A/N: My what good little reviewers you've been! Many of the most recent reviews were fun to read, owing to my insinuation that the Minister will be six feet under very shortly. Does anyone think that she just really wanted chocolate? No? Didn't think so. Well, this chapter does indeed contain the death of our beloved Minister. That said, let's get right into it. I can't wait! I don't really have an evil laugh, but if I did, I would insert it in place of this sentence!
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Chapter 14: Hermione's Solo Act, and Ron's Inquisition
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Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was working late. He was the last one in the building, and with good reason for it. One simply did not do the type of work that he was doing when there were witnesses around. If someone were to see what he was up to, there would be far too many inquiries for his taste. Not to mention the amount of paperwork that would have to be done by other people. No, it was best that nobody saw him, if only to keep them from needing to do all that paperwork. After all, he was doing more than enough paperwork for everyone.
The paperwork he was doing, however, was not about the rise of the Dark Lord, or anything as worldly important. Fudge was working on appropriating funds for his own vault in Gringotts. The legal term for it was embezzling, but he preferred to think of it as relieving the Ministry of unnecessary capital. Right now, he was working on the Society of Aurors' Requisition form. They had been allocated 200,000 Galleons to aid them in bringing down the Dark Lord. The money had already been transferred to the Ministry, so it could be given to the Aurors, but first Fudge was doing some preparatory work on it. The Society of Aurors didn't need 200,000 Galleons; 199,000 would be plenty. So, all that there was to do was change a bit of the paperwork, and transfer the extra thousand into his anonymous Gringotts Vault.
It was not panic or fear that had him so adamant the previous year about denying the return of the Dark Lord. No, it was duty. If he stepped down as Minister, or someone questioned his capacity for leadership, He would come under scrutiny, and probably found out as an embezzler. It was his duty to make sure that the Ministry wasn't troubled with that investigation. Now, the Ministry had bigger fish to fry, so he was safe in his position.
As he was thinking this, the lights in his office dimmed quite suddenly. Thinking that the amplifying charm on the torches had worn off, he turned in his chair, and re-cast the spell. Pocketing his wand, he turned his chair back to his desk, and almost fell out of it. There was now an occupant in the visitor's chair in his office. The person looked female, although the face was hidden under a hood. The robes she was wearing were similar to the ones that the assassin that had threatened him wore, but different as well. This woman's cloak was cuffed with dark gray fabric that looked…sharp, almost as if it were a razor blade. She was currently holding the scroll he was working on, and seemed to be reading it.
"I guess it must be nice to be able to provide yourself with a bonus whenever you want one." She said, her voice as sharp as the cuffs of her cloak looked. The tone made Fudge's face pale slightly, and his fingers seek his wand. "I wish it were that easy for the rest of us."
The woman sounded dangerous, and she was holding incriminating evidence. This caused a contradiction in instincts in Fudge's brain. On the one hand, she was dangerous, and he longed to get as far from her as possible. On the other hand, she was holding evidence of his crime, and he wanted desperately to relieve her of it. In the end, the fighting instincts rendered him incapable of producing any sound from his mouth. That was ok, apparently, because the woman continued speaking.
"It isn't easy for most of the world to get this kind of money." She said. "Some people work all the time, with very little to show for it." Unbidden, the image of Arthur Weasley came into Fudge's head.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my office?" Fudge said in a firm but gentle voice. After all, she was a lady, and he was good with ladies. Over half of his voters last election were women. (A/N: I'm American, remember, so I'm assuming that voting goes the same for the British as it does in the U.S. I'm playing percentages here. Women outnumber men in world population, so it's only natural that women voters would outnumber the men.)
"You may call me Blade, Minister, and I am here to address your less than honest business practices." Blade was a name that certainly suited her. Her voice sliced right through him. Fudge surreptitiously pulled his wand from his pocket. Blade, with her ability to see magic, watched as the wand made its journey to the ready position under Fudge's desk. Fudge may have been weak, but he did go through field training, and he had been part of the Department of Magical Catastrophes. He also had perfected a combination of spells to obliviate and subdue the subject in one go.
