AN: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. I am simply borrowing it for a fic. Enjoy!
I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has read and been with this story so far. Thank you for reviewing, thank you for following and thank you for favouriting!
Chapter 28
Hermione left the offices in a hurry and made her way to the ministry. Upon arrival she asked for the auror offices and was given a pass to go down. 1:25 she was just on time. Slowing down she entered the elevator and pressed the button before anyone else could. She took her place at the back as four ministry officials entered with her. The doors shut and the elevator lurched back. Hermione dropped the packages she was holding and grabbed onto the handles above her. She tried not to bump into the other people as the lift shot downwards. "Auror offices." Said a robotic female voice as the doors opened. Hermione quickly picked up her packages and left. She didn't want to be stuck in the elevator for longer than necessary. How Harry and Ron used it everyday was beyond her.
As she walked into the offices, she saw people already clearing their desks to get to lunch early. Harry and Ron were writing with quills and to anyone else would have looked like they were fiercely concentrating. But Hermione saw Ron's lips tighten to suppress a laugh and the way Harry's cheek was sucked in slightly like he was biting the inside of it. Harry's eyes flicked up and locked on Hermione. He stood up with his parchment and went over to Ron's desk. Ron looked up to find her as Harry returned to his desk. The clock struck 1:30 as she reached Harry's desk. "Hermione!" He said, sounding surprised. Ron's head snapped up as if he was surprised and Harry waved him over as the other workers left the floor. As soon as the last people left Harry and Ron ran over to a door at the back. Hermione rushed to keep up with them.
"This is where they keep the files. Me and Harry kept a watch on everyone that went in or out and no one took Umbridge's files." Said Ron.
"Imagine what'd happen if someone moved them!" Harry said, laughing. They entered a room with filing cabinets from floor to ceiling. They covered every wall. How were they going to find Umbridge's? Harry seemed to know where to go, as he walked confidently to one and opened a drawer. Pulling out a thick folder, he smiled broadly. "This is the one."
"We're staying in here, so we can put it away quickly in case someone comes back early." Ron informed her. She took out her wand and conjured three cushions for them to sit on. They sat down and opened the file.
Name: Dolores Umbridge
Currently: Azkaban
A red sticker had been put underneath saying:
To be moved to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Convicted of: Crimes against students. Using illegal methods of punishment.
The next few pages contained evidence and newspaper clippings. After them was a report on her behaviour in Azkaban:
Dolores Umbridge: Mostly silent and doesn't communicate with other prisoners. No problems found from medical reports but she occasionally laughs to herself or 'hem hem's when there isn't anybody there. We've also heard snatches of phrases from when she talks to herself such as, "Three", "Ministry", "Hogwarts" and "Minister". We presume that these are snatches from her remembering her past. Her high position in the ministry and her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
After that came details of her move to Hogwarts, which involved worryingly little security measures. The next page showed her schedule:
To be living in the second floor rooms.
Most of the teacher's rooms were there.
To join Hogsmeade weekends if there is one month of good behaviour.
(Must be supervised for the first 4 times).
Mondays: Help in kitchens. (Supervised)
Tuesdays: Help in Transfiguration lessons. (Supervised)
Wednesdays: Help in Potions lessons. (Supervised)
Thursdays: Help in Charms lessons. (Supervised)
Fridays: Help in Defence against the Dark Arts. (Supervised)
"She's helping in potions lessons?" Harry said frowning.
"What are you supposed to do then?" Asked Ron.
"I don't know."
"You need to tell Professor Mconagall about this. She'll sort you something out." Harry said.
"And tell her what? That I went through confidential files at the ministry?" She said exasperated.
"We've done loads of things. She might be angry at first but the bottom line is your safety. She'll do something." Harry reassured her. They were about to turn the page when they heard the sound of footsteps. Harry checked the time, "Lunch hasn't finished yet." He hissed. They shoved everything back into the cabinet and Hermione disillusioned them. They shuffled into a corner of the room as the door was opened and someone came in whistling. It was Arthur Weasley. He opened the drawer they had just been rifling through and pulled out a thick folder. Hermione groaned inwardly. This had to happen now, didn't it? He quickly flicked through it and left, taking the folder with him. As soon as he left Hermione removed the charm. "We'll go out for lunch. We still have time. And we need to figure this out." Said Harry.
"Where do you want to go?" Ron asked.
Harry grinned, "How about Hogwarts? We could eat in your room 'Mione." She liked the sound of that.
"Let's go."
They were now in Hermione's room. Hermione had gone to the kitchens to ask the house elves for food and they'd all eaten. Now they were trying to make sense out of the new information they'd found. It wasn't easy. "Well, we know that 'Mione's going to have to take Wednesdays off." Stated Ron.
"I don't want to take the day off though. Maybe they could change Umbridge's schedule?"
"Maybe, but there's only two days of the holidays left. That's not a lot of notice." Said Harry, "I'm trying to figure out what she meant by, 'three', 'minister', 'ministry' and 'Hogwarts'."
"I wouldn't be surprised if 'three' was us." Ron said, snorting.
"She was probably thinking about her move to Hogwarts when she said Hogwarts." Hermione offered.
"And she was probably thinking of Cornelius Fudge when she said minister." Said Harry, fluttering his lashes dramatically. They all laughed and all thoughts of Umbridge were lost as they had fun.
I remember seeing the Order of the Phoenix and reading it for the first time and I thought that Umbridge fancied Fudge XD
