Chapter 8
"What are you playing at, McGonagall?"
The two witches had not even made it to the gates before the sickly sweet voice of the former Headmistress — or as Hermione liked to call her, the head torturer — assaulted them. Both seemed giddy at the idea to ignore the irate woman, Hermione even slowed their pace slightly to stretch the moment.
They noted the large crowd outside the gate, headed by the vile toad. Next to her was a large man with hair like a lion's mane wearing the red robes of an Auror. Behind them were an assembly of similarly dressed witches and wizards, though most looked rather rough and disheveled like they had either been roused out of bed or maybe just hadn't bathed in a week. Possibly both in some cases.
"Madam Umbridge, what seems to be the problem?" McGonagall asked cordially, fighting off the night's chill with a nonchalant warming charm over Hermione and herself.
"What have you done, you cunt?" the woman screamed back, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Let us back in the damn castle!"
"Ah, I see. May I ask what your purpose is here so late at night? Surely whatever you need can wait until morning to handle," Minerva asked simply, ignoring the pulsing vein on Umbridge's temple. Or maybe, like Hermione, she was simply taking pleasure from it.
"I don't have to explain myself to you, bitch! Let me back into my damn school!" Umbridge seemed to be foaming at the mouth.
"It appears you are under the mistaken belief that you have some right to be here and can just demand entry to a place of learning without any explanation of why you wish to enter," Hermione said evenly as she spoke to the crowd for the first time. She then turned towards the Auror beside the spewing toad. "Auror, is it common practice to show up at a school with close to a score of armed witches and wizards and demand entry? Has some vile crime been reported we are unaware of, Auror..."
"Scrimgeour, ma'am, Head Auror Scrimgeour. The seizure of our children and the torture of teachers is a serious matter, one we intend to investigate thoroughly," the man replied seriously.
"If that is the case, why is your suspect beside you demanding reentry into that same institution?"
"Headmistress Umbridge was the one who reported the usurpation of her authority and asked for our assistance in returning control of the school to her. You, ma'am, by her description, are the one of the pair that seized the school."
"Ah. Well, you seem to be misinformed Auror Scrimgeour. You see, when Albus Dumbledore abandoned his post, his headship automatically transferred to his deputy Professor McGonagall here." Hermione waved at the floating chair containing her favorite teacher. "Miss Umbridge then used potions and spells to steal that control and begin a reign of terror among the students."
"The only ones who fear me are the troublemakers," snarled Umbridge, her face so flushed it almost matched the hideous pink cardigan she wore over her robes.
"You mean the so-called Blood Traitors and those not of pure blood, don't you?" Hermione asked then focused back on the Auror. "Were you aware that she had spelled the students not to discuss any 'acts of discipline' they witnessed or heard about? Or the fact that there are currently ten female students in the infirmary being treated for sexual assaults? Eight of which were given to specific boys or groups of boys as a reward by this woman? Or that she has allowed the casting of Unforgivables on younger students by older helpers all under the pretext of discipline?"
"We are not here to investigate that, merely to restore order and return control of Hogwarts to the Ministry."
"Which is a violation of both the Hogwarts Charter and Ministry law," Minerva reinstated herself in the conversation. "In addition, as Miss Umbridge's position as both a member of the Ministry and a professor is in violation of the Charter as well, and the fact that her headship was never confirmed by the Board means that she never really was headmistress."
"We'll have the confirmation by breakfast, now-"
"Doesn't matter now, not only has she already violated the Charter, but the Board no longer has power at Hogwarts. The Gryffindor Trust has reactivated and resumed its direct control of the school. They have confirmed my headship, one I will not release again without a fight."
"Enough of this nonsense. If you won't let us in, we'll enter over your soulless bodies!" Umbridge roared, pulled a large disc from a chain around her corpulent neck. Hermione's eyes raised wide as she recognized the etched shrouded figure on the face of the disc before Umbridge began to tap commands and speak to the medallion.
From the woods behind the group and all along the wardline, spectral black shapes began to appear, an icy chill spreading ahead of them. They floated forward, and more joined behind them. Soon, hundreds of dementors were approaching the group, clearly intending to attack the pair of witches standing their ground. Hermione's hand steadied Minerva and the dissipating effects of a patronus cocooned her as well. Both calmly watched as the demons closed in.
The first to reach the ward line was the first to die.
As soon as the lead dementor touched the wards, it screamed. It was worse than a hundred nails on a chalkboard, a high pitched shriek that oddly raised the pair's spirits as the thing producing it died. It looked like the hell spawn burned away as it crossed the wards boundary, leaving nothing but an echoing scream and a cloud of ash.
Three more disintegrated and two lost limbs before the swarm could turn away and began to observe, testing for weaknesses.
"Add destruction of Ministry property to the list of charges, Scrimgeour." The vicious snarl on Umbridge's face was covetous of blood and death.
"Like the new protective wards?" Minerva asked, then cocked her head slightly. "Actually, I guess they're not really new, just old protections that we reactivated. We reactivated a lot of protective features, including the intent ward, which I'm guessing is what is keeping you lot out."
"And as for your charge, per Ministry definition, the dementors are not property, as if they were they would be considered slaves as they are sentient. Slavery of any creature not in a magical bond is illegal. There being no such bond between the Ministry and dementors, they cannot be considered property. They in that case must be employees, possibly contractors. And while they were operating under the direction of Ministry employees, the order given was illegal so Hogwarts is in no way responsible." Hermione rocked slightly, like a giddy innocent student who had just scored a point against a hated teacher. Then she stopped and looked over her shoulder as she felt Harry answer her call. "And I think you just pissed off the wrong wizard."
