Chapter Fifty-Five
Dumbledore Dethroned
Alex scrambled to put together a plan of action even as she did Umbridge's bidding. The Inquisitorial Squad had been easy to amass; all Alex had to do was tap her badge thrice, activating the charm that would cause the other badges to light up and become warm to the touch. Alex waited outside the Defence professor's office for the others to congregate at the designated meetup spot, Mrs Norris by her side. Her owner was already outside the Room of Requirement.
Alex knocked on the door once everyone had arrived. Umbridge explained the situation to them as Mrs Norris lead them all to the magical room on the seventh floor. They were to locate the room and surround it on all sides, taking care to cover any additional exits, ready to pounce once the DA meeting ended. The group ran through several ensnarement spells, and some of the more vicious members of the Inquisitorial Squad were chomping at the bit to use more force than necessary in their capture of their peers. Umbridge had no qualms about that, obviously.
Think, think, think. The lone word repeated itself in Alex's head like a mantra, inadvertently drowning out any actual ideas that could prove useful. What could she do, really? She was right in the thick of things, Umbridge's threat hanging over her head like a guillotine. Her only hope was for a nosy ghost or painting to spread the word, but even the chances of that happening were slim to none.
A quick consultation with her watch informed Alex that it was nearing curfew, which was when the DA usually concluded their meetings. According to her mates, the ghosts—Sir Nicholas in particular—were still aiding the group in keeping lookout prior to their dispersals in case any unsavoury characters winded up in their paths. Alex could only cross her fingers and hope that their paths crossed when the timing was just right.
Fate seemed to pity her at that moment, for the Gryffindor ghost himself turned the corner, brushing into Pansy as he floated by. The Slytherin fifth-year yelped at the icy sensation no doubt coursing through her, guilting Sir Nicholas so badly he spent the next few seconds apologising profusely. Pansy couldn't care less about his remorse, though, ignoring his contrition as she put as much distance between herself and the ghost as possible. To Alex's amusement, Pansy clung to Draco, using him as a human shield while the disgruntled blonde attempted to shrug her off.
"Sir Nicholas," greeted Alex as they neared the Room of Requirement. Mrs Norris was lurking right in front of the concealed door, her lamp-like eyes staring straight at the spot on the wall where the entrance should've been.
Alex tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible, hoping the slight widening of her eyes and the peculiarity of her company would be enough to alert Sir Nicholas to the dire circumstances the DA was in.
"Miss Fortescue," he said cordially, sweeping his colourless eyes over the assorted witches and wizards glaring at the seemingly innocuous brick wall.
Fortunately, the undead Gryffindor possessed more tact than the rest of his House combined, as he drifted away without another word. Even though he was retracing his steps, Alex had no doubt within her mind that he was entering the Room of Requirement through more obscure means.
"This is the spot, is it, Argus?" Umbridge asked as they spread themselves out in the hallway. "Are you absolutely sure?"
Filch nodded like a puppy desperate for praise. "Yes, professor."
"What do we do now?" Montague wondered, his foot tapping a restless pattern against the stone floor. "Wait here all night til they decide they wanna come out?"
"Curfew is soon," Alex reminded them quietly.
Warrington snorted. "As if there's only one way in and out. If we don't barge in and take them by surprise soon, they'll slip out right under our noses."
One can only hope, thought Alex, frowning.
"Mr Warrington is right," Umbridge decided with a nod. To Alex's silent horror, the cruel woman withdrew her wand from the pocket of her pink robes. "We must force them out. Bomdarda!"
"Motherfucker," Alex hissed, jumping out of the way before the rain of dust and dirt could pelt her. Was that even the appropriate spell for this situation?
"Try the Revelio Charm," Draco supplied helpfully, brushing some loose stone from his person. Alex fought the urge to tackle him to the ground in anger.
Umbridge took his advice. "Revelio!"
Alex's mouth went dry as the door to the Room of Requirement revealed itself to them. On the other side, where Harry and the others were, could they tell that the jig was up? Did they feel the shockwaves caused by Umbridge's unexpectedly violent spell?
It didn't really matter, because Umbridge was already moving towards the door. Everyone waited with bated breaths.
No one was watching Alex.
"Syrtus subcido," she whispered, wand pointed downwards.
Umbridge, who was in the middle of reaching for the door handle, screeched as she almost toppled over like a felled tree. The floor was now quicksand, or something much like it. Soft and supple, the floor swallowed her ankles and were slowly but surely going to devour the rest of her as well.
