Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Main Prompt: The Rebel- Goal: revolution OR Fear: no power.
Other Prompts: 4. (dialogue) "You don't understand."/"No. But I want to." 9. (dialogue) "Go to sleep." 15. (character) Teddy Lupin
Word Count: 2, 108
Written for the QFLC Round 1 Season 8
Slight Trigger Warning for brief mentions of torture and mutilation
Mr. Lupin,
I am sorry to inform you that your NEWT scores were not of a high enough level for me to accept your job request.
-Head of Magical Transportation, Percy Weasley
Teddy Lupin threw the letter away in frustration, this was the fourth letter he had gotten from the Ministry denying his job applications due to 'low NEWT scores'. His NEWT sores had been some of the best in his year. He decided that he would confront Mr. Weasley in person. Teddy had met most of the Weasleys but not Percy. With a spin of his heel and a quick trip through the squeezing space of Apparition, Teddy landed in the extravagant Ministry of Magic.
People were all around him, pushing past to get on with their day. Taking a moment to orient himself, Teddy started walking towards the elevator. He held on and waited for it to reach the Department of Magical Transportation. He stepped off the elevator, his head held high. The front desk for the Department of Magical Transportation was empty. He stood at the desk for several minutes, waiting for someone to come see him. Eventually, a man appeared and tried to hurry past. Teddy stepped in front of the man, using his body to stop him in his path.
"Excuse me, sir, where is the receptionist?" Teddy asked politely.
"Sorry, I have to go. We're completely understaffed, the last guy Mr. Weasley hired only had an Acceptable on his NEWTS," The man said before stepping around Teddy and rushing away.
Teddy thought about the man's words, understaffed, the last guy had an A on his NEWTS. Teddy couldn't understand why his job application wasn't accepted. His thoughts drifted to his father, a man who he only knew from stories and photos. His father was a werewolf and they weren't allowed to work at the Ministry of Magic, because they were 'dangerous creatures', could that be why he couldn't get a job?
Teddy walked out of the doors to the Department he had entered only minutes ago, his mind whirring furiously as he waited for the elevator. He entered the elevator, keeping his head down. The two men already inside were talking and Teddy couldn't help but overhear.
"Most of the departments are understaffed, but that buffoon Umbridge keeps rejecting every job application we get, citing that they are unworthy."
"Most of them are, who knows how out of control these people are, the blood of a creature running through their veins." One of the men spat.
Teddy had to hide the shudder that went through him at the man's heartless words. He stepped out of the elevator quickly when it arrived at the main atrium, leaving the two chatting men behind. He quickly Apparated back to the apartment he shared with one of his schoolmates, James Potter II. Teddy stood in the hallway outside of his apartment, his mind processing all the things that he had learned about the Ministry in his short trip.
He knew that they were biased assholes but not to that extent. With a slightly shaking hand, Teddy unlocked the door, pushing it open and slumping into the tiny apartment.
"Hey, Ted," James said.
"Hey, James," Teddy responded automatically.
"How did your 'meeting' at the Ministry go?" James asked, raising his fingers to make air quotes.
"Not good, some lady named Umbridge, is against anybody who is a 'creature' working for the Ministry," Teddy responded, using air quotes of his own.
"Dolores Umbridge?" James asked, after racking his brain wondering why the name sounded so familiar.
"Maybe, I only heard Umbridge. Why?"
"Aunt Hermione was shouting at Dad," James said. "She said her name and how she should be in Azkaban. Maybe you should ask her?"
Teddy nodded, thinking of the best way to approach the subject with his aunt. He grabbed his jacket from the chair where he had thrown it upon entering the apartment before going back outside. Teddy almost ran down the stairs, still angry at what he had heard at the Ministry and desperately hoping Hermione would help him understand.
He was swept away in the crowded muggle street. Even in the throngs of people, he walked in peace, ignoring the various shoves and pushes from other pedestrians, trying to calm himself as he walked. It didn't take long to arrive at Hermione's apartment building. Teddy put a key in the door and unlocked it. He pushed the door open and climbed the stairs to the second level. He hesitated in front of her door before knocking. Hermione's eyes poked through the small crack in the door before she fully opened it.
"Teddy, what's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"Why do you think something's wrong?" He deflected.
"You never come here without first owling or calling. Now what's wrong?"
"Do you know who Dolores Umbridge is?" Hermione took in a sharp breath at Teddy's question. She quickly pulled him inside, locking the door after he was in. Hermione started to mutter and wave her wand around.
"Au-" Teddy started, but Hermione cut him off with a silent silencing spell. She kept muttering and pacing the room. Suddenly she stopped and Teddy could feel the magic swirling in the air around him.
"Aunt Hermione, what was that all about?"
"I'll show you, trust me it'll make a lot more sense this way." Hermione led him by the arm to a bookshelf, she pulled a book from the shelf and it swung open, revealing a room hidden behind it. She pushed Teddy into the room, following closely behind him. His eyes flew over the walls; they were covered in newspaper clippings. He stepped closer to one of them and skimmed through a few clippings.
Beast found dead in the woods,
A werewolf was found dead and mutilated in the woods.
Teddy forced himself to stop reading the horrifying words. His mind racing as he skimmed over the gruesome titles, no longer trying to read the articles themselves.
Muggle-born murdered in horrifying accident. Veela found tortured in an abandoned shack. Werewolf murdered. Goblin burned alive. Centaur mutilated.
It went on and on, all these terrible things happening to magical creatures.
"What is this?" Teddy asked a slight tremor in his voice.