An earth shattering roar rang across the ground, startling those at the gate. Every eye turned to follow her gaze. From the front of the castle, a dark shadow erupted, gliding through the air towards them. It resolved its shape into that of an enormous drake, wings stretching over eighty meters wingtip to wingtip and over fifty from snout to tail. Red highlights glinted off the moonlight as the Ministry group scattered, falling over each other to find cover.
"Oh, and since you attacked this school, you can't do anything to us as we defend it," Hermione called to the cowering Aurors as the dragon roared a second time. It swept over the pair of witches, and its roar shifted as flames blasted from its maw. The icy blue-white fire swept the edge of the forest, engulfing the fleeing shadows of the dementors. Flames consumed each as it went, and inhuman screams filled the night as the demons were immolated.
The Aurors shot a rainbow of spells at the beast, but every one of the few that actually hit glanced off his scaled armor. Scrimgeour was bellowing orders and trying to organize the Aurors while Umbridge was demanding they kill the monster and other nonsense. She even tried to demand McGonagall let them into the school to protect them, followed immediately by demanding that she call off the dragon and surrender to her.
The dragon had made two more passes, ignoring the witches and wizards to find and destroy every dementor fleeing through the trees. The last one screamed as razor sharp claws shredded it, its tattered cloak floating to the ground. Several spells chased after the dragon as it crossed back into the wards, inciting even more outrage from Umbridge.
"You dare let such a creature enter my school yet deny me? Traitors, heathens, criminals!"
"He could enter as he intends the students no harm."
"The fact that the dragon seems to be defending the students while you seem intent on harming them would seem to be the telling difference," McGonagall spoke in her no nonsense tone, causing most of those present to have flashbacks of their own school days. "Tell me why again you seem to have decided this is your castle Miss Umbridge?"
"I'm the headmistress!" the toad woman screamed, stamping her foot.
"Really? Because last I checked, the headmistress had control of the wards. Seeing as those same wards are rejecting you, then you cannot be headmistress, can you?" McGonagall pointed out. "And before you claim you were appointed by the Minister, the rules governing Hogwarts predate the Ministry. There are also no bylaws granting the Ministry any control over the school. Heads are confirmed by the governors, though they have since been dismissed for malfeasance."
"You cannot do this, I am the headmistress!"
"No, you are not, nor were you ever," Harry strode out of the darkness, his armor gleaming in the moonlight. "But if you insist, there is a simple way to gather more information about this. Auror, if you would simply retrieve a vial of Veritaserum, Madam Umbridge can take it and answer some simple questions, it should clear the air."
"What questions?" a voice asked from the crowd of Aurors.
"Simply put, ask her if she believes her claim of headship is legal and why. There may be more as she seems to assume the Minister is a dictator," Hermione answered. "Next, let's ask her if she has ever given preferential or different treatment to students based on their blood status. Another interesting question would be if she had ever knowingly placed a student in a position to be harmed."
"Could you explain those questions, especially the last two?" another Auror asked, stepping forward to be identified. The tall regal looking Auror of African descent looked concerned.
"Well Auror…"
"Shacklebolt."
"Well Auror Shacklebolt, it's fairly easy. We are given to understand that many times since Madam Umbridge usurped the control of the school, those of favorable blood status — namely purebloods — were absolved without investigation of any accusation. In some cases, the victims of their actions were even punished. She has also reportedly given detentions involving the writing of lines with Blood Quills, always to Muggleborn or half-blood students. And I assume you heard the earlier part of our discussion when I mentioned the status of a few patients in the infirmary ward?"
"I only give them the punishments they deserved!" screamed Umbridge, as she began pointing urgently to the trio. "Now arrest them for sedition against the Ministry!"
"How is telling the truth sedition? Or are you speaking of our stance against the so-called Dark Lord?" Harry challenged evenly. "I guess I understand that could be seen as unwelcome to you, given the dark mark on your left forearm."
"KILL THEM!" the irate woman screamed, pointing at the trio and flushing so hard her face looked like a tomato. Her own wand raised and spat curses at the group, each splashing against the wards. The trio merely sat back, as did several Aurors while the rest joined the Undersecretary. Harry and Hermione were amused to note that over half the curses would have missed them anyway, which was particularly disappointing considering these were Aurors and a former Defense professor.
It took several minutes before they could be convinced their efforts weren't doing anything and to give up. It looked like the two Auror who had spoken up, as well as two of their compatriots had stepped to the side and merely watched, despite the orders to join the attack. The rest were wheezing and huffing, catching their breath as they tried to figure out a better way to attack the group.
"Auror Scrimgeour, you seem rather focused on entering this school by force while you have testimony countering what you have been told," Minerva spoke evenly. "This places Hogwarts in an unenviable position. The Ministry is supposed to be the protector of our people, yet presents a danger to our students. The protection of those students is one of our highest callings. Due to this, until Madam Umbridge is arrested and stands trial, under Veritaserum, no one from the Ministry will be welcome here."
"We shall go one further. Four weeks ago you were given immense evidence of wrongdoing by multiple individuals, yet nothing has happened to them, not even an investigation of the claims we made. Until those whose wrongdoings were exposed in the November Wizengamot session stand trial, no one from the Ministry will be allowed in unescorted by one of us," Harry added. "Now we understand some of those employees will be present when the students return, as we will be inviting all parents to see the changes we are instituting, but they will be severely restricted at that time unless sufficient action has been taken. Good day."
The screams as the trio turned and returned to the castle only fed the smiles all three wore.