Chapter 13: Murder is Always an Option

Harry was leaning on the wall under his invisibility cloak opposite the room of requirement, waiting for his co-conspirator. The knowledge that Dumbledore had known all along about still stewing in his mind. The carnage he caused in the very room right in front of him made him thankful for the room's magical properties. His musings were interrupted by Daphne rounding the corner at the end of the corridor. She looked around expectantly and when she couldn't see him, he could see her face morph into an expression of annoyance.

'Punctuality is important then, better reveal myself before she wants to duel again.'

When she had turned her back to look at the entrance of the room of requirement Harry took off his cloak and cleared his throat loudly. Daphne whirled around with her wand out but seeing it was him she lowered it but didn't put it away.

"Morning Greengrass." Harry said, making a show of putting his hands up to put her at ease.

"Potter, you're late."

"That depends on your perspective."

"Disillusionment?"

"Of a sort."

"Let's go inside before someone sees us." Daphne said checking down the corridor one last time before entering the room. Harry followed close behind and was surprised to see the room in the form of a muggle gym. He was even more surprised to see Daphne in workout clothes having discarded her robes on a bench near the entrance.

"I must say this is a surprise."

"The wizarding world underestimates the benefits of a healthy body."

"I knew that already, I'm surprised that you don't fall in with the rest of our community."

"How else do you think I got this good looking? It's not all genetics you know?" She declared a bit arrogantly. Beckoning him to follow her, she moved over to a weird looking machine that barely resembled a bike and took a seat. "This is my workout time, you can inform me of Dumbledore's plans and anything else we need to discuss in this timeframe. I won't make a public appearance until we've removed Umbridge so that I can keep you abreast of anything I hear in the dungeons."

"That works for me. Unfortunately, Dumbledore will make no move to stop the breakout tonight, confirming your family's suspicion, and mine, about his effectiveness in this time of war." Harry said resolutely. Before the start of the year Dumbledore was someone he could count on but now the respect he held for the headmaster had all but dissolved.

Daphne sighed and turned to Harry. "Regrettable but not a surprise really. Not much we can do about that but watch how the world reacts. The ministry's reaction will be important, how they cover it up could give us an insight as to what to expect if we attempt to out the Dark Lord."

"Reveal Voldemort? That's very ambitious."

"Thank you," Daphne replied as she got up off the bike machine. She walked over to a machine that had a bar overhead and seat below it. "Have you thought about Umbridge?" She asked strained, starting to pull down the bar to her chest.

Harry asked the room for a chair and sat off to the right of her. "I'm not sure why we should remove her. She's a terrible teacher, sure, but what has she done besides try to impose some rules that she can't really enforce? She can't be everywhere at once."

Daphne looked at him confused before she became visibly surprised. "You don't know? She's been torturing students in the detentions she sets. All of them come back with bloody hands and, most of the time, tears. I overheard some Hufflepuff second years talking about it before the holidays."

The familiar feeling of white-hot rage spread throughout his body. The immense need to lash out was expressed enough in his mind that the room created a dummy at the end of the room. He took aim and hissed out 'fulmur' and a white streak of lightning arced out of his wand and vaporised the target where it stood. He was left standing there puffing at the effort and feeling empty as the rage left him.

"How long?" he bit out.

Daphne had stood and raised her wand the second he let out his spell but had been so impressed with the powerful spell she nearly missed the question. Collecting herself, she lowered her wand for the second time today and answered "most likely from the start. She doesn't seem like the type to give second chances."

'Ron, Colin, Fred and George. It makes so much sense and they've kept it from me, why?'

"What are our options?"

"Murder is always an option" Daphne suggested nonchalantly. Harry looked at her slightly disappointed but carried on.

"As much as she deserves it, there are many complications. What to do with the body, how to explain her disappearance and making sure there are no witnesses." Harry said, mildly surprised at how much he was okay with killing someone.

'She wouldn't be my first, I guess. Not even my first DADA teacher.'

"We could release a creature in her class, forge the schedule to make it look like she accidentally died trying to teach a lesson?" Daphne supplied from her position in front of the boxing bag.

"No, there is too much risk to the students."

"True. What about the Forbidden Forest?" she said in between jabs.

'Now there's an idea. Lure her to the forest and have her meet some of the friendly residents of that cursed place. No witnesses, no body and we wouldn't even need to explain her disappearance'

"That idea has merit. The most glaring issues are getting her there and making sure she's found. If she disappears out of nowhere then everyone in this castle becomes a suspect, including us."

"I could say that I saw you and a few others going onto the grounds after dark. Then I urge her to follow you into the forest. From there though I don't know how we could make it look like an accident."

"I happen to know the location of an acromantula colony. It's dangerous but I could lure her there?"

"We could make that work. If she decides to turn back before the forest, then you should be able to see that and sneak back into the castle. I would be in her good books for helping her gather information on you and we could make another plan."

"No, this has to work on the first try. Kids are being tortured, I can't let that continue." Harry said with finality. He wouldn't allow his friends to suffer if he could do something about it.

"Fine. How does Sunday work for you? I could then suggest you're going to meet Dumbledore outside the castle."

"I can do Sunday. We can hash out this plan more tomorrow, we need to be getting to breakfast soon. Are you sending your father a letter today?" At her nod he continued. "Alright, let him know I'd like an update on the Pettigrew situation and that he should look for the term 'horcrux' in his library. It's unrelated but vital to our victory over Voldemort."

