Harriet Potter and the Guardians of Atlantis, Part 4: Harriet Potter and the Dementors' Harvest

Rated: M for violence, language, mild sexual content, nudity (non-sexual) and some disturbing depictions.

Chapter 1: The Trial of Dolores Umbridge

July 29th, 1993

If there was one dominant emotion that Harriet Potter was feeling as she prepared to watch the trial of Dolores Umbridge, it was relief. Umbridge had engineered a takeover of Hogwarts solely for the purpose of getting an opportunity to torture Harriet's friend Hermione Granger. She had gone to incredible lengths, so much so that even an Imperius wouldn't suffice to explain her actions.

The trial had been a long time coming. It had taken a great deal of time for the DMLE to get its case together. Part of the problem was that there were so many potential witnesses. Harriet, Hermione, Ronald Weasley, Cho Chang, and Draco Malfoy had all witnessed Umbridge's rampage, as well as had pretty much every Hufflepuff and pretty much every teacher. Then the entire school had seen Umbridge's takeover. Most of the men she had hired to help her take over the school had criminal records on the continent and most had been turned over to various foreign governments.

There had been an inquiry into why Barty Crouch Jr. had not released the notification from the French Ministry that these men were headed to Britain. It had been very short. Officially, the notice had dropped down a crevice next to Barty's desk and been lost there. Harriet knew this to be a lie; Barty Crouch Jr. was a Death Eater who had let them into the country intentionally. He was almost certainly behind Umbridge's rampage. But no one could prove it, and as his father was Minister for Magic, no one could even make the accusation without risking political fallout. Even circumstantial evidence would suffice to bring this public, but even that was lacking.

Still Umbridge had been one of the few people who could serve as a go between for Barty Crouch Sr. and the purebloods. Her conviction would put any hope of Barty mending that fence to bed forever.

There was a shuffle as Dolores Umbridge was brought into the courtroom and shackled in the chair in the middle. Her protestations against this treatment felt especially hollow. Actually, this reminded Harriet of another woman she had been forced to put up with only a few weeks back.

XXXXX

The First Week of July: Little Whinging, Surrey

"Harriet," said Petunia, "I have some bad news for you."

Harriet stiffened. That wasn't a good sign. Petunia wasn't exactly one to explain her actions ahead of time. That meant that this was going to really be bad, as any normal bad thing would have been allowed to happen without comment.

"It doesn't have to do with Uncle Vernon, does it?" asked Harriet.

"Well not directly," said Petunia, "It's about Marjorie."

Harriet groaned. Not Aunt Marge! The woman was a monster. She hated Harriet, and she doubted her brother's incarceration had changed that.

"Tell me she isn't coming here," said Harriet.

"I don't like Marge any more than you do," said Petunia. That much was true. Marge loved disparaging Petunia's family. While Petunia had always had her differences with her parents and sister, she hadn't really hated them. Marge's attacks struck a bit too close to home.

"But she is Dudley's aunt," said Petunia finally, "She hasn't seen him since Vernon went to prison. She has agreed to keep a civil tongue in her head. But I want it to be clear, if she reverts to form, she won't be allowed to see Dudley again." Petunia's tone gave Harriet no doubt that this would be Petunia's preference.

"Why is she coming?" asked Dudley, "Even I don't like that bitch."

"Dudley!" said Petunia sternly (or as close as she could come to stern when talking to Dudley) "Don't use the word 'bitch'. It is demeaning to women."

"She uses it all the time," said Harriet.

"And we are all agreed that she is a terrible person," said Petunia, "Why would you imitate her?"

And Harriet had to admit that this was a good point.

XXXXX

The Next Day

Marjorie Dursley arrived early the next day. She'd intended to stay four days. She ended up staying three hours.

Harriet's plan had been simple. Her biggest issue would of course be Ripper, Marge's pet bulldog. Ripper was a monster. Which was an accomplishment, as bulldogs were generally not ill-tempered. Just went to show what a bad owner could do to the most even tempered of creatures.

