Heroes of Magic and Might
Chapter 34 – Divide and… conquer?
…
"Ah! Minerva, Dolores, do come in. Take a seat, take a seat."
It was early morning at Hogwarts as the two women sat before their new master. The night had been long and full of concern. The whipping of Ron Weasley had created no small tizzy, and everyone was feeling anxious.
You wouldn't have known it to look at them though.
Dolores Umbridge, larger than life and twice as repulsive, squashed into her chair with an audible creak. Her face betrayed a sense of smugness and self-assurance that bordered on delusion. From her perspective, things were going exactly as she wanted, she was in control.
Minerva McGonagall betrayed nothing, as was typical for the stoic Scot. Her exterior was as hard and polished as lacquered oak, her face stern but otherwise blank. Inside was another matter entirely. Ron Weasley may have been a hot-blooded fool, but he was still one of her lions, and unlike the woman next to her, she had a feel for the student body, and that body shuddered.
"So glad the two of you could join me this morning. I know you're both very busy."
"Nothing so important it couldn't wait," said Umbridge in her simpering girlish voice. "We are ever at your service."
McGonagall bit back a snide comment, she was getting a lot of practice at it. "What do you require of us?"
"Ah, right to the point Minerva. I'll keep that in mind. I've asked the two of you here this morning because it's become apparent, I'm not using the two of you to the maximum effect. You understand, too much overlap. You both seem to be doing many of the same tasks, just at different times and I think that's wasteful. I really don't need two of you in this position."
"So, we're being sacked," McGonagall stated bluntly. "One of us."
"Well, it's not exactly how I'd put it," he replied.
"No, you'd take an entire minute to say what should take a few seconds," McGonagall shot back, her usual filter, the one that kept her from saying all the nasty things that popped into her head due to being surrounded by idiots and debutants, was underperforming for some reason.
Strangely, he thought it was funny.
"Shall we consider this your audition Minerva? I'm not sure how you'll beat that," he chuckled.
"Perhaps we'll let Dolores go first," said the wily old witch.
The toad, seeing the trap but thinking herself too clever to be caught, gave her obnoxious little "hem, hem," before launching into an extended reading of her 'credentials'.
A laughable farce, McGonagall thought. A joke so funny, she'd forgotten to laugh. The way she narrated her 'accomplishments' made you think she truly believed every word. McGonagall was no fool, and she'd watched the woman like a spiteful eagle since she'd stepped foot in Hogwarts.
What she wouldn't have given for one of Dumbledore's lemon drops as she listened to the unctuous woman shovel her load of horse manure. The taste would have been slightly less sour than the one sitting on her tongue as she forcibly held it tight till the toad finished.
"Well, I must say that is an impressive resume Dolores."
"I've done my best," she said in a display of humility so fake it was almost believable.
"Minerva! Anything you'd like to say?"
There was a lot she'd 'like' to say, but it would hardly be productive. The old witch stood, straight as a ruler, when she spoke, "When I first came here it was to teach the children. To guide them, look after them, and lead them to a better future through a good, solid, magical education.
"Things have changed since then, but what has not changed is my priorities. I still believe, unequivocally, that my duty, first and foremost, is to the safety and well-being of the children. Secondly then would be the safety and well-being of everyone and everything else in the castle. The dwarves, the satyrs, the… golems?"
She paused a moment, looking to the blue man who simply shrugged. Most golems didn't require much looking after.
"I suppose even you must be counted in that. It is no easy task, as the events of last night proved, but I believe we can achieve some sense of harmony, and I consider it my duty to Hogwarts and its inhabitants to foster that harmony in any way I can."
Having said her piece the old witch sat, refusing to look at the other woman, no doubt scowling as she stewed over all the bits of McGonagall's speech she could have stolen for her own; waiting for the blue man's decision.
"You both present an excellent case," he said after much internal deliberation. "I shall have to think on this. Why don't we reconvene on this after dinner? I should have a decision for you by then."
… So close, yet so far
"Harry! We have a problem."
He allowed himself a smirk while maintaining focus on what he was doing. "Tell me something I don't know," he said, screwing the last metal spike into the weapon he was making for Boren. He congratulated himself for being a packrat, knowing he'd find a use for those spikes eventually.
"Hamma says he's leaving."
"WHAT!"
The huge, spiked club quivered, nearly falling. Harry caught it at the last second and lowered it gently to the floor next to Gabby who was wrapping a leather binding around a large wooden mallet. She barely glanced up from her work.
"You wanna say that again."
"Hamma says he's leaving, and he's taking the others with him," Rosebud repeated.
