Chapter 21 New Management
Jack's prediction was proven correct as the very next day huge signs went up all over Hogwarts.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
And at the Monday breakfast feast Umbridge sat in the headmaster's chair lording over everything like a correct ruler.
"I hate her." said Hermione as she, Harry, Jack and Ron walked back from Herbology the Monday after Dumbledore's escape from Hogwarts. "She is a power-crazy old….."
"I wouldn't finish that if I were you granger." Said a voice from behind them as the four of them turned around to see Malfoy standing there with a grin on his face. "I will have to dock a few points from you for that."
"You don't have the power." said Ron
"Watch me." said Malfoy "I am a member of the Inquisitorial Squad."
"What?" asked Harry
"A group of students who throw our support behind our new leader and the Ministry of Magic, we can dock points." Said Malfoy with a grin "Now Granger that is five points for being rude, fire points Weasley for contradicting me, actual your shirt is undone do so another five to that. Five for Potter because I don't like you. Five from the American for being an American…finally add another five for Granger for being a Mudblood."
Ron quickly pulled his wand only to be forced back by Hermione.
"Don't." said Hermione
"Wise move." said Malfoy as he walked away laughing.
"I want to hurt that guy." whispered Ron as the four of them turned around to see 30 points fall from the hourglass marking the points for each house.
"So Umbridge has her own SS now." said Jack as he noticed the markings on Malfoy's school uniform.
"He should be docked points for calling you that." snapped Ron
"This is kind of weird but what does Mudblood means?" asked Jack as the three of them spun around and looked at him. "I heard it around but I have no idea what it means."
"You don't know what that means?" asked Harry
"How could you not know that?" asked Ron
"If you think about it, it makes sense." said Hermione "American Wizards don't tend to care about blood as much as European Wizards. From what I read they don't even ask if someone is pure blood, half blood or muggle born, they simply don't care."
"Ok what does that mean?" asked Jack
"Mudblood is a term some wizards use to insult Muggle born wizards." explained Hermione "Basically he is saying I am lower then dirt and I don't deserve to be a witch. Basically it is the N word for you."
"What?" asked Jack as his blood began to boil.
"The N word?" asked Ron
"Not now." Said Harry as Flinch walked up to the group.
"The head mistress wants you and the American in her office." said Flinch
"And we should care why?" asked Jack "And I do have a name, not the American."
"Just come along." ordered Flinch as he lead the two boys to the same office in which they had suffered detention together.
"Ah, Mr. Potter…Mr. O'Neill so glad you could join us." said Umbridge as she sipped Tea. The only real difference in the room was the name plate which showed her new title.
"We didn't have much of a choice." Said Jack as the two of them sat down in the chairs across from Umbridge.
"Now please have a drink, tea, water, pumpkin juice or even butter beer." said Umbridge with a sick smile on her face.
"Lady you must think we are idiots." said Jack as he crossed his arms "We wouldn't take anything from you."
"And why not?" asked Umbridge
"There is an old saying Know your enemy." said Jack "I would bet everything I have you have put some truth serum in anything we take from you. You are trying to find out information."
"Do you believe me to be your enemy?" asked Umbridge
"No." said Jack as Umbridge smiled "I know you are so cut to the chase."
"Very well Mr. O'Neill we will cut to the chase." stated Umbridge "It seems I can't find your file."
"Could it be because you can't get into Dumbledore's office?" asked Jack "Because if you could get in there we would be sitting there right now."
"The seating arrangement doesn't matter." said Umbridge as her face began red with rage.
"But it does because like all tyrants you want to put on a show." said Jack "And the history of tyrants is never good for them."
"Are you calling me a Tyrant?" asked Umbridge
"Yes." said Jack
"Twenty five points from Gryffindor." Snapped Umbridge "Now you will tell me what I want to know…why did Dumbledore bring you to this school?"
"To build a bridge of friendship between American Wizard Schools and Hogwarts." answered Jack
"What is the real reason?" snapped Umbridge "There has to be a reason why you are friends with Potter and why you are so against my improvements to the school."
"Lady what you call improvements I see as the beginning of another 3rd Reich." Said Jack as Umbridge looked at him confused. "You need to learn more muggle history. "
"That is it pack your bags this instant you are heading back to America." said Umbridge
"I don't think so." Stated Jack "How do you think your boss would react if you sent me home and everything you did here gets reported in the American Newspapers. It would cause a huge international instant. Maybe an investigation by the International Wizardering council….how would your bose like that?"
"Are you threatening me?" asked Umbridge
"Yes, because Professor Umbridge you don't know who I know, you don't know why I was picked to come, who I know in America and their positions of power." said Jack with a smile as Umbridge looked at him stone face with just a hint of fear "However I will give you a hint, I know the President of the United States personally."
Umbridge's eyes widened at that little fact. "So Umbridge do you think you guns are big enough to go after me?" asked Jack. "So that leaves us with just one question do you fell luckily Umbridge…well do you?"
"Fine, you may stay." growled Umbridge "Now Potter where is Albus Dumbledore?"
"No idea." Answered Harry
"What of the criminal Sirius Black?" asked Umbridge
"No idea." repeated Harry
"Fine back to lunch with you two." snapped Umbridge as the two of them walked out of the room.
"Could you really report Umbridge?" asked Harry
"Probably not, however she doesn't know that." answered Jack "And like all Tyrants she wants to stay in power more than anything else, so I used it against her."
"She really went after you." Said Harry
"That is the point get her after me, not you." answered Jack as a load boom filled the air.