So when Marge unleashed Ripper as she entered the house, the dog raced up the stairs at Harriet. Which was exactly what she had hoped for. Harriet retreated into her room so that she would be out of Marge's sight. The answer was simple. There was a simple animal pacification spell on the list of spells allowed to be practised at home for underage students. And Harriet cast it as Ripper rushed into her room. Or rather, she cast an approximation of it as a sorcery. That was easier, as she didn't even really need to know the spell.

Ripper stopped and gave Harriet a strange look, as if he was wondering what he was doing here. Harriet reached down and scratched the dog between the ears. It wasn't his fault that Marge had trained him so poorly.

"Head back to mommy, boy," said Harriet.

And off Ripper went, wagging his tail. Harriet shook her head. Ripper was probably beyond saving, he was too old. No dog deserved Marge as it's master.

Harriet walked downstairs again. Marge looked at Harriet suspiciously. "Did you hurt Ripper?" demanded Marge as she looked to her now calm dog.

"No," said Harriet, "but my godfather has a dog, so he's been teaching me how to deal with them."

Petunia smiled at the mention of Padfoot, and Dudley stifled a laugh. They were both aware of Sirius Black's animagus form.

"Well, the bastard seems good for something," said Marge angrily.

"Please do not insult my godfather," said Harriet.

"I'm warning you again Marge, don't cause a scene," said Petunia, "The only reason I'm allowing this is because I don't think it is fair to deny you the right to visit Dudley simply because your brother was a beast. If you can't treat Harriet in at least a civil manner you will be leaving and not coming back."

"You would do that to Dudley?" said Marge in horror, "What do you think about that Dudley?"

"I don't mind you being here unless you hurt Harriet," said Dudley.

Marge stepped back at hearing that. It obviously wasn't what she had expected to hear. But after that she seemed to retreat a bit.

But it was never going to last. Harriet knew that. She did try to stay out of Marge's way. But eventually Harriet came down to get a drink of water and caught Marge alone in that room, feeding Ripper small cakes off a tray of snacks Petunia had set out for them.

"It can't be good for him at that age," said Harriet.

"I know that," said Marge acidly, "but he asked so sweetly, I can't deny my dear Rippie."

Harriet shrugged. She didn't approve, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"You've turned Dudley against me," said Marge.

"What?" asked Harriet, "Dudley has always barely tolerated you, and only because you brought him gifts. Well, that isn't enough anymore. Not after Vernon struck him. And his mother."

"Vernon said you would do this," said Marge, "said you had weird powers, the ability to turn people against their family. And I see it now. I see what you did to Ripper."

Harriet narrowed her eyes. Had Vernon broken the Statute of Secrecy? It would be the stupidest thing he could possibly do. If he did, the Ministry would be justified in erasing all traces of the magical world from his mind. That would mean erasing Harriet. If they had to erase Harriet, they'd have to erase Petunia and Dudley too.

Harriet sighed. Much as she hated her uncle, she couldn't condone erasing his memory. Not like this. Obliviation was used far too often on Muggles.

"Don't ever mention that again," said Harriet quietly, but firmly, "if you do, and it gets back to the wrong people, both you and Vernon will have your memories erased."

"And you would care?" demanded Marge.

"Yes," said Harriet, "I would."

Marge hissed. "This is all your godfather's fault you know. If he hadn't threatened to kill my brother…"

So Vernon had told her about that as well. Worse and worse. Harriet shook her head.

"Vernon goaded him into doing that by threatening me. Just like he turned Aunt Petunia and Dudley against him by hurting me. And hurting them."

"They shouldn't have gotten in the way," said Marge. And there it was. Marge didn't care what had happened to Harriet. She thought it was good.

Harriet was about to retort, but at that moment Petunia stormed into the kitchen.

"Get out of my house," said Petunia to Marge.

"I was only telling her the truth," said Marge, "bad blood will tell. Her mother…"

"Lily was my sister," said Petunia, her voice frosty, "and I love her."

"She's dead…" started Marge, but Petunia cut her off.

"I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER!" screamed Petunia, "NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!"