The professor wasn't the only one affected. Alex, too, was sinking into the floor, as was everyone else except Mrs Norris, who nimbly darted out of the way and had left the corridor, abandoning her wailing owner. Unlike the others, Alex wasn't struggling, and so the 'quicksand' reached just her ankles. The others already had their calves submerged.
"They must've set a trap," Alex said aloud for everyone to hear. "Either that or it's the hidden room's defence mechanism."
By now the Inquisitorial Squad had stopped struggling and were turning to magical means to set themselves free. But as long as Alex's wand was in her hand, she was maintaining the spell. Of course, while that meant she couldn't wriggle free either, it was a small sacrifice to make if it could result in the others' safe passage out of here – provided they avoided the sinkholes dotting the floor, at any rate.
A smile slipped onto Alex's face when Sir Nicholas poked his silvery head through the door. Recognising the opportunity for what it was, he popped back into the Room of Requirement. Mere moments later, the door burst open, and every member of the D.A. was scrambling to climb through the lone exit. It was a bit of an awkward sight, to be honest.
"Stop them!" demanded Umbridge. She seemed torn between trying to wriggle out of the ground and using her wand to snatch up any students unfortunate enough to command her immediate attention. "Quickly!"
To Alex's dismay, some of the D.A. members fell into her trap, landing harshly on their faces as they stepped straight into a sinkhole and fell over. As much as Alex would've loved to aid them, the only way she could achieve that would be by releasing her hold on the Quicksand Jinx, thereby setting Umbridge and the I.S. free in the process.
Padma Patil. Marietta Edgecomb. Zacharias Smith. Those were the first three to be caught, either by the quicksand or the I.S.
Draco let out a cheer as he nabbed Harry with a Trip Jinx. "I've got Potter, professor!" he cheered, hastily binding his arch rival with a set of conjured ropes.
"Well done, Draco," Umbridge said approvingly as she heaved herself out of her hole. The spell was weakening. "The rest of you, hunt down the others. Check the library, the bathrooms, empty classrooms – look for anyone out of breath."
Alex's control of the spell had fizzled out completely, distracted as she was by Harry and his furious writhing on the floor. He swept his eyes across the hallway, his panicked gaze lingering on her as he silently begged for help.
Ashamed, Alex broke eye contact with him. She couldn't help him now.
But the others still had a chance to get away with it.
Taking the initiative, Alex broke away from the group and ran towards the end of the corridor most students had fled towards, a few of the other I.S. members hot on her heels. She made a show of opening and closing as many doors as possible, pretending to check the dark rooms and clearing them before her so-called allies could catch a glimpse of the D.A. members undoubtedly tucked into the shadowy corners.
Alex was just one witch, though. Several of the less obtrusive students were spotted and reined in. Montague attempted to drag Parvati Patil by her braid; Alex put a quick stop to that with a well-aimed Stinging Hex on his meaty hand.
"Handle someone else like that and I'll rip your dick off," she informed him, dutifully ignoring the watery sniff coming from Parvati.
Montague massaged his hand, scowling. "As if anyone would want your dirty hands on them, you filthy little half-breed," he spat.
Alex's wand-hand spasmed. Her skin grew uncomfortably warm. I want to hurt him, she thought, even as she realised the futility of her desire. Montague would simply retaliate in such a manner that would leave her regretful of her impulsiveness. Instead, Alex committed this incident to her memory and tucked it within the confines of her mind for later rumination.
After charming their captives' hands behind their backs, they marched them to Umbridge's office. When it became clear the Defence professor wasn't returning any time soon, they wrote down the names of those they managed to seize and let them go for the time being. The Defence staffroom could only fit so many people at one time.
To Alex's immense relief, out of the seven people captured, none were who she would consider close friends. The tension returned to her form in full force when she remembered Harry's shitty luck.
"Anyone have a clue where Umbridge went off to?" she asked, not wanting to mention Harry directly.
Millie was the only person in the room who cared to answer. "I heard her say she was taking him straight to Dumbledore's."
Of course. Alex stifled a sigh. "I'll meet her there, then," she decided, swiping up the list of names they had left for Umbridge on her desk. "You guys can go back to the common room."
More than one person rolled their eyes at her bossiness, but since she was their de facto leader, there wasn't much they could do to protest her suggestions.
Millie remained in the office, speaking up when the last person left.
"I spotted your roommates leaving the hidden room," she said, looking at Alex right in the eye. "Interesting how they were the only Slytherins in that group."
"Very," Alex replied neutrally.
Millie glanced away with a grimace. "I get why you didn't invite me. I'm not as close with you as they are. Still hurts, though."
