Chapter Nine
The Great Hall was dead silent despite the numerous students in long lines organized by their respective houses. Sitting in the Headmaster's seat was a pink abomination in the shape of a toad-like woman. Perhaps the worst Monday morning in the history of Hogwarts.
"Good morning students. As part of my investigation, each of you will be questioned by myself for any information regarding the mutant menace. Do remember that your full cooperation will help ensure your safety in these trying times," said Umbridge in a miserably high pitch.
The hollow reassurance had the effect that Umbridge wanted. The students began to fidget. A subtle but defined air of paranoia sparked up. It won't be long before a wildfire would consume the school. Seemingly, only Hermione Granger saw through the vile woman's attempt. She quickly left the Great Hall and made her way to the infirmary. Though Umbridge's slimy manipulation was enough to make any well-meaning person sick, the illness provided an excellent cover story for Hermione.
The week had gradually gotten worse as Umbridge increasingly extended her search. She had already searched every known room in the school. The toad-woman had even searched the students' personal items. During every search, she would silently scribble down some notes on parchment, and have faux inquisitive looks towards students in the room. Umbridge's actions were like a sloppy impression of a devious cat playing with a dead mouse. Purposely unnerving and easily fed by anxiety. Umbridge was nothing more than a predator who preyed upon the negative emotions around her.
When she searched Hermione's dorm, Umbridge attempted to directly question Hermione about Harry. Fortunately, Hermione had a convenient Potions class. Which excused her from the interrogation. However, this proved to be the last straw for the teen. Any student who was a mutant needed to leave now. Not to mention, Hermione also wanted to protect Harry at all costs.
After seeing Madame Pomfrey for 'stomach trouble', Hermione went up to her lodgings to relay her findings to the X-Men. She sat down on the cot and concentrated her thoughts.
Jean, this is Hermione, Hermione said with her thoughts.
Go ahead Hermione, Phoenix replied.
Umbridge gathered all of the students this morning in the Great Hall and informed everyone of her investigation. She seems to be trying to get everyone paranoid, Hermione continued.
Then we don't have much time. She's going to start a witch hun-! Um, sorry. Anyway, I will reach out to Dumbledore. You may want to go ahead and let the others know we're about to bugout, Phoenix finished.
No worries, and will do, said Hermione with a smirk.
Normally she would have gotten upset with the mention of 'witch hunt', but Phoenix was the sort of person you couldn't mad at. Having someone telepathically 'talk' to you took some getting used to, but Hermione was getting the hang of it. Especially if you've been doing it for a week straight.
Even Harry 'talked' to her too during the week too. Under Phoenix's guidance, Harry had been practicing his telepathy which Hermione was happy to help out with. When she 'talked' to Harry, it was like having an intimate, hour-long conversation in only a few seconds. Communicating in mere thoughts alone added such a dimension to conversing with a friend that it sent shivers through Hermione's being.
Those shivers quickly warmed up into a red blush and a sudden denial. Hermione chastised herself for such 'improperness'. There was a mission at hand. Still, there was no denying how amazing it felt.
Meanwhile, the X-Men at Hogwarts were busy. They managed to secure an escape route for the students to get them to the Blackbird. Luckily, the passageway revealed by the Marauder's Map provided a nearly completely hidden path, with only the last 400 meters being in the open. With dusk approaching, the exposure would be minimized. Then there was the problem of explaining the students' departure.
Dumbledore had come up with a hasty, but fairly effective plan to cover the students' departure. A foreign exchange program to Xavier's, though it was vague and unprecedented. The base of the idea was recommended by Cyclops, but Dumbledore had to work out the details. He knew the plan wasn't foolproof, but it was intended to buy time for the X-Men to get the students to safety. So long as the staff accepted the 'program', it would be difficult for Umbridge to pursue them. Which is why Dumbledore regretfully decided on a drastic course of action.
Mrs. Summers, sorry to trouble you but I believe I need your assistance, Dumbledore said in silence.
Yes, Professor…
That was an hour ago, and Phoenix felt ashamed of what she had to do. Despite reassurances that it was for the safety of the students, she knew that she invaded the minds of the staff. Being a telepath meant there was a certain level of ethics one needed to abide by, and altering a person's was a taboo that a telepath mustn't cross except in the direst of circumstances.