Harriet had never seen Marge move that fast. Within three minutes Marge had collected her things and was gone, Ripper with her.

"Aunt Petunia," said Harriet, unable to believe what she'd just seen.

"I'm sorry Harriet," said Petunia, "I never should have put you through that. I thought that as she was Dudley's last connection to that side of the family… well, it's obvious that there is nothing there worth salvaging now."

"I'm glad of it actually," said Harriet, "Now you know that you can't mend that breach and you can sleep soundly that you are making the right decision."

For the first time ever, Harriet could look at her aunt and see her as family. Real family. And she also knew she would almost certainly never see Marge again. Both of those things were worth almost any cost.

XXXXX

July 29th, 1993

Harriet leaned back as Sirius testified. He was the first witness in this case, and one of the most important. His testimony connected Umbridge to Karkaroff. Harriet knew that the real connection was Crouch Jr., but that couldn't be helped. That they had no evidence for.

"And Mr. Delacour indicated that these men were all on a watch list?" Amelia Bones was asking Sirius.

"Yes," said Sirius, "Specifically, they were all associated with Igor Karkaroff and his terrorist network."

A buzz went through the courtroom. Everyone knew this, but it was still sensational. Umbridge's attorney, a man named Ross, scowled. It wasn't a good sign for his client.

"What actions did you then take Mr. Black?" asked Amelia.

"I called Albus Dumbledore and told him Umbridge's work crews couldn't be trusted around the children, then I contacted the Minister for Magic."

"Very good," said Amelia, "I have no further questions, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore nodded, then looked to the defense. "Does the defense have any questions?"

"Yes," said Ross, "Are you aware of the reason why the list was not made public in the UK?"

"I object," said Amelia, "This is speculative."

"Mr. Black is a member of the Wizengamot and he took part in the debate to determine what happened there," said Ross, "the defense brought up the list, I am attempting to test this piece of evidence's veracity."

"Very well," said Dumbledore, "but Mr. Black may only refer to his knowledge of the Wizengamot report and his testimony of his discussion with Monsieur Delacour. He is not entitled to express his opinion on the matter of who is responsible for that list not being promulgated properly."

"The report the Wizengamot issued indicated that human error resulted in the report not being released," said Sirius.

"Is it not strange that human error pops up when the person being investigated is the son of the Minister for Magic?" asked Ross, "And why did you go directly to Monsieur Delacour in the first place?"

"I object!" said Amelia.

"That first question is purely speculative Mr. Ross," said Dumbledore, "The second question is pertinent though."

"Because I felt that if there was an issue, there was no reason the Department of International Magical Cooperation would be aware of it. This was precisely because there was no warning issued about these men. If there had been a warning issued I would have contacted the DMLE immediately," said Sirius.

Ross grunted. That wasn't what he had hoped Sirius would say clearly. He'd hoped he'd let slip that he didn't trust Barty Jr.

"Did you find that lack of warning suspicious?" asked Ross.

"I found it odd," said Sirius.

"So odd that you violated diplomatic protocol?" demanded Ross.

"I want to make one thing clear," interrupted Barty Crouch Sr., "Under magical law, magical diplomacy is solely a matter for the Minister for Magic or his representative as Head of the Department of Magical Cooperation to administer. What constitutes magical diplomacy is under my sole purview. Sirius Black was not conducting diplomacy or violating any diplomatic protocol. My decision on this matter is not open to debate, unless, that is, you are attempting to remove me from office."

Ross bowed his head in defeat. "I withdraw the question," he said, "Are you at least satisfied with the outcome of the Ministry's investigation, Mr. Black?"

"I am satisfied with the thoroughness and professionalism of the Ministry investigation," said Sirius.

Harriet grinned at the precise wording Sirius had used. It left room for Sirius to confirm he had suspected Crouch Jr. at this time, but also didn't even slightly accuse anyone of any impropriety. She watched as Ross sat back, disgusted. This had been a waste of his time.

XXXXX

The Last Week of June

"So why are you here Sirius?" asked Barty Crouch Sr.