Rather than wait, and cause him more undue stress, Fudge pulled his wand from under the table and leveled it at the woman before she could react. "I'm afraid, Miss Blade, that my business practices are none of your business." Fudge said. "Not that you'll remember them in a moment." He raised his wand, and in a move very reminiscent of Gilderoy Lockheart, said the spell. "Obliviatus Stupefy!" The spell, meant to erase the target's memory, and then stun them was a product of Fudge's own scheming. It was very useful in dealing with people who unknowingly discovered something they weren't supposed to see. Often it happened when his secretary was cleaning his desk, and sent the paperwork that he was revising off to its destination prematurely. She'd then pass out, and never remember doing it. The same went for the person who received it. All, in all, it was a very useful little spell.
The spell's aim was perfect, and struck her right in the chest. She slumped in the chair, apparently knocked out. Excellent. Fudge gathered up his paperwork, and set it to one side. Now all he had to do was signal an Auror or two, and they would come collect her. He then realized that he'd made a small mistake. Earlier he'd given his secretary the amulet used to call the Aurors, so she could take care of the calling for him. One less thing to worry about, right? So, the Amulet was sitting on his secretary's desk.
As he began to open the door, the dagger that buried itself in the wall next to him stopped him abruptly. His face lost all the color it had. He turned around slowly, only to see the figure in the chair still slumped over. However, one of her hands was extended in his direction. Slowly, like a behemoth rising from the deepest waters, the woman stood. "Minister, I have only one word to say to you." Her voice said. The one word was enough to scare Fudge out of his mind. "Run." As she spoke, the air around her hand shimmered, and a coal-black sword appeared.
When told to run by a very dangerous person holding a sword, there are very few people who would stand their ground. Fudge, remembering that she'd shaken his stunner without any apparent effort, needed no encouragement, and took off like a man chased by, well, a woman carrying a sharp object. On his way past his secretary's desk, he made a grab for the amulet, but missed. Not willing to risk a second attempt, Fudge took off down the hallway. He ran as fast as he could, taking several side hallways, and doubling back every so often. He finally stopped at a corner, just before the stairs, and looked around for his tormentor. She was nowhere to be seen.
"Did I say you could stop running, Minister?" Came her voice, cold and sharp, from nowhere in particular. Fudge screamed in pain as something stabbed him from inside the wall. He fell over, twisting his body to try and relieve the agony, but it was no use. His eyes, which he had squeezed shut when he got stabbed, opened to see the woman step out from inside the wall. He knew immediately that she was one of the Shadow Masters that Shacklebolt had spoken of. And he knew his life was over.
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The next morning, Aurors would find the body of Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, inside the entrance hall. Attached to his cloak was a pin, just like the Visitors wore when at the Ministry. It said: Cornelius Fudge Victim of IDC. Around the body were strewn many loose papers, which upon closer inspection, revealed evidence of Fudge's embezzling.
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It had been going on for three days now. Harry and Hermione, who spent most of their time with each other, were growing increasingly annoyed by it. Ron seemed to be the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, and would not stop asking them questions about the summer. The morning after Hermione's transformation was no exception. The only difference was the mood Hermione was in, and the satisfaction they both felt. The last three days had been horrible, mostly because of the growing need to kill something. Now, the questions were only mildly annoying.
Ron, on the other hand, was about ready to explode. Three days of watching, subtle questions, and outright interrogations had led to nothing. He was good, but they weren't letting him get an edge. It was frustrating. The worst part of the problem was the way they covered each other. Normally, he would get either Harry or Hermione alone, and question them, but they were ALWAYS together. They woke up at the same time, went to the same classes, studied together, and went to bed at the same time. Harry didn't even have Quidditch practices with him anymore, thanks to Professor Umbridge.
Finally, at breakfast on the fourth day, Ron's temper got the best of him. "Damn it, you two! Why won't you just answer me?" He yelled, gaining the attention of the entire school. Hermione and Harry looked at each other, and walked out of the Great Hall. Ron, sensing a hint, followed them out. He followed them out into the Entrance Hall, and they sat down on a bench. They were waiting expectantly, so Ron decided to start.