While the mission could qualify as dire it still left a bad taste in her mouth. Phoenix knew that planting the suggestion of the foreign exchange program into the minds of the Hogwarts staff was the only way to 'legitimize' the program. Cyclops could see the look on his wife's face and knew exactly what she had done. While in the field the couple maintained a level of professionalism, moments like this required reassurance between them. Cyclops did just that by holding on to Phoenix and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Just remember, you're doing it for them," Cyclops told Phoenix, who just nodded.
Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Seamus Finnigan, and Cedric Diggory were all summoned to Dumbledore's office. Hermione would be joining them shortly. Each of the students had been summoned by discreet delivery of parchment letters.
Around the same time, the ghost Peeves made his move. Following Dumbledore's request to a tee, Peeves went ahead to set up a nasty little accident for Umbridge.
Umbridge was waiting for her afternoon tea. Her gaze was fixed on the office walls she had vandalized with the outrageous shades of pink the toad-woman insisted upon. A severe thirst had developed from her long-winded cross-examinations and intimidations of various students this morning. Umbridge had diligently worked her way through each student by year and alphabetically. She was nearly finished with the first years. A smug smile was spread across her face when Dobby brought in a tea tray and placed it on Umbridge's desk.
"About time, you lazy creature," she said with a shrill voice.
Dobby remained silent and simply left the tray and disappeared. This struck Umbridge as unusual. She very much liked seeing house-elves beat themselves senseless when they got insulted. It didn't matter though, as Umbridge really needed her tea. It was at that point Peeves appeared stealthily in the room. He subtly locked the door and the windows.
Umbridge took her first sip of tea. Much to her surprise, it tasted great. So she greedily drank the first cup and proceeded to have another. The tea was almost addictive and soon she had nearly drunk the whole pot. That's when unexpectedly she started to swell up and float in the air like a balloon. Then Peeves came out of hiding and proceeded to bounce Umbridge like a volleyball! Profanities echoed throughout the halls as staff members unsuccessfully tried to pry the door open.
Back in Dumbledore's office, the students stood nervously and were silent. The paranoia regarding mutants made each one of them feel like they were being singled out. Dumbledore soon came into the room after assuring that Umbridge was thoroughly tied up for the moment.
"Let me reassure you that none of you have done anything wrong nor are you in any sort of trouble," the kindly headmaster said to them as he took his seat.
Neville was the first to speak.
"Professor, are we… mutants?" he said quietly and nervously.
"Yes. All of you are mutants. However, do not see this as a malady but as a gift, much like your use of magic," Dumbledore answered.
Everyone reacted differently. Neville nearly passed out. Cedric attempted to be modestly stoic, but his eyes betrayed his worries. Ginny was intrigued, and out of the whole group, she took the news best. Hannah started to tear up, the news shattering her already low confidence. Susan shily played with the ends of her robe sleeves as if ignoring this would make it go away. Seamus had a scowl on his face. Then, there was Luna. She was completely aloof. All of them remained quiet, except for Ginny.
"Are we going to be turned over to Madame Umbridge?" she asked with respectful defiance.
Dumbledore smiled.
"No. I'm fairly certain that Peeves is giving her a very hard time at the moment. Instead, you all will be sent to my friend's school in America. The same place where Harry went in fact," the headmaster said calmly.
Dumbledore's words seem to have softened their concerns. By this point, most of the students were aware of Harry being sent to Xavier's though not all of the details.
"So, Harry's a mutant too?" Cedric asked, curiosity bleeding through his stoicism.
"Yes. My friend's school teaches mutants how to control and use their gifts. Much like our school. Due to Umbridge's presence, I fear for your safety and thus arranged your escape," Dumbledore continued.
Luna interjected.
"I've known about my mutant stuff for a while," she said distantly.
This took all of the students, even Dumbledore, by surprise.
"Yeah, I can do this," she continued.
All of her skin and hair turned solid black with glowing purple and green eyes. Small cracks cobwebbed her face and hands with the same glowing purple-green coloration. Everyone, even Dumbledore himself, was stunned.
"What do you think?" Luna said, with a smile that glowed purple and green.
"Simply astounding, Miss Lovegood," Dumbledore said with a small but hearty laugh.
This act instilled bravery in the others. A sign of hope.
Surprisingly, Susan was next.