"I am here to warn you about some of the things that are coming your way," said Sirius, "Whether he intended to or not, your son has put you in a sensitive spot."

"Are you going to try to claim that my son is working with Karkaroff?" asked Crouch angrily.

Sirius really wished he was doing just that. But he knew he didn't have the evidence for that. So he had to pave the way to bring this in later when he got that evidence.

"Please," said Sirius, "if I intended to use this against you I wouldn't be here, telling you all about it."

Crouch seemed to calm down. "A fair point," said Crouch, "so what is coming next?"

"No matter what our investigation finds, many people will not accept an exoneration of your son," said Sirius.

"So I should fire him?" asked Crouch suspiciously.

"I mean, politically it would solve all your problems," said Sirius, "except it would make you look like an idiot for advancing him in the first place."

"I'd prefer to avoid that," said Crouch.

"So announce new oversight of his department," advised Sirius. "It will still look like nepotism, but it will look like you are at least taking things seriously."

"A good idea," said Crouch.

"There's another thing," said Sirius, "Some people have noticed that your son used to have a lot of contact with Lucius Malfoy. And he had a few meetings with Umbridge."

"Who noticed this?" demanded Crouch.

"Fudge, among other people," said Sirius.

"Fuck," said Crouch in frustration. Sirius sympathized. There was no telling how Fudge might or might not use this information.

"Can you keep Fudge from making this worse?" asked Crouch.

"For the time being," said Sirius. It was true, as far as it went. Fudge was in on this as well. He wasn't about to burn Sirius on this.

"Do you think there is any truth to this?" asked Crouch.

Sirius considered. "He may or may not be a traitor, but either way your son is incompetent," he finally said.

Crouch nodded sadly. "I wish I could afford to remove him now," he admitted, "After the election maybe."

Sirius nodded. He hoped things stayed under control that long.

XXXXX

July 29th, 1993

Harriet was a little surprised by the second witness. She hadn't known Saul Croaker was going to testify. Still it made sense. As an Unspeakable he knew about dangerous magic, like the magic Umbridge had done.

"What is this?" said Amelia as she held up a glove with inactive runes on it.

"That is a Runic access glove," said Croaker, "It was designed by the Department of Mysteries to interface with Atlantean Keystones. It mostly just sat in a box for three hundred years, honestly. In 1976, Augustus Rookwood stole it when he defected to You-Know-Who, along with dozens of other dangerous artifacts, and some journals that had originally been written by Percival Peverell."

"You had unpublished journals of Percival Peverell?" asked Dumbledore.

"We still do," said Croaker, "Augustus only stole a translation. We haven't released them because… well because it gave instructions on how to find the Holy Grail. We probably should revisit that decision."

"It appears this is not related to the case at hand Chief Warlock," said Amelia tolerantly.

Harriet gasped. This was how Voldemort had known to find the sigil in Hufflepuff house. It had all come from stolen Unspeakable secrets.

"In any case, this glove came back into the possession of the Ministry, specifically the DMLE, when Rookwood was arrested in 1981, along with most of the other artifacts," said Croaker, "We attempted to reclaim the artifacts, but were denied, as they were evidence. Even after Rookwood's trial we continued to be denied. When we learned that this glove had been used we checked the evidence room, and discovered that all of Rookwood's thefts had been stolen."

"Unspeakable, this is not the time or place for interdepartmental rivalries," said Crouch.

"My apologies Minister," said Croaker.

"What would this glove allow, if it was connected to an Atlantean Keystone?" asked Amelia.

"It would allow the user to directly pull magic from the leylines that the Keystone is manipulating," said Croaker, "Effectively giving them infinite magic. And even a short time linked to the Keystone would fill the user's magical resevoir to maximum, which is thousands of times higher than the amount our standard magical capacity fills our magic to. Essentially, it means that the user would not have to wait to cast spells in succession."

The members of the Wizengamot began to mumble to each other. This wasn't a type of magic they'd ever heard of.

"Do you know what happened to the other artifacts stolen from the DMLE?" asked Amelia.

"The last person to examine them was Dolores Umbridge, according to DMLE logs," said Croaker, "However. a detailed search of her home and office did not turn them up."