Alex's expression crumpled. "I didn't want to put you in a compromising position," she admitted earnestly.
Millie offered a curt nod and left without another word.
There was no time to dwell on the ache in her chest. Alex exited Umbridge's room and headed straight for Dumbledore's. By the time she got there, Professor McGonagall was escorting Harry away while he argued with her. The Transfiguration professor all but froze when she spotted Alex.
"It's past curfew, Miss Fortescue," she reminded her, frowning sternly.
Alex mutely tapped both her badges. "What happened?" she asked, glancing at Harry. "Are you…?"
"I'm not in any trouble," he said tightly, but the face Professor McGonagall made behind his back said otherwise. "Dumbledore took the fall for me. Said the D.A. stood for Dumbledore's Army, not Defence Association."
Wide-eyed, Alex returned her gaze to Professor McGonagall. The old witch seemed to have aged a dozen years in a single night. "Umbridge called Fudge earlier tonight. Did he get to Dumbledore?"
Professor McGonagall's expression hardened. "Professor Dumbledore has fled, along with Fawkes. The Ministry will stop at nothing to find him."
Oddly enough, Alex found herself relaxing upon hearing that. Dumbledore seemed like the sort of person who could remain incognito for the next millennia if he wished to.
"Now off to bed, the both of you," tutted Professor McGonagall. "Merlin knows what tomorrow will bring."
Chaos was what it brought. It came in the form of Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight, which went up overnight. Unlike its predecessors, this proclamation was signed by the Minister of Magic himself instead of the High Inquisitor. The reason for that quickly became clear – Umbridge had made herself Interim Headmistress.
"Dear God," Grant groaned beside and Duncan as they eyed the newest addition to the wall outside the Great Hall. Several other students vocally shared his dismay.
"I knew I should've gone to Durmstrang when I had the chance," sighed Jacob from further away.
Alex clutched her stomach, hoping the pressure of her grip would alleviate its uneasy churning. If Umbridge had been so audacious as to torture the student body before, what on earth would she do henceforth?
"I'm think I'm gonna be sick," she murmured, doubling over.
"Shit," Duncan muttered. "You're really pale. We need to get you to the hospital wing."
"I'll take her," offered a voice that instantly soothed her frazzled nerves.
Alex all but fell onto Cedric. She gripped his arm for support, ready to keel over in an instant. The worst part was that she knew people were watching her, judging her momentary lapse of composure. Her nausea increased considerably.
"Did you have one too many midnight snacks again?" Cedric quipped as they left the entrance hall.
The decrease in noise improved her condition somewhat. "I wish," she sighed. Unfortunately the source of her discomfort was a lot more graver than an overconsumption of sweets.
Alex straightened by a few degrees, releasing her death-grip on Cedric's arm. He wrapped it around her instead, instantly remedying the lack of colour on her face.
"I've missed you," he said softly, either unaware of the eavesdropping portraits or apathetic to their nosiness.
Alex blinked rapidly to ward off the tears that threatened to form. What was with her today?
"Me too," she whispered. "You weren't caught last night, were you?"
He shook his head.
Not like it mattered. Alex had accidentally lost the list of names of those rounded up by the I.S. Umbridge already distrusted her, so it wasn't like she was risking much anyway. Her purple pin would probably be recalled before night fell.
The thought of Umbridge brought forth a new wave of nausea. Alex shoved Cedric away from her as she bent over and dry-heaved.
I want to die, she thought deliriously.
"Good thing no one's around," she said instead when she was done. "Otherwise they'd start a rumour that I'm pregnant."
"That might eclipse the current rumour about you," sighed Cedric, and why was he always dropping these bombshells on her?
"Let me guess," she drawled. "I tipped off Umbridge last night?"
Eyes downcast, Cedric nodded.
"Fuckers," Alex spat. The hem of her robes fluttered loudly as she stomped the rest of the way to the infirmary. "It was their own carelessness that got them discovered. Filch's cat was their undoing, not me."
"That's the other rumour circulating," said Cedric, his longer legs easily keeping up Alex's furious strides. "But people are irrational and upset. They'll see reason soon enough."
Alex couldn't help the arch of her eyebrow at Cedric's unfailing optimism in their cohort. "I wouldn't hold my breath," she muttered too quietly for him to hear.
There were two other people in the medical wing when they got there – a pair of first-years who were both growing impossibly long beards. Whether it was purposeful or a by-product of a duel gone wrong, Alex had no clue, and frankly, she wasn't interested. Cedric snickered at the sight of them.
"Yours, I'm assuming?" she said wryly as Madam Pomfrey searched for a potion that would ease her stomach.