"Why won't you guys tell me what went on during the summer?" He asked. "I mean what you guys did, and where you went?"
Harry looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Harry. They seemed to be conversing without words. They both sighed. They were going to tell him something. "We went on a tour of Europe, Ron. We visited many major cities, including, Rome, Venice, Prague, Barcelona, and Paris. We saw a total of six different countries." He said. "It's not a secret."
Ok, this was progress. The next move was to Hermione. "Well, then what did you guys learn about on your tour? I mean come on, Hermione; you always are learning new things. Every year you go on a vacation, and then tell us about all the stuff you learn."
Hermione wasn't fooled by the question. Now that she'd come into her powers, she could recognize the deceit in his question. Her mind rapidly put together the details, and she formulated a slanted response. "And every year, you make it well known that you'd rather do anything other than listen to me talk about my summer. Why the sudden change?"
Busted! Ron had to think fast. Unexpected move from Hermione! "Well, I was just curious as to what you were doing, that's all." That was a stupid thing to say. Ron had been pumping them for information for three days, and all because he was curious? It even sounded stupid to Ron.
Harry responded to the silliness with sincerity, however. "Ron, the people who helped us learn over the summer specifically requested that we didn't tell anyone what we studied. They didn't want to risk their secret coming out into the open." It was a true, if misleading sentence. After all, their fake personas helped them learn. Their demon minds were quick and very clever, and they learned easily. And they most certainly didn't want their secret out in the open.
Ron saw his opening. It was a guilt-instilling sentence, and it almost always worked. "You guys don't trust me?" He said, his face showing hurt. He was hurt, but mostly because they were trying too hard to keep him out of the Order. He didn't expect Harry and Hermione to try so hard during the test.
"Yes, I trust you, Ron." Ha! The moment of truth! Finally, Ron would have his answers, and become an Order member. "But, who are you planning to tell?" Harry said, causing Ron's joyful thoughts to cease. Harry fixed him with a penetrating look, and he felt like he was being read like a book. Without the Occlumency training, Ron's mind was easy to read, and Harry immediately pulled out the memory of the Headmaster's little chat with Ron. "Was it Professor Dumbledore, Ron?"
"No Harry, I wasn't planning on telling anyone." Ron lied, unaware that Harry knew the truth already. "Your secret would be safe with me." He tried his best to be sincere, but it sounded forced.
"I don't believe you." Hermione said flatly. "Professor Dumbledore hired you to spy on us when Harry refused to tell him who helped us learn over the summer, didn't he?"
This statement took Ron by surprise. Professor Dumbledore didn't know? Harry then spoke. "I doubt you would intentionally betray us, Ron, but since you weren't told that the Headmaster did not already possess the information he wants, you would have run right up to his office to report on your findings. And if we were to tell you now, there is a very good chance that he could use Legilimency to watch your memory f the conversation, and give us away anyway."
Ron was dumbfounded. They were keeping secrets for somebody, and were doing a wonderful job at it. They wouldn't even tell Dumbledore. He would have betrayed them if they'd told him, and he might still, even if he didn't want to. "Don't tell me anything, guys. I don't want to betray you. Not now, not ever." Ron walked away slowly, lost in thought.
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"How do we do this, Albus?" Severus asked. He'd gotten a package in the mail that morning, with a note attached to it. The note was unsigned, but told him that the antidote was inside the package. Professor Snape was safe for the moment, but, being the hateful man that he was, planned to make Harry go under Veritaserum anyway. "I need answers, and I need them soon."
"Severus, I believe we will need outside assistance." Albus replied. "I have a few contacts inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that I trust. We'll do it this afternoon, so Harry doesn't have time to prepare."
"As you say, Headmaster." Severus said, and left.
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A/N: I bet you all hate me, don't you? This chapter took far too long, and I apologize for that. I tried to write it faster, but I ended up rewriting it about four times. I just never felt right to me. Now it's here. Forgive me I beg of you!
Paladin3030: Don't say that in public, or people may get the wrong idea!