"This is the truth of the world we live in, all these things were committed by one group of people," Hermione said, dedication evident in her tone.
"Umbridge," Teddy whispered.
Hermione nodded before speaking, "Did you know she taught at Hogwarts my fifth year?" Hermione continued without waiting for a response, "She made us use a Blood Quill in detentions. I might have gotten her abducted by centaurs, whom she hates." Teddy let out a sharp gasp at the mention of Blood Quills. They were highly illegal and their use prohibited.
"She did all these things?" Teddy clarified.
"Not just her, the Ministry. I'm guessing you didn't get accepted for your job applications?" Teddy nodded. "They want to cleanse the magical world. Anyone, not a pureblood or half-blood should be killed according to them, and the half-bloods are only spared to serve the purebloods."
"What can I do to help?" Teddy asked.
"Nothing, you can't be involved, it's too dangerous."
"Bu-"
"No buts, I'll deal with it."
"Be safe," Teddy said before leaving the apartment, his mind whirling.
Teddy walked back and forth unable to rid himself of his extra energy.
"Go to sleep," James shouted from his room. Teddy stopped pacing and sat down, his mind still spinning from what he had learned earlier that day.
The Ministry, the Ministry of Magic was doing all these terrible things. Killing werewolves, Veela's, Muggle-borns, Goblins. The people they were supposed to protect and keep safe. They were torturing and mutilating them.
Teddy shuddered at the dark images filling his mind. Images of terror and fear. He stood and began pacing back and forth again. He walked from one end to the other of the small room. James threw open his door in exasperation, before stalking out to the main room of their tiny apartment.
"What's wrong? Come on Teddy, I've known you for forever, just tell me," James begged his friend.
"No, You don't understand."
"No. But I want to."
"How many jobs did you apply for after Hogwarts?" Teddy asked.
"One," James replied hesitantly.
"And you were accepted, right?"
"Yes," James replied slowly.
"I applied four times and was rejected each time, you know why? Because my father was a werewolf!" Teddy shouted, taking his frustrations out on his friend who was innocent in the whole matter.
"Okay, what are we going to do about it?" James asked, unfazed by his friend's anger.
"We?"
"Yeah, you're my best friend, I'm not letting you do this by yourself, plus I've always had a thing against authority," James said, making Teddy laugh as he remembered their time at Hogwarts.
"Now go to sleep," James said pushing his friend in the direction of his bedroom, before padding back to his own.
"So how are we going to start this revolution?" James asked while eating some toast.
"Revolution?"
"What else are we going to call it, an uprising against the government? Although that does sound cool," James questioned.
"Ask Aunt Hermione," Teddy suggested.
"Okay, let's write her a letter. You write it, she always complains she can't read my handwriting."
"And I don't blame her, your handwriting is terrible."
Aunt Hermione,
Can we talk?
Teddy & James
Teddy gently tied the string to his owl's leg before releasing the bird to deliver the letter. He waited as the bird flew off into the sky, it's wings flapping as it got farther and farther away. It didn't take long for the owl to land back on the windowsill, helpfully holding its leg out for Teddy.
Teddy & James
Fine, I won't try to stop you but be careful.
Meet me tonight for dinner at my place, the usual time.
Hermione
"Well that was easier than I expected," James commented.
"Well it is Aunt Hermione, knowing her, she has something up her sleeve."
"Very true," James nodded, remembering the multitude of stories his dad had told from his own time at Hogwarts.
Teddy and James stood outside Hermione's apartment door, waiting, they weren't going to be early and they weren't going to be late. They were going to be just on time. James shifted from side to side uncomfortable in the heavy silence. Teddy shot him a glare. As the doorknob turned, James unconsciously moved forward, expecting to see Hermione. It was not Hermione at the door. A blonde-haired woman stood at the door, her wand almost poking James in the eye.
"Pertificus Totalus," She whispered. James fell to the ground straight as a board. Teddy ducked into the stairwell, pointing his wand at the blonde.
"Seriously, Luna?" A voice that sounded distinctively like Hermione's, grumbled from inside the apartment, "Come on in Teddy, unpetrify James will ya?"
"Uh, sure Aunt Hermione," Teddy said, exiting the stairwell, keeping his wand trained on Luna's figure. Luna retreated back into the apartment, while James freed his friend. With his wand raised, Teddy pushed the door open, slightly surprised to see multiple people in the room with Hermione and Luna. He recognized some but not all of them. Both Teddy and James kept their wands up and at the ready, not quite comprehending what exactly was going on.
"Boys, lower your wands, and sit down," Hermione said impatiently. Teddy and James promptly followed Hermione's instructions.
"Okay, let's get started. Neville, what's the word with the Vampires?" Hermione asked, directing her gaze to a well-built man sitting next to Luna.
"They are willing to join us, provided they get protection under our new bill," Nevile said.
"Great, Susan what about the Centaurs?"
"They want Umbridge and land protection."
"I recall giving them Umbridge a number of years ago," Hermione said, gathering a few laughs around the room.
"They say she won't get away this time."
"What about the Goblins?"
"They want a Gringotts branch in Hogsmeade." It went on like this for about an hour, with each member giving the room an update on a certain group. After the meeting was over and people started to leave, James stood up and went over to Hermione, politely waiting for her to finish her conversation.
"What is all this?" He asked in wonder.
"This is Dumbledore's Army at its finest."
"What about Uncle Ron and my dad?"
"They decided they wanted no part of, and I quote, 'my bleeding heart for creatures,'" Hermione said, a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"What can I do to help?" Teddy asked, standing beside James.