Chapter 5
"Retrieving Locket"
Finding where Umbitch lived was much easier than anybody anticipated.
They only had to tell Kreacher Or Dobby to be safe and come back alive just as Regulus did.
Both the elves proved how misunderstood and underrated their powers were. Within hours they had the old toad's location as well as information on the failsafe on her meagre wards.
Within the following days, the elves worked on making Grimmauld place more habitable as well as following the toad on her comings and goings as well.
During the whole ordeal, Hermione fussed over both of them and at every chance she asked, requested, even tried to Coerced them into letting the human company present in the house help them.
Every time Kreacher looked at her as if she were a naïve child and dobby started to tell her how much honoured he is with her such sentiments towards him due to which dobby is very very happy and will work harder than before to help Harry Potter and Harry Potter's friends.
Every morning after breakfast Kreacher would approach Hermione and tell her "Miss should let Kreacher do all the work. Miss should only eat, sleep and read in master Regulus room to her heart's desire."
Upon seeing this every time Harry feels a sense of peace that someone is going to take care of Hermione. He feels that upon taking extra care of Hermione Kreacher is trying to feel closer to Regulus. That through his soulmate Kreacher can fulfil his duty towards Regulus even in his death.
September 1st came and went with it's it left a sombre mood at Grimmauld.
By the end of the day even after a month of preparation and a solid plan. Hermione prepared Polyjuice potion to eradicate the chances of anybody identifying harry in Knockturn alley.
On 2nd September the trio was standing near Dolores Umbridge flat and waiting for her to return home after doing all the nefarious things she does at the ministry.
For all the way Umbridge's flaunts herself at the end of the day she returns to a 1 BHK flat in a secluded ally in Knockturn.
They had arrived at the spot almost 20 min before the time when Umbitch usually returns home according to the elves.
At a quarter to 6 when Hermione saw a pink umbrella in the sea of black once, she told both the boys to seize all movement.
On seeing her face, the memories of the 5th year came rushing back to the three of them.
For Harry – I must not tell lies. Just how those 5 words had broken his confidence. How he couldn't contact Sirius on time.
Ron – all the ways she has humiliated him for being a pureblood but not being enough.
And Hermione- how this woman has destroyed her 1st year as prefect, her derogatory comments on her heritage. The inquisitorial squad. And how she had to use Grawp to deal with her on the night of her attack at the ministry. Hermione blames two people for Sirius death 1st Bellatrix Lestrange and second Dolores Umbridge. If not for her they would have been able to confirm what was happening outside of school. and Harry would not have rushed without any adult supervision. Today was the day of pink toads persecution she will make sure of that.
While reading and learning Regulus from his journals Hermione realized that people important to you are the only ones that matter the most. The rest of the world will walk on you without a second glance. So, one should not feel guilty while destroying the ones that have harmed your loved ones and you. If they have the capability to hurt you, you should have the nerve to obliterate them.
With a strong resolve, the trio moved towards her flat. Even though they shuddered at the sight of her,
"Let's get moving, remember to not tough the locket with your bare hands," Hermione said continuously conjuring 3 pairs of leather gloves for the three of them.
They watched closely as Umbridge roam about her flat with a white feline in her hands.
When she had gone into the bathroom.
Hermione started working on the wards.
She scoffed at the mediocre wards and the overconfidence of the toad, that no one will dare to break into the hovel she called home.
Slowly and with deep breaths they entered her flat. While moving Hermione pointed her wand cast a silencing charm on their feet.
After entering the 1 BHK flat the 1st thing, she noticed was that everything was covered in various shades of horrendous pink. Her office during their 5th year was nothing in front of the monstrosity she was now looking at. There was LOTS and LOTS of cats. On walls on the bed frame, even the lamps on the bedside were in the shape of cats.
Hermione wanted to vomit and she had no qualms about it.
Even Harry and Ron appear to be sharing their sentiments.
They started searching for the locket as soon as they entered the flat.
After searching for 5 min near the bed Hermione found it near the bedside table.
As she was about to pick the locket up, the door of the bathroom jerked open.
As its occupant entered the room wearing a pink bathrobe and wand in hand.
Looking around the room, she opened her mouth and in her simmering sweet voice started saying "Oh, sweet………… what do we have here? Harry Potter and his mudblood with the Weasley. Oh…..!!!! goodie."
