The bridal shower attack
Hermione pulled Lavender aside to see if she and Seamus needed any help with wedding plans. Lavender shocked her by saying she and Seamus were already married. They were planning an official trip to the Ministry, to record it, but they had shared a simple hand fasting ceremony while they were away during full moon week.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. We couldn't wait to get back. We're already expecting. Moma Mary says it looks like we might have a boy, from the way I'm carrying. I'm so excited but I'm scared, too!" Lavender looked like she might start crying.
"Oh, Lavender! Don't cry, you're not alone. I'll be there, Vicky will and Angelina will be there as well. We're all expecting." Hermione hugged Lavender, reassuring her. It was starting to look like there was going to be a bumper crop of babies right from the first year of this stupid marriage law. Lavender hugged her back. Knowing she wasn't the only expectant mother was a huge relief to her.
"How far along are you, Hermione?" she asked.
"As close as I can figure, I'm about four to five months along." Hermione replied. "Victoria and Angelina have both just recently found out they were expecting."
"I just found out when we were away. Mary is a midwife and she was the one who brought my attention to it." Lavender revealed.
Hermione hugged her again. "I'm so happy for you and Seamus! We need to have a baby shower for you! They got some of the most adorable little outfits for me, I'll have to show them to you. Are you far enough along for an ultrasound yet?"
Lavender giggled. "I'm not sure but I can't wait to see our baby! Seamus is more scared than I am. He said he knows I'll bear the worst part of it, carrying the baby, having the baby and he says he doesn't care how many fines we have to pay for not having more children. After this baby, he's not going to put me through another pregnancy." She looked down and rubbed her belly. "He wasn't really happy about this one, just because he knows how rough a pregnancy can be. He doesn't like even the idea of me having to be in any kind of pain, at all!"
Hermione smiled. 'That sounded like kind hearted Seamus, all right!' "How did it go, with the rest of the wolf pack?"
"Everyone was so kind and welcoming, Hermione! They weren't at all like they've been portrayed in the media!" Lavender exclaimed.
It was Friday morning and Hermione was, as usual, the first one up or so she'd thought, until she'd spotted Lavender. Tonight would be her bridal shower and then, in two more days, her wedding day. She was starting to get serious butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe she was finally this close to being married.
Victoria was the next one down. She hugged Lavender as well. Knowing the girl considered Greyback as her father, that made her sister to Alex and Mikey. Hermione told her they had one more mother to add to their ranks. Vicky squealed happily. Just then Angelina showed up. They quickly shared the good news with her. She reached across the table and hugged Lavender after congratulating her. They sat down and waited for the other future brides to show up.
"Lavender, will you be one of my bridesmaids? I meant to ask before you left and it slipped my mind. My mother wants to meet you and Seamus as well as Mikey and Alex at the reception. I've told her so much about all of you, she can't wait to meet everyone!" Lavender happily accepted the invitation.
"Don't look now but Umbridge looks like she's just bitten into something sour. She's staring right at all of us." Victoria reported. Hermione chewed her lower lip.
"I hope she isn't planning on giving any of us detention. That would be awful, missing my own bridal shower because I have detention!" Hermione softly exclaimed.
The boys walked in and made their way to the table. They leaned in to whisper. "When you get to Umbridge's room, don't sit near the front."
"OH, no! Mikey, what did you DO?" Hermione yelped softly as Mikey pulled her closer.
"Shhh, nothing you need to worry about. Room of Requirement later?" he smiled wickedly. She laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Is this something that's going to land you up in detention?" he kissed her and declined to answer.
As the rest of the couples trickled in, she tried questioning Alex, Marcus and finally Seamus who had walked in with them. None of them would give so much as a hint away. When breakfast was over, Mikey held her back a moment.
"So,, Sunday, yeah? Big day." She could feel his hands shaking slightly. She thought it was so cute that he was nervous and trying so hard not to show it. She leaned into him. "Yeah, Sunday. I'm so nervous I've had butterflies ever since mum contacted me the other day. I had no idea she would want to have it in Hogsmeade. I honestly didn't realize there even was a place to do it there."