"Sir, how do we tell our parents that we are leaving Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore proceeded to explain.
"I will personally send letters to your families to inform them of your acceptance into the program, but I must caution you all about informing them of your mutant status. While I am sure that your families will love and accept you no matter what, I'm afraid that Ms. Umbridge is monitoring the post. So, desecration is of the utmost importance for the time being. "
The mention of Umbridge reading student's mail made every single student there cringe with horror.
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione were in deep discussion. As difficult as it was to tell him, Hermione told him of Ginny's mutant status and Dumbledore's plan to get Ginny and the others to safety.
"So, those people will help her like they're helping Harry?" Ron asked with a serious tone.
"Yes," Hermione said straight to the point.
Unlike what she was expecting, Ron took the news better than she expected. For the past couple of weeks, Ron reflected on Harry's mutant status since Hermione nearly told him before Umbridge interrupted him. The stoic, yet worried look on Ron's face revealed the storm raging in his mind.
"Ron, Ginny is still your sister and Harry is still our friend," Hermione said softly.
"I know," Ron answered.
Like any true friend, his loyalty was far stronger than his fear. Not to mention the guilt of the things he said on the train. Still, it was shocking to find out that his little sister was a mutant. Once their mother found out, he had no choice but to change his mind.
"I guess I'm coming along if you are Hermione. Harry's going to need both of us," Ron said with a bit of nervousness.
"Right then, you'll need to pack your things and I'll talk to Dumbledore about you coming along," Hermione said promptly.
"Straight to the point as always, eh Hermione?" Ron said with a smirk.
Soon enough, the pair of friends met with the other students.
Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle noticed the small group of students following Hermione and Ron. Each of them weighed with suitcases and backpacks. A brattish smile spread across Malfoy's face. It would seem that an opportunity had arrived. The trio of bullies without a word said began to follow the little group, seeing where they were off to. Scoring house points by getting them in trouble was only part of the fun.
The group had made it to the secret passageway, and sneaking in tow were Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Hermione activated the hidden door and each student went in one by one. Ron was the last one to enter. He had forgotten to shut the door behind him. Seeing their opportunity, the trio of brats zeroed in on their targets.
"Absolutely fascinating, Harry," Beast said to Harry as he observed.
"I knew your map will come in handy," Cyclops acknowledged.
"Yeah, can't tell you how many times it's helped me out," Harry said with a smirk.
Beast, Cyclops, and Phoenix observed the Marauder's Map with Harry. On the map were moving footprints with the names of each of the students. Phoenix verified everyone's presence telepathically. She and the map sensed the unwanted attention.
"It appears we have unwanted company," Phoenix said.
"Allow me, my fellows," Beast said as he leaped upon the ceiling. Luckily, the rough stones of the masonry allowed Beast to get a good grip as he crawled over everyone's heads.
The students started to feel a little uneasy. They were unsure of where they were heading, but they had no choice but to trust Hermione and these 'X-Men'. So far, everything was going smoothly. Yet, in the corner of her eye, Hermione saw something climbing the walls above them. She remained quiet so she wouldn't startle the others.
About a dozen meters behind them were Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Each of them was crouching in the shadows trailing behind the students. Malfoy had taken notice of Hermione leading the bunch. Perhaps this would be a good way of getting back at the little know-it-all.
"I wonder what that mudblood is up to," Malfoy whispered to his cohorts.
It was at that a small pebble tapped the ground behind them. Each of the boys turned around only to find nothing. Upon turning forward…
"Boo!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
The trio of bullies scrambled and screamed about the 'blue ape' in the passageway.
"That'll teach you to call my niece names!" Beast yelled at them, about to die from laughter.
Everyone heard the commotion and had a fair idea of what went down. Cyclops and Phoenix tried their hardest to restrain their laughs, while most of the students giggled, Harry included. Seamus went ahead and busted out with a loud laugh. Hermione remained silent, slightly embarrassed by what her uncle said. Beast strolled up triumphantly to the group. Only for Neville to faint, despite Hermione warning him of her uncle's appearance.
Nonetheless, they still had to get to the Blackbird ASAP. While the fun and games were welcomed, they needed to get out of there. Especially since they had been followed. Regretfully, Phoenix wiped the trio of bullies' minds as they continued down the passageway. They couldn't risk those boys drawing attention to them.