"Is that so?" His sense of betrayal stirred to action, fanning the cold fires which grew colder still when he saw the megalithic lizardman approaching.
The lizard saw his expression and knew without asking, "She told you then."
"You're leaving."
The accusation in his tone was fierce but the lizardman showed no remorse, "Been talking to the witches. Our village is only one hard day's travel from here. If we leave now, we can be there by nightfall."
"Well, that must be very nice for you," said Harry, voice dripping with scorn, "but how does that help me."
Again, no remorse, "If you can hold the line, maybe a lot."
Betrayal scoffed, but waited to hear the rest, "How's that?"
"There are many in our tribe, nearly two hundred. Some are young but we were not the only hunting party sent out. If the others have returned as I believe they should, we can bring them back, bolster our forces here and break them."
Reinforcements? Dare he hope? Shame snuck up and beat betrayal over the back of the head, kicking sand into the cold flames which died with a pitiful sputter. He could believe, he could hope, because of a single word. 'Our' forces, he said.
"I'm sorry," said Harry.
"What for?" the lizardman asked.
"When I heard you were leaving, I automatically jumped to the worst conclusion. I never even gave you a chance to explain."
"So you're not perfect," Gabby interjected, joining the conversation as her work was completed. "Do you always expect so much out of yourself?"
"Shouldn't I?"
The half-goblin smiled at his question, but before she could explain why, Bill ran up in a tizzy.
"Harry! HARRY!"
"What is it?"
"They're—they're here and—and—and…"
The small man was visibly shaking, his eyes locked open as wide as they would go.
Without asking Harry ran for the gate. The others quickly followed, Hamma picking up Bill and tucking him under his arm as he went.
The gate stood half open providing a clear view so when he arrived, he saw what had put the small man into such a state. They were here.
"Sweet merciful blood!" Rosebud exclaimed.
"The owl said there were hundreds at least. I thought maybe two or three," said Hamma.
There weren't two or three hundred, not even close. The force that poured from the tree line, row after row, had to number at least a thousand and more just kept coming.
"Close the gate!" Harry shouted.
The toothy portcullis slammed down behind them as they retreated into the tower.
"You're sure you can bring back help, Hamma?" said Harry.
"It will take some convincing," the lizardman allowed. "Our chief is very much of the mind we should not involve ourselves with the other races."
"What about the rest of your tribe?" asked Rosebud.
"They will do as the chief says," said Hamma.
"You really think you talk him into it?" said Gabby.
"Talk, perhaps," said the lizardman. "One way or the other, I will 'convince' him."
The way the big lizard held his hand when he said this, flexing the sharp deadly claws, Harry felt he understood the meaning.
"Go. Now!"
"I will need our supplies," he said, freezing the wizard midstride. "If we return from our hunt empty handed, we will convince no one. They will more likely eat us than listen to us."
"He's right," said Rosebud.
Thus, he was forced to accept it. "Cherry!" he shouted, summoning the fairy as if by magic. "Fetch my pack."
The little red-haired girl zipped away as Hamma went to prepare his people and Gabby went to finish her work, taking a shell-shocked Bill with her, leaving Harry and Rosebud alone.
"Where's your puppy?" he asked.
"With the others, why?"
"I want you to go with them."
She stared at him strangely, "Are you trying to protect me?"
"What if I was?"
"I'd say you were the biggest idiot I've ever met."
"Which is different than how you normally think of me?"
She scowled at his cheek but there were hints of a grin sneaking around the edges of that scowl. "You aren't serious?"
"About the protecting you, not really," he acknowledged. "But I am serious about you going with them. If I'm understanding correctly, convincing their chief will not be easy, nor even as not easy as Hamma thinks."
Glancing back at the gate, he could hear the army still piling out of the woods. "I don't know how long we can hold that back, and you aren't much good in a fight once the sun's up. Those undead will do their job, but you don't need to be here to make sure they do. You'll do all of us more good exercising your—political skills."
She laughed at this, "Politics is it. Oh yes, I'm very good at that."
"I knew you would be," said the wizard, matching her grin for grin. "Do what you have to. Get them back here as fast as you can."
He didn't know just how much he was asking, and for all his humor he was filled with urgency. She must have felt it as well. Without having time to blink he found a small girl child wrapped around his neck, squeezing tight in that way frightened children do.
"Stay alive," she whispered when he put his arms around her. "You'd make a terrible zombie, so you stay alive till I get back. You hear me?"
"I hear you," he said.
And far behind him, he heard an army coming to rest, and perhaps, behind that, the sound of destiny putting on the popcorn in preparation for one hell of a show.