Mikey laughed. "Well, there is, so get used to the idea. Hey, I just thought. After Sunday, no more need for the Room of Requirements if we want to be alone. Plenty of places in the Head Girls suite to be put to use."
Hermione turned red but smiled at the idea. They got up and headed down to Umbridge's classroom. As they came in the door, they saw everybody staring straight at Umbridge. She looked at the toad shaped woman and couldn't see any difference. There wasn't even any inkstains on her forehead. She'd finally managed to get all the green dye off of her, although they had it on good authority from Filch himself, that the kitten plates were still green and not happy about it!
"Alright, today we will be discussing where you will be living, some of you will be living with parents for a while, some of you will have homes of your own right away. First we will discuss the parental living arrangements."
"Yes, Professor Umbridge" the whole class answered as one. She stared at them, unnerved by the obedient, for once, answer. She continued her lecture. Every time she paused to make sure they were actually paying attention to her, she got the same reaction. "Yes, Professor Umbridge." She also noticed the class never seemed to blink or look away from her. For some reason, their complete attention and obedient answers were completely freaking her out. As the clock finally ran down and the bell rang, she breathed a huge, clearly visible sigh of relief. "Out, out! Five inches of parchment on the main lecture points today, go now! Out with you!"
As she crossed the space between her desk and the front row of desks, there was an explosion of smoke that completely engulfed her. The next visible sight of her led the entire class to burst out laughing. She was covered in soot front her head to her feet. She began shaking violently. "DETENTION! ALL OF YOU! DETENTION! MONDAY NIGHT, EIGHT PM ON THE DOT! YOU HORRID LITTLE BEASTS!"
The class rushed out, cackling with laughter. They ran up to the Defense hallway before they all began falling down, laughing. Professor Snape opened the door, took one look at them and rolled his eyes. "Miss Granger, Miss Samms. Please enlighten me as to the latest prank on Umbridge," he said, suppressing a smile.
"First we freaked her out, all through class, by never taking our eyes off her and only answering 'Yes, Professor Umbridge.' Then she walked into a smoke bomb and it completely covered her in soot. Now we all have detention Monday night!" Hermione responded, giggling madly. Professor Snape rubbed his eyes as he shook his head. 'Oh, these students were gunning for suspension or expulsion!'
After Defense, they headed down to lunch. In another few hours, it would be time for her bridal shower and she was getting more and more jittery. She almost felt like faking being sick to get out of it but she had a feeling that would only move the location of it from the Great Hall to the Head Girl's room.
Back in the dungeons, Dolores Umbridge had gotten as much of the soot off as she could. She stormed over to her fireplace, threw in some Floo powder and yelled for Albert Runcorn. Once he answered, she began yelling. Unbeknown to her, Filch had been sent to clean up the mess in the classroom. He honestly didn't intend to eavesdrop, until he heard Hermione's name mentioned. Then he inched closer and listened closely.
"I can't tolerate these little hellions anymore. Please tell me some good news from your end! How close are we to having a new Dark Lord?" she demanded.
"Not nearly as close as we need to be, Dolores. These things take time and proof, only one of which we have to spare right now. People want hard proof before they get brave enough to support another Dark Lord! I have yet to find a single bit of documentation stating the boy was named his heir." He sighed with irritation.
"Well, you need to hurry because I don't know how much longer I can stand it before I start killing these little monsters! How they've lived this long without their parents killing them, I haven't a clue!" she snapped.
"I swear, Albert! How long does it take to find a slip of paper and build an army of followers?!" she seethed.
"I have looked everywhere, Dolores, EVERYWHERE! I'm telling you, there's no documents anywhere showing he was named by the Dark Lord!" Runcorn growled.
"Well, we both know he was, we just have to find someone else to support the claim, then." She stated.
"I was there, in the boy's camp, the day he was named. The only other person near them was Lucius Malfoy and he is the boy's uncle. He was too happy to be rid of the first Dark Lord to help us promote a second one, especially seeing as the second one would be that same nephew." Runcorn explained.