Harriet heard a "Hrmph," from a few places down. She turned to see Draco Malfoy staring out over the crowd. Following his gaze she saw he was staring at Barty Crouch Jr.

Draco knows, thought Harriet. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

XXXXX

Mid-July

If there was one constant in Draco Malfoy's universe it was that his father was always up to something.

In theory, Draco approved of this. It was very Slytherin after all. But in practice, it was a disaster. Sometimes the most Slytherin thing to do was hold one's peace and not do anything. Ever since Harriet Potter had escaped from her uncle, Draco's father had been constantly trying to fix his mistakes. Sometimes you just had to take your lumps and move on. Snape had taught Draco that.

The two of them were in Diagon Alley. Lucius was here to buy Draco a broom. Draco wanted a Firebolt, but his father had been reluctant to spend that much on it. It wasn't the money of course, it was whether Draco could even make the Quidditch team. Nott was stretching his muscles in Slytherin, and he had to know that Draco would be trying to take him down a notch this year. He might be able to prevent it.

But Draco believed that a Firebolt would make his argument for him. With a Firebolt he'd have the fastest broom in school. Okay, so Sirius Black was almost certain to buy Harriet Potter a Firebolt eventually. That was even more reason for Draco to have one. After a while, Lucius nodded.

"It does make sense," said his father.

The Firebolt was a special order, so it would be delivered to them in a few days. As they left the shop, Draco felt he had the best chance to take back his place in Slytherin.

He heard a muffled sound from his father. Turning, he saw his father had crashed into Barty Crouch Jr.!

"Watch where you are walking Crouch!" said Lucius angrily.

"We need to speak," said Crouch, so quietly no one further away than Draco could hear it. Draco wouldn't have been able to hear it if he hadn't turned his head.

"No. We don't," said Lucius.

Draco considered that. It was very odd the way his father was dismissing the son of the Minister for Magic. It was almost as if he was mad at him for some reason. He knew he'd been under an inquiry, but it had cleared him right?

And that was when Draco remembered why the inquiry had been held.

Is Crouch the one who my father was working with last year? thought Draco.

Draco didn't say anything until they got home. It was still odd to not have Dobby to take their cloaks when they arrived at home. Still, Draco hoped Dobby was happy. The elf deserved better.

"Father, a word if you don't mind?" said Draco.

Lucius nodded and led Draco into his study.

"What is it Draco?" asked Lucius indulgently.

"Barty Crouch Jr. was your accomplice in the Chamber of Secrets fiasco," said Draco.

Lucius blinked, completely flummoxed by this statement.

"H-how did you figure that out?" demanded Lucius, "I haven't given away that much, have I?"

"You haven't given away much," said Draco, "but it was enough for me. You'd never treat a potentially useful person so badly. Factor in his connection to the Umbridge investigation and suddenly an interesting possibility emerges."

"So it was a guess," said Lucius.

"But an educated one," said Draco.

"No point in denying it now I suppose," said Lucius, "He did help at first, but then he went rogue."

"He wanted a mudblood to die no matter what," said Draco, "and he Imperiused Umbridge to make sure it happened."

"So I think," said Lucius, "which makes the whole thing with Umbridge his fault as well."

"Wait, was Barty Jr. a Death Eater?" asked Draco.

"You know I can't answer that," said Lucius.

Draco didn't need an answer though. His father would never have risked his freedom on a person he wasn't sure of. Barty Jr. had to be a former Death Eater.

And Draco had to admit, he didn't understand how he felt about that.

XXXXX

July 29th, 1993

Harriet had to admit, magical law left something to be desired. For example, Dumbledore had been a victim of Umbridge's attack on the school. That should have disqualified him from serving as judge. But here he was giving rulings. Yet that paled compared to the fact that he was actually called as a witness. Yet it was all legal, apparently. Harriet knew the magical world was small, but really, this was inappropriate.

Dumbledore had been fair though, Harriet had to admit that. He was as good a choice as any for the role of Chief Warlock, the problem lay in the possibility that someone would replace him. Hell, for most of magical history someone less scrupulous had probably held the post. Judicial reform was something the magical world needed badly.