"What the?" asked Harry as Umbridge's door spun open as she ran down the stairs toward the source. What greeted her was huge amounts of fireworks that filled the air with noise.
"Impressed?" asked Fred as he and George smiled as Umbridge tried desperately to make it disappear however every spell she tried only made the fireworks multiple and spread even wider.
"Nice." said Jack
"I hope she tries a vanishing charm next, the will multiply by 10." Said George "And they will get loader and faster."
"This is really going to mess up all the classes within the castle." Said Harry
"I don't think the teacher's will mind." Said Fred as he looked at the teachers standing by watching as Umbridge struggled to make a single on disappear.
"In fact I think they enjoy our work." said George as Professor Flitwich smile broadly as he watched Fred and George's handy work.
The entire day was filled with different Professors canceling class the moment something went wrong and calling on Umbridge to solve the problem. On top of that the Professors where looking for any reason to give Gryffindor points. When Neville passed a water bucket to Professor Sprout she award him and Gryffindor twenty points. For the entire week different Professors where trying to find different ways to drive Umbridge up the wall. One time when fireworks went off in Flitwich's class he waited until Umbridge showed up to ask if he can get rid of it.
That Friday night the entire Gryffindor common room was celebrating Fred and George, everyone seemed to have forgot about homework. Maybe it because it was Friday or the fact that Easter break started next Wednesday but everyone was celebrating.
"Looks like people really like what Fred and George are doing." said Jack as he and Hermione sat by the portrait hole.
"I may hate their methods most of time but I can't deny it that they are good." Said Hermione as the crowed got bigger as first years returned from an evening of Astronomy.
"Jack you want to go for a walk?" asked Hermione as Jack's heart stopped for a moment.
"Alright." said Jack as he and Hermione walked out the door and into the castle. For a moment the two of them just walked though the staircases of Hogwarts until the left the castle and entered the common ground. The sun hadn't totally set yet as it's last rays of lights poked it's way though the mountains. The full moon was already up as well as the stars. It didn't seam like either of them had a plan but soon the two of them found themselves walking down the foot path that lead around the lake.
"So the Owls are coming up soon." said Jack
"Ya." said Hermione
"Are you worried?" asked Jack
"Jack I don't really want to talk about school that much." answered Hermione as the two of them kept walking around the lake in the moon light. Finally when they were at the fare point away from the castle, the two of them stopped to look back. The sun light had disappeared replaced by moon and star light. The entire castle glowed from the thousands of fires that filled it's windows which reflected off the lake.
"This is the spot where I first saw Hogwarts." said Hermione "I was 11 years old and I had no idea what was ahead of me."
"I had no idea what was ahead of me when I came to Hogwarts." said Jack as Hermione looked at him.
"You're lying." said Hermione as Jack raised an eyebrow
"No I am not." said Jack
"Yes, you are." stated Hermione "You crunch your nose slightly when you lie, so tell me the truth."
"Alright." said Jack "I did know, Dumbledore and the American Wizardering government gave me files about you all to read."
"So you knew about us from a book?" asked Hermione
"Just basic information." said Jack "What Harry did at School and how you and Ron helped him."
"So Dumbledore wanted you to be with Harry?" asked Hermione "It is strange that of all the American Wizards who could have come to our school, one with combat training shows up."
"I was picked to help guard Harry." Said Jack "However I am still your friend."
"How can we believe you?" asked Hermione
"Because I am not lying Hermione, I am yours, Harry and Ron friend." said Jack "This is more than some guarding mission; your fight has become mine."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Hermione as she turned her back to Jack.
"Because you know how Ron and Harry would react to that little bit of news." said Jack "That is why you are talking to me like this."
"That is one of the reasons." said Hermione
"Hermione, I am sorry that I betrayed your trust by not telling you everything." Said Jack as he placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder "However what I hid from you or everyone else is not always by choice."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Hermione
"That some secrets for the moment I can't tell you, maybe someday soon I can tell you but not now." said Jack
"You are not Gay are you?" asked Hermione as Jack's eyes widened.
"No." said Jack as Hermione placed her hand on Jack's hand.
"Good." said Hermione with a smile.
The following Monday while Harry was busy with Snape's Occlumency class, Ron was out at Quidditch Practice and Hermione was in the library. This left Jack time to read reports coming out of the SGC on his bed. Anyone who walked into the bed room would know instantly that this was his bed because the American Flag Hammond had gotten him now hung above the headboard.
"Alright the Replicators are back? If only we could get rid of those little buggers." Thought Jack as suddenly Harry came storming up the staircase.
"Something wrong?" asked Jack
"No…Snape says I can practice on my own." Snapped Harry
"If Snape said that then I am the King of England." Said Jack as Harry glared at him. "Because just this morning when I woke up you where talking about the Department of Mysteries."
"Fine, I saw into Snape's mind and he didn't like it so he kicked me out." Snapped Harry
"So what are you going to do?" asked Jack "You need to learn this stuff."
"I will do it myself." snapped Harry "And don't you dare tell Ron or Hermione."
"I won't." said Jack as he stood up to leave "However this is something you should tell them."
"And you should have told us what you told Hermione out at the Lake." Said Harry
"Invisibility cloak?" asked Jack
"Yes, and just because you where sent by Dumbledore mean nothing to me, Ron or Hermione." said Harry "You have proven yourself to be our friend, now be a friend and keep this secret."
"Alright." said Jack as he walked down the staircase.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and the little scene I had between Hermione and Jack. Now until next time please keep reading. Thanks Wilkins75