"Well, then. We'll just have to give the boy a reason to cooperate with us. There is a bridal shower happening tonight. He will be out of the castle, at a party thrown by his friends. Send me five of your best fighters. Have them meet me at the Hogwarts gate. I'll let them in and they can grab the girl. Once we have her in custody and secreted away, we'll have control of him. He'll do anything to insure her safety. I'm sure he'll be willing to part with that all important memory to see his little mudblood back safe and sound." She sneered.
Filch gasped and jerked away from the door. 'He had to find Miss Granger and warn her!' He hurried to the door but before he could leave, "Petrificus Totalus! Well, what have we here? A spy, are we, Argus? No wonder you've been so uncooperative this year. Shame on you, taking up for those little beasts over me. I'm afraid I can't let you leave, now. You might tell all to Miss Granger. Can't have you upsetting the apple cart now." She floated him back into her room and tied him to a chair. Mrs. Norris hissed angrily at her, swiping at her with a paw. "That's enough out of you, too, you little beast!" with those words, she reared back and kicked Mrs. Norris into the far wall. Filch, still frozen, could only watch and pray as his beloved cat lay, unmoving, across the room.
She walked out and headed out of the castle. Once she was in the courtyard, she walked down to the gate and opened it. Five hooded figures came out of the wooded area closest to the gate. They crossed into the castle grounds and followed her back to the castle. Clearly, Umbridge was taking advantage of the fact that classes were still in session with no students roaming the halls. She led the hooded men down to her classroom and locked the door behind them. Now, to wait for both parties to start.
Unaware of the danger now lurking below them, the students finished their last classes and dispersed. The older students began preparing for the bridal shower or bachelor party. The younger students went to the library to study or research homework or projects. Others went outside to enjoy the weather. Yet others went straight on to their common rooms. It was rapidly becoming customary for the seventh and eighth year students to congregate in the Head Girl and Boy rooms.
The boys dressed in their finest and went down the hall to tell the girls good night since it would, no doubt, be the early hours of the morning before they came staggering in. The girls laughed as they hugged and kissed them, then sent them on their way.
The boys clattered down the stairs and streamed out the door, down the path, on their way to Hogsmeade. The girls came down and headed into the Great Hall. The younger students were all heading either upstairs or downstairs to their common rooms. As it grew quieter in the hallway, the Family Planning door opened. Dolores Umbridge stuck her head out and looked both ways. She motioned behind her and the five hooded men came out. She led the way up to the Main Entrance and pointed at the doors to the Great Hall. She whispered their instructions and made them wait in the shadows another thirty minutes. Then she headed down to her classroom to await their return.
In Umbridge's private quarters, Filch was trying his best to get free from the chair. He was quietly sobbing as he looked over, ever so often, at Mrs. Norris, who still hadn't moved. He was sure his beloved cat was dead and he couldn't bear the thought of her dying in pain. As he finally felt a little bit of give in the spell that held him to the seat, he looked over again. To his stunned surprise, Mrs. Norris was gone! He closed his eyes and hoped, if she was able to move around, that she might be able to get someone to follow her down here.
Just then, Umbridge walked back in. "Good evening, Argus. I'm sorry about holding you here but I can't let you go, you see? You'd ruin all my plans. I can't have you running to Minerva or Miss Granger and blabbing everything you heard earlier, no, that just wouldn't do. Don't worry. You'll soon have some company." She giggled and walked back into her classroom. Filch slumped in the chair. He felt like he'd failed the school and, most importantly, he'd failed Miss Granger. After she'd been trying to help him, too! Right now, he could only wait and see if Mrs. Norris succeeded in finding help. He was glad Dolores hadn't noticed the cat was no longer there.
Umbridge sat down behind her desk as she waited for the men to return with Miss Granger. 'She couldn't wait to oust that meddling Kingsley Shackebolt and assume her rightful position as Minister of Magic. That bratty, little Snatcher WOULD give them the memory they needed or she'd personally kill the mudblood and her unborn brat. That would teach him not to cross her!'
