dawning on him. "Fight back." He laughed, but it was not a happy sound. "Fudge is scared of Dumbledore!" Hermione seemed to get it, but both Harry and Ron looked confused. "Think about it," Jack explained. "Every oppressive regime afraid of being overthrown controls what?" Blank looks.
"Information," Hermione answered. Jack snapped his fingers and pointed to her.
"Exactly! Information is dangerous, and Hogwarts is the biggest source of information for entire generations of witches and wizards. Schools are the breeding grounds of revolution! And Fudge is terrified."
"So he's leaving us all helpless!" Harry cried, livid. Hermione nodded.
"Apparently. We have to do something."
"But what?" Ron asked gloomily. "She's a ministry official, none of the faculty can touch her."
"No, Dumbledore can't touch her. We, on the other hand, very much can." It was Ron, this time, that seemed to catch on quickest.
"A war of attrition. We make her time here hell." Jack nodded eagerly. Hermione's eyes widened, and she looked tempted to protest, but one thought of her precious library had her closing her mouth. Books were information, too, and if Fudge was messing with education, literature wouldn't be far behind. He already had journalism in his pocket, he couldn't have libraries, too. Harry frowned.
"She can still punish us."
"Yeah, but only if we get caught. But you have to be careful especially, Harry. You can't get into any trouble, or she'll make your life hell." Harry growled.
"Because I'm the figurehead for this whole thing."
"Yeah." Harry began to pace, tugging at his hair in a way that made it even more wild than usual.
"I wish-" He stopped, mumbling under his breath.
"Everyone does," Jack replied, understanding the sentiment even though the boy failed to fully articulate it. "'May you always live in interesting times'," he quoted.
"A Chinese curse," Hermione said. Jack nodded.
"S' a good one." He cracked a wry smile. "Ever read The Hobbit?" He had, several years ago, before the Guardians and the kids at Burgess. Being invisible left you with a lot of time to kill. Hermione shook her head. "Give it a go this summer, if you get the chance," he advised. She nodded.
"Right," Ron interrupted, confused by the discussion of muggle literature and proverbs. "So we mess with Umbridge, but that doesn't change the fact that Fudge is controlling our class." Ron Weasley, perhaps, didn't understand the impact and importance that education had on society, but he did know that the ministry interfering at Hogwarts spelled bad news.
"Well," Hermione said briskly, back in her element with something to plan. "We'll have to teach ourselves, then, won't we."
"Yeah, that's fine for us, but what about everyone else? We can't just ingore them, they're in danger, too," Harry pointed out angrily.
"Obviously. I didn't mean just the three of us, Harry, I meant everyone."
"How are we supposed to do that!" Cried Ron incredulously. Even Jack was impressed by the sheer gall of the idea.
"Harry will teach us."
"I will?" Jack grinned.
"Hermione, you are brilliant." Hermione flushed at the praise, smiling proudly.
"Uh, hold on. I haven't agreed to this," Harry protested.
"Oh, but Harry, you're our best option! Defense is your best subject and everyone respects you."
"Everyone thinks I'm a nutter, or haven't you been reading the Prophet?" Harry muttered sourly. Hermione sniffed.
"You would be surprised, I think, Harry."
"Yeah, mate," Ron chipped in. "Remember what Neville said?"
"Besides," Hermione persisted. "You're the only one who's ever actually faced You-Know-Who."
"Yeah, and I got Cedric killed." Silence. Jack winced, and Hermione looked as though she's been slapped across the face.
"W-well, Harry, that wasn't your fault." Harry glared darkly at the window.
"How would you know? You weren't there." Harry hadn't told his friends the full story, then.
"That's true, but we know you, Harry. If you could have saved Cedric, you would have." That didn't seem to make Harry feel better. His expression just darkened.
"But that's the thing, Hermione. I should have saved him. If i had been faster or smarter-"
"Or a million other things, Harry," Jack interrupted gently. "Playing the what if game will only drive you mad. You didn't save Cedric, and that's terrible, but it's not your fault and it shouldn't have been your responsibility." Jack held up a hand as Harry tried to protest. "I know the wizarding world has some kind of savior complex about you, Harry, but you're only human. You can't do everything. More than that, yo- we're all just kids. It's the adult's job to protect us, and I know you hate to hear that, and I don't mean to imply that you can't defend yourself and don't deserve to know what's going on, but stopping Voldemort shouldn't be your responsibility." Hermione had paled at the name, and Ron jerked violently, but Harry didn't flinch. He looked mildly surprised, and Jack would take that as an improvement.
"You said his name."
"Yeah, I did," Jack agreed. "Because you're just a person, Harry, but so is he. And people can be stopped. But not by a bunch of ill prepared school children. They need to learn, Harry, and I think Hermione's right. You're the best person for the job." The room lapsed into ponderous silence. After several moment, Harry spoke.
"I'll think about it," he relented. "Now we need to go, or we'll be late to potions." Ron groaned miserably.
"Bloody hell, I forgot about potions." Hermione rolled her eyes and sniffed disapprovingly.
"Honestly, Ronald," she sighed, and Harry gave a very small grin.