Dumbledore's actual testimony was matter of fact and to the point. He wasn't trying to weave a story or change minds. It made sense, Hermione and Cho would be the witnesses to do that. Dumbledore just gave the events, as he had seen them happening.

Hermione's testimony was clear and concise. Harriet had to marvel at just how clear headed and calm she sounded. Even after being hit with a Cruciatus she had managed to keep her head.

Harriet had to admit, she was very impressed by it all. She'd developed a huge amount of respect for Hermione, possibly approaching awe. Or maybe… well Harriet didn't quite know what she was feeling. She shook that idea out of her head. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important.

After Hermione had testified she took a seat next to Harriet to watch Cho testify. Cho was less put together than Hermione, but that was to be expected. Cho had never done this before. Still, Cho's summary of events was coherent.

The second to last witness was one of Umbridge's former coworkers. She painted a picture of Umbridge as vindictive and willing to cause pain. This would be important testimony, as it went to neutralise the one defense Umbridge had.

The final witness for the prosecution was Amelia herself. She simply outlined the evidence she had found from her investigation. The defense tried to question her, but they were not really able to make much headway. Amelia always dotted her I's and crossed her T's. Her investigation had been quite thorough.

Finally it was the defense's turn. There was really only one defense Ross could bring up. And one witness. He called Umbridge to the stand.

"Dolores Umbridge," said Ross, "Did you incapacitate the staff of Hogwarts?"

"Yes," said Umbridge.

"Did you take control of the school?" asked Ross.

"Yes," said Umbridge.

"Did you use the Cruciatus Curse on children?" asked Ross.

"Yes, I did," said Umbridge.

"Why?" asked Ross.

"An unknown person placed me under the Imperius curse," said Umbridge, "I was not in control of my actions."

"The prosecution contests this!" said Amelia.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, "should we suspend normal proceedings and determine the question of whether or not Dolores Umbridge was under the Imperius Curse?"

"No need," said Amelia, "Umbridge's own actions are proof that it doesn't matter whether she was Imperiused or not."

"Please explain," insisted Dumbledore.

"Can an Imperiused person be compelled to kill someone they wouldn't otherwise?" asked Amelia.

"Of course," said Dumbledore, "this is well established."

"But can they be forced to use the Cruciatus curse?" asked Amelia.

Dumbledore shook his head, "The Cruciatus curse requires an exceptionally strong will that desires another to feel pain. The Imperius does not simulate this. A person can only use the Cruciatus under Imperius if they would do so without the Imperius."

"So I say it doesn't matter if Umbridge was Imperiused or not," said Amelia, "She definitely used the Cruciatus. One way or another, it was her own will that powered that magic."

"The prosecution's point is acknowledged," said Dumbledore.

And with that, Ross was out of tricks. He had done all he could.

"The defense rests its case," said Ross.

XXXXX

The Wizengamot actually went into deliberations, which was actually rather rare. They didn't actually go anywhere, they just put up a silencing charm. It was pretty obvious from watching that Crouch and Theodore Nott Sr. were getting into it about something. Probably the Imperius. Bryant Greengrass seemed to take Nott's side for a moment, but then they sat down and began discussing more calmly.

Finally the silencing charm came down. And Dumbledore stood.

"Dolores Umbridge, you will stand," said Dumbledore. Umbridge stood up somewhat unsteadily.

"All those who find the defendant guilty of casting an Unforgivable Curse on a sentient being, light your wands," said Dumbledore.

Virtually every wand in the Wizengamot lit up.

"The defendant has been found guilty," said Dumbledore.

And a wave of relief hit those watching the trials. Whatever Nott's objection had been, he had voted with the majority, as had Bryant. Sirius would let Harriet know what happened.

There were other charges, but Harriet stopped paying attention. Only that charge had mattered. Dolores Umbridge would only face one punishment now.