The girls had all began piling presents in front of Hermione and Victoria. When the doors opened once again, they didn't look around, assuming it was either another invitee or a teacher, checking on the participants. It proved to be a huge mistake.
"Hermione Granger, come with us and none of your friends will be hurt." A raspy voice said. Hermione jerked around in shock. Five men stood there. They were dressed in black, hooded and masked. Some of the other girls were gasping in fear.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Hermione aimed her wand at them. They all laughed.
"Who does it look like we are, mudblood? There is a new Dark Lord and we have begun to rise, once again." He sneered.
Hermione was trembling but determined to protect her friends. Victoria stood beside her, wand out also. "You need to leave, NOW." Victoria stated.
"We will leave but not without Miss Granger, muddy. You don't listen very well, do you? Is that a stupid Gryffindor trait or just pure stupidity on your on part?" he snapped, angry that he was being ignored by the little bints.
"We aren't going anywhere with you! In case you didn't notice, we are in the middle of the school and you need to leave!" Vicky sassed him.
The men pulled their wands and aimed them, only just noticing the rest of the girls now had THEIR wands out. The leader cursed. This wasn't going as planned, not at all! They were just SUPPOSED to grab mudblood Granger and get back to their boss, not fight a bunch of schoolgirls! This was quickly turning into a disaster!
Hermione moved forward. "Why only me? What is it about me that you only require ME?" she asked curiously.
"You are the key, muddy, the key to our return to greatness! You control him, he controls us, the world is happy, do you not see? All we need is for you to come with us. We will not hurt you, or your friends, simply come with us!" he tried to persuade her.
"Oh, I'm sure! I'm not going anywhere! TURN. AROUND. AND. LEAVE. NOW!" she gritted angrily. He growled and fling disarming curse her way. She threw a shield and it deflected the curse. Now all of his men were throwing curses at the girls. All the girls ducked behind the tables and flung their own curses. Hermione and Victoria unconsciously copied Mikey and Alex, standing back to back as they battled the men. They were so engrossed in the fight, they neither saw nor felt their rings grow warm and light up.
Down in Hogsmeade, the boys were doing shots as they celebrated the final two nights the Snatchers would be single. Between Mikey and Alex, they had already went through two bottles of Ogden's Best. Both boys were getting rowdy, a sure sign they were almost smashed. Halfway through the third bottle, the rings on their hands warmed up and glowed.
"Mikey!" Alex straightened, staring at his hand.
"Something's going on!" Mikey snapped.
The other boys huddled around them. Each boy had four hands attached to their arms. They activated their rings and popped out of sight. The girls and the hooded men were both startled when the ten boys popped into sight and joined the fight. The leader of the men cursed again. 'Damn it, they weren't SUPPOSED to fight HIM! Why did he have to show up?! How had he even known to show up?!' There was no hope for it, he had to get his men out of here with being captured, she had strongly stressed what would happen if they were captured!
He braced himself, then threw a Crucio at the young Snatcher leader. Mikey screamed and went down, arching his back and twisting in agony! Then the leader used a Flipendo curse to throw him onto a table full of presents. Then he Crucioed him again. Mike was in such pain, he had actually dropped his wand. As the man let up for just a second, he took advantage of the lull. He snatched up a cast iron skillet and yelled angrily, "I HATE BEING CRUCIOED!" as he slung the skillet as hard as he could. The five men all watched, amazed, as the skillet flew through the air and bounced soundly right off of their leader's head. He went down, ears ringing and seeing stars. The fight was over in another few minutes. The five men were knocked out and tied up.
"Hermione!" Miley rolled unsteadily off the table as she ran to him. They hugged tightly, as if they were never going to let each other go. All the other boys went to their girls to check them over and make sure they weren't injured in any way.
"Oi, Mikey! Nice work with that skillet, man!" Marcus yelled. He wouldn't soon forget that perfect toss.
"Granger, mark down in your notes, skillets all around. We'll have a skillet throwing contest in a year or two." Miley grinned mischievously as everyone teased him about his 'hidden' skillet tossing skills.