Cedric nodded as he waved to the firsties. "They're step-siblings," he informed her. "They wanted to be in separate Houses, but the Hat decided to put them together. Suffice to say this isn't their first fight of the year."
"Cedric, look what Palu did to me," whined the taller of the two.
"Me?" Palu said indignantly. "You started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Oh my god," Alex moaned, hastily accepting the steaming potion from Madam Pomfrey. She downed it one go, grimacing at the acrid taste that lingered in her mouth. "Let's get out of here."
"Agreed," said Cedric, shooting a smile at the still-bickering Hufflepuffs.
There were few places they could go to achieve genuine privacy. Even without checking Alex was sure the Room of Requirement was under close supervision, even if Umbridge and the I.S. had no clue how to cause the door to rematerialise now that no one was inside. Every classroom was now being checked thoroughly and round the clock for any misdemeanours, such as people plotting to release an article painting a certain pedagogue in a negative light. Before they had parted ways last night, Alex relayed that message to Harry. The question was whether he remembered to do so.
"Can you tell Hermione to forget about the article?" she said to Cedric as they left the castle and made their way down to the forest.
Cedric, who had no idea what she was referring to, simply nodded. "Okay."
"You're the best," she said sincerely, her chest warm.
He smiled.
Alex brushed the tips of her fingers against the first tree she walked past as she entered the forest, Cedric hesitantly trailing behind her. She wanted to go in far enough to not be seen from the outside, but not so deeply as to run into any hostile creatures. Her destination was a small clearing she'd found with Luna months ago, one marked by a line of glowing fungi.
This time of the year the sunlight was strong enough to filter through the tops of the trees and illuminate the clearing and the few flowers that managed to grow there. Cedric conjured a blanket for them to lie on and within moments Alex fell asleep.
"Your snoring scared away every animal within a three-mile radius," he informed her from behind his book when she woke up several hours later.
"You're welcome," she grunted, throwing her right arm and leg over him as she curled into him for warmth. "Am I keeping you from anything important?"
"You mean besides my classes?" he asked wryly. "Technically I should be studying, but there's no way I can get anything done today."
Alex nodded. Even though exams were coming up, the forcible removal of their ancient headmaster was shocking enough to cause ripples for weeks to come. She couldn't be bothered to deal with the fallout, let alone sit in class and actually pay attention to the lessons.
"Besides," added Cedric, placing a quick kiss on the top of her head, "it's been a while since we've gotten some alone time. I don't want to cut it short today of all days."
Cedric was an amiable person, and straightforward to boot. Passive-aggression wasn't even in his vocabulary, wasn't his weapon of choice like it was for Alex and many of her Housemates. His comment was borne of sincerity. Still, Alex couldn't help tensing in his grasp.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Just cold."
He held onto her tighter than before.
They went back to the castle for tea long after lunchtime had ended in the Great Hall. Dinner was still a good while yet, so the kitchen had to suffice. Even the house-elves weren't unaffected by the change in power overnight, and more than a few of them were concerned about what Dumbledore's appearance meant for them. Dobby was beside himself, as Dumbledore had been paying him wages for his job while the rest of his people were content with their unpaid labour.
"Don't worry," Alex told Dobby as she gently pulled his hands away to stop him from twisting his ears any further. "At the very least Professor McGonagall will uphold your agreement with Dumbledore."
Dobby brightened visibly.
"If Umbridge does or says anything to you, let me know, okay?" urged Alex.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"I really wish he wouldn't call me that," she complained to Cedric when Dobby left them to their meal.
Humming in response, he poured them each a cup of pumpkin juice, extra ice for her. She needed it to dilute the sweetness of her drink.
"I've decided to play quidditch professionally after school," he told her after they had eaten half of their late lunch.
Alex came close to choking on a slice of ham. "You're kidding," she managed to utter between coughs. Wincing, she reached for her cup.
Cedric nudged it within her reach, his face devoid of levity. "I'm not," he assured her.
The juice burned as it slid down her throat. "Which team? Have you been scouted?"
"I'm tossing up between the Montrose Magpies and Puddlemere United," he said, relaxing slightly when he saw that his girlfriend wasn't going to have a conniption. "Tryouts are on during summer."
Being a professional quidditch player was dangerous to be sure, but not more so than what Alex was planning on doing post-graduation. Besides, Cedric's future was his own and no one else's.
And athletes made big money regardless. He would never have to chase after any Goblet of Fires ever again.
Alex smiled into her cup as she tried to put off all thoughts of their impending future.