Once the last charge was found guilty, Dumbledore spoke up again. "Normally we would refer the case to the DMLE for sentencing, however as the law in this case is clear, there is no need to delay matters. The Wizengamot is given the unfortunate and exclusive duty of trying and finding punishments to all capital crimes. While death is no longer a judgement that the Wizengamot deals out, crimes that once would have garnered a death sentence must still be punished appropriately. There is only one punishment for such a crime. Dolores Umbridge, you are sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment in Azkaban Prison, without any chance of reprieve or parole."

Dumbledore banged his gavel. "This judicial sitting of the Wizengamot is adjourned."

"That was fast," said Hermione, "Too fast really."

"Any other trial and I'd agree," said Harriet, "but there was no other sentence that could legally be handed down. And I for one am glad that we'll never have to deal with Umbridge again."

Hermione couldn't argue with that.

"Anyway, I have to pee, so I'll be right back," said Harriet.

Hermione nodded as Harriet stood up and left the courtroom. Harriet hadn't gone halfway to the loo when she was stopped by a familiar and unwelcome voice.

"Don't go after Crouch Jr.," said Malfoy, standing just around the corner from the loo.

"What?" asked Harriet impatiently. She had to admit most of that impatience was due to her full bladder, but Draco wasn't one of her favourite people in any circumstance.

"We both suspect Crouch Jr. is behind this," said Draco, "If he is what I think he is, he's dangerous. He won't hesitate to kill you and certainly not Hermione. After this I'm done helping you, so take me seriously. Let Sirius handle Crouch Jr. You aren't ready for that yet."

"Do you know something?" demanded Harriet.

"I know very little, but even so I'm relatively certain Crouch Jr. was behind this," said Draco, "Don't make this worse."

Harriet didn't have time to stay. She rushed to the loo to relieve herself. Afterwards though, afterwards she wondered. What had Draco been trying to do?

Back in the courtroom, Sirius was smirking.

"Nott Sr. wanted to make absolutely sure we weren't gutting the Imperius defense before he'd vote guilty," said Sirius, "We assured him that it would only apply to intent required spells."

"It thought it was something like that," said Harriet.

"Strange he took that position when his son was one of her victims," said Hermione, "given that his son was already cleared that is."

"Ahhh," said Harriet, "it all makes sense. Lucius probably brought Nott in to get Nott Jr. to recover the diary when Crouch Sr.'s new political alliance collapsed. Instead, Umbridge probably Imperiused him to try to help kill a muggleborn."

And suddenly Harriet realised that Draco's warning had been utterly in earnest. Barty Crouch Jr. really was dangerous. But hopefully, deprived of his tool, he wouldn't be much longer.

XXXXX

Dolores Umbridge sat in her cell, miserable and hopeless. Soon, she would be transferred to that horrible place. And she would never leave. For some reason that didn't fill her with the fear she had thought it might.

When Crouch Jr. entered her cell, she couldn't say she was surprised. She didn't think to curse him, she couldn't have if she had wanted to. Once she had fought his control. But no more. Her life was already over.

"You have done well," said Crouch, "very well. So far this plan has gone perfectly. But unfortunately, your assistance to me is about up."

"About up?" asked Umbridge, "I'm headed to Azkaban. What could I do to help you?"

Crouch pulled out a flat stone disk, and a wand. "Don't talk, I only have a few minutes before someone might notice me here. In order to continue I need help. Dependable help. And you will bring it to me. Here is exactly what you have to do..."

Author's Note: Trying out some fun flashback stuff to open the new part. It's a good way to kick things off in medias res. I hope it does a good job keeping the continuity going to.

Alix 33, I imagine the blanket was made of homespun or some other simple material, as Gryffindor was very much essentially becoming a monk in his last years. As for Hermione, she has had a truly traumatic couple of years, being attacked by Malfoy, nearly kidnapped and killed by a basilisk, and now had a woman take over the school specifically so she could torture Hermione. There was a question by an earlier commenter about how Hermione would change the more responsible Harriet when they are so much closer to each other. But it is Hermione who will be doing the changing. Harriet's development is going to involve her sorcery, and how she develops that, along with a few other personal elements.