"I've never heard the term before, I'll let him know. I don't think he's made any progress on Pettigrew but I could be wrong."

"Alright I've got to be going now, see you tomorrow." Before she could reply Harry left the room heading straight for the Gryffindor common room. He needs to have a chat with his best mate.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry said harshly to Ron as he entered the common room seeing him in their spot. Ron looked to the twins who had noticed the commotion. They understood the meaning and began clearing out those who were loitering around.

"Why didn't you tell me about Umbridge?" Harry repeated more earnestly.

"Just like you won't tell Hermione or I what you're up to?" Ron challenged. The reply felt like a smack in the face to Harry as he realised what a hypocrite he was being.

"That's different" he tried.

"Hermione doesn't think so, so that means I don't think so either. You have distanced yourself from us and knowing you it's an attempt to keep us safe." Harry was about to say something again but Ron held up his hand indicating he wasn't finished. "You're my best mate Harry, I know you. You're doing something important, your secret meetings with Sirius, your increased alone time and the fact that you yelled at Dumbledore all point to something serious. I know you don't sleep much and I know you've been training your magic, the power in your spells has been higher than usual and it's more noticeable when you're teaching the DA."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Let me finish," Ron said in frustration. "The point is that I know you're stressed about the war so I felt that worrying you with Umbridge's detentions would be a pointless weight that you'd inevitably take on your shoulders."

"How do you know I'd take responsibility? It's Umbridge cutting you up, not me." Harry said in futility. Ron's look of 'come on, I know you remember?' confirmed how silly that attempt of a defence was.

"Besides there's not much you can do about it anyway. I'll just be smart like you and keep my head down, no problems right?"

"Yeah, sorry for being an arse." Harry said, thinking about his and Daphne's plan.

"No problems mate, I figure you get a few free passes considering how much of an arse I can be" Ron joked. The both of them head off to the Great Hall for breakfast together joking to each other the whole way.

"Sirius!" Harry said into the mirror gift. It was the first time he was using it since coming back a few days ago. Daphne and he had ironed out the plan but before they went through with it, Harry wanted to talk about something with Sirius.

"Hey kiddo!" Sirius replied, his face appearing in the mirror. His wide, genuine smile almost distracting Harry from the topic he wished to discuss. "How's Hogwarts going? Everything okay with a particular pair of snakes?" he asked, referring to the Greengrass sisters.

"Everything is fine with Daphne, I don't talk to Astoria much if at all. I actually need to talk to you about an operation that Daphne and I are undertaking soon" Harry said tentatively. He knows that Sirius is extremely protective and could get carried away sometimes.

"An operation? Harry what are you doing over there, it's only been 4 days for Merlin's sake." Sirius cried out worriedly. Seeing Harry's trepidation however he calmed himself down and asked him calmly. "What's going on Harry?"

Harry hesitated but decided he should just get it over with. "Sirius, have you ever actually killed someone?" Harry could see the haunted look that Sirius got whenever he thought about the first war return to his face. He hated bringing back those memories, but he needed to know if what he was doing was right.

"Yes Harry, I have killed people. Death Eaters and Criminals who resisted capture or attempted to kill others." was his mellow reply.

"And it was the right thing to do?" Sirius stared off into nothing as he answered.

"As regrettable as it is, some people deserve to die. In battle and the war in general, it was always a primary directive to take out HVT's or high value targets. So that was inner circle members and Voldemort himself. Most of Voldemort's more fanatical followers would make the situation a kill or be killed scenario." Sirius refocused on Harry and asked "why the sudden interest? You're not planning to kill someone are you?"

"Well not directly, although we are doing most of the work."

"You're going to need to explain further before I lose it right here right now."

"She is torturing kids Sirius!" Harry burst out angrily. "Umbridge will bait people into getting detention then cut open their hand for an hour. Every detention people sit whilst I have the power to stop her is on my head."

"That vile woman, is there no way to remove her?"

A part of Harry kept asking that question too but a more prominent part of him was screaming for blood.

"Not likely. She has too much sway in the school and ministry. Voldemort won't off her and Dumbledore can no longer sack her. Much like everything else, it falls to me." Harry said bitterly.

Sirius sighed tiredly before speaking solemnly. "As your godfather I cannot condone the tainting of your soul with something like this nor can I tell you it's the right thing to do but…"

"But?"

"But as your advisor, if you can remove Umbridge, you will be able to move freely in Hogwarts and you will be removing a problem off the list so that you may focus on more pressing matters like the horcruxes." he said with same steely look in his eyes that accompanied his analysis of the Greengrass.'

"I understand. Thank you, Sirius."

"You're welcome kiddo. Don't lose yourself to this, as nasty a business as war is, you're doing a service to yourself and the school. Now go, I need a drink and it looks like you need some rest."

"Definitely, g'night"

"G'night Harry" Sirius spoke softly before hanging up the mirror.

Harry rose from his seat in the room of requirement and donned his invisibility cloak, it was well past curfew and it would be nigh impossible to make it past Umbridge's spies without the cloak. Another bonus to getting rid of her. Every day the plan makes more sense and now Sirius has given him a good push in the right direction.

'I just hope that it's the right call. I'd hate to kill her and someone worse take her place, as unimaginable as that is' he thought as he exited the room and headed towards the moving staircases. It was time to get as much sleep as he could, plotting a murder was a tiring business after all.