After tea, she and Cedric went down by the lake to try their hands at aquatic spells. Cedric, having started on that stream of magic much later than Alex, could only draw a ball of water from the lake and hold it for seven minutes before his control broke and the orb fell back into its pool. Alex had accomplished that feat months ago and was now working on making her snake-like stream of water move to and fro according to her whim.
The more powerful and experienced witches and wizards out in the world could shape the elements into caricatures of dragons capable of decimating small villages, and that was the goal Alex strived for.
Evidently I have a long way to go, she mused to herself as an ambitious twist of her wrist sent her water snake careening into the lake.
"Do a badger next," joked Cedric.
She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Who am I, Merlin?"
Whatever quip Cedric was about to make died on his lips as a firework flew straight out of the castle and exploded with a bang loud enough for them to hear audibly from where they were. She and Cedric exchanged one wide-eyed glance before hastily gathering their things and rushing back up to the castle.
They had barely set foot in the castle when an enormous tremor shook the entire edifice. Alex adjusted her stance, steadying herself as the floor beneath her quaked. Caught off guard, Cedric yelped and came close to losing his footing; Alex snatched her hand out and grabbed his sleeve as the last of the shudders died.
Most of the paintings had emptied themselves. Those remained clung ineffectually to their frames.
"It's those confounded Weasley twins!" screeched a grey-haired man in an exceptionally frilly suit. It looked especially out of place in the painting of a pirate ship he had managed to slide into during the uproar. "Oh, I knew they were trouble from the first day I laid eyes on them!"
The captain of the ship he was seeking solace on belted out a hearty chortle. "Aye, good on 'em fer stickin' it to tha' pink toad! Tis mutiny! Mutiny!" he declared gleefully.
A metaphorical light bulb materialised over Alex's head as she jogged to the eye of the storm. It seemed like Fred and George were getting the revenge they so craved.
The first floor of the castle was now unrecognisable. The Weasley twins seemed to have harnessed all the colours of the rainbow and stuffed them into the various fireworks they had crafted. Green and gold dragons soared up and down the corridors, exploding with each roar emitted. A ruby-red phoenix squawked overhead, its tail leaving a trail of sparks that fizzled out before they could hit the floor. Different coloured rockets ricocheted off the walls, singeing an indignant portrait in the process. Wildest of all were the giant wheels of fireworks slicing into the air with a hiss, posing a danger to anyone foolish enough to get in their way.
Alex stifled a giggle as Umbridge ducked to avoid being barrelled over by one of the wheels. "Stupefy!" she screamed.
Rather than freezing in place, the firework detonated with enough force to whip Alex's hair away from her face and right into Cedric's. They both grimaced as he spat some strands out of his mouth.
"Don't Stun them, Filch!" snapped Umbridge, as though he was responsible.
"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, not wanting to bring up the fact that he was a squib and thus incapable of Stunning anything. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a cleaning broom, and began swatting at the fireworks; within seconds the brush was ablaze.
"This is gorgeous," Alex said wistfully, watching as silver sparklers wrote out swearwords in mid-air of their own accord.
"Fortescue!" bellowed Umbridge upon noticing her. "Don't just stand – help clean this up!"
If Umbridge genuinely thought Alex was going to assist her in any way after violating her the way she did last night, the toad was madder than Alex thought.
"Sorry, professor," Alex replied, undoing her purple pin and dropping it on the floor with a soft plink. "I'm done with being your lackey." Not like she was a good one in the first place.
Umbridge's face purpled with rage. Her wand-hand tightened into a fist, but if she wanted to hex Alex into oblivion, she had to do so another day, for a firework-phoenix was headed her way. It swooped down, almost scoring a hit even as its victim dodged in time.
Snickering, Alex grabbed Cedric's hand and made a run for it.
The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school throughout the day. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers didn't seem to mind. Every time an errant firework was spotted, the new headmistress was called to deal with it. She tried as many spells as she could think of to get rid of the distractions, but they only exacerbated the damage dealt. Once it became known that Vanishing the fireworks merely multiplied them, Alex and a few other likeminded students went around casting evanesco on any and every firework encountered.
Fred and George were hailed as kings that night. It was no secret that the Gryffindors were throwing a party in their common room after dinner. As much as Alex wished she could join in, she knew she wouldn't be welcomed back any time soon. Although Harry and his squad knew her loyalties had never lied with Umbridge, everyone else beyond his inner circle had thought she was in the same leagues as Draco and Pansy and the other snakes, and Alex couldn't really fault them for taking things at face value – it was exactly what she had wanted, after all. There would be other opportunities to see her Gryffindor friends.