Then she noticed what Hermione was reaching for " Now Now girl what are you doing with it. keep it down, and like a good girl, you respect the people in authority and hand yourself to the ministry.
Hermione looked at both the boys then at the reason for her anger.
The only mistake Umbridge made that night was that she had her wand pointed at Hermione, not Harry.
Drop your wands of she will pay the price.
'Don't. . . . . . . Don't don't do it. Don't play into her hand' she started chanting mentally. Then to her disappointment, she noticed that Ron had dropped his wand in an instant. Harry was still hesitant but after Ron, it was only a matter of movements.
But in those moments Hermione was prepared, she thanked all the stars and her father to insist on teaching her self defence especially one on one combat.
Within seconds Hermione had Umbridge turned her hands twisted and the bitch's back at her chest.
Umbridge dropped her wand and harry and Ron gathered theirs and hers at the same time.
Hermione transferred her prisoner to the boys and begin to study the locket.
Its gold metal chain and the green glass case of the locket. She studied the snake embedded in the centre of the locket. With her gloved hands, she tried to open the locket. But was unsuccessful.
With furrowed brows, she took out a metal chest from her bag. (Thanked Kreacher for his advance thinking and telling her that the locket tries to control the mind of the person who is in contact with it.) She opened the chest and put the locket in it and then returned the chest in her bag.
During the whole mission, Ron felt many emotions, at first it was the excitement of doing something after 1 month of constant planning and waiting and plotting. They had finally reached their destination. And ready to fulfil the mission that Dumbledore had trusted them with. To finally take a step in saving the wizarding world. His world.
Then excitement turned into hesitation, at the time he was stepping inside the pink toad's ridicules flat. At the time when the toad had her wand at Hermione's throat, he felt only one emotion fear. Fear for losing his friend. Fear of losing the war. Even he can admit in the solace of his mind that without Hermione they had very little chance of making it to tomorrow. Fear of not seeing his family again, not eating his mother's food. His father's calming voice. Never being able to be annoyed by Fred and Georg. Ginny his little annoying sister how he will miss her.
And then within seconds when he was feeling all those things while lowering his wand. Hermione has Umbridge in a reverse situation.
Now that Hermione had Umbridge at her wand point, she whispered in a cold voice that Ron had heard from her for the first time.
She said, "if you ever thought that I was the goodie-goodie girl who always follows authority, well after tonight you might wanna reconsider that thought."
Umbridge just stared at her with an expression that could only be explained as horror. But paid he no mind.
Hermione continued saying in the same voice that has goosebumps all over his body.
"Nobody and I means nobody hurts my family and get away with it. And that boy over there" pointing a finger at Harry "is in every way a brother to me, no matter what some wanna be toad think about our blood."
Ron could see Umbridge gulping from where he was standing, he was in a dazed cold chill shock.
Hermione 'Accio' a blood quill from Umbridge's drawer and parchment from the table nearby.
She placed both the things in front of her at a small table which has also been summoned.
Umbitch was now full-on shaking and fuck Ron thought if it wasn't both terrifying as well as brilliant. This was Hermione true Hermione to her core. And the thought that occurs to him is that did he truly know her at all. Cause beside him Harry was not shocked or disgusted or not behaving as if he didn't know her, he was for which Ron could only think one word resigned. While felt a series of different emotions for what he was watching before him.
Hermione told Umbridge to write "I should not misuse power and I must not tell lies"
When the pink toad started to shake her head Hermione sent a slicing hex towards her left hand.
"Oops sorry, ma'am we are not taught the proper use of that spell in our class, since our professor told us we can learn the spell through the book not how to cast and use it. You can understand, can't you? though I know that you do."
After that everything went relatively fast, Umbitch wrote about 100 lines. Hermione obliviated her and sent her to live in Muggle London with an ambition of being a shop helper at a local supermarket without any memory of magic and her nefarious past.
After Umbridge's departure, Hermione all too politely asked Harry and Ron to step outside under a clock.
They watched her from the window picking the toads old fat wand and breaking it with an expression of satisfaction. Then with her vine wand, she cast one spell, just one spell. The result of the spell was a fire creature coming out of her wand. Just as her Patronus comes out of it. Easily and clearly. What startled Ron was that it was not a playful cheerful otter but a big, bold lion prancing around the small flat and started destroying it.
When he sneaked a glance at Harry, he again was not sharing his feeling. Harry's eyes were happy and his expression was relieved.
Hermione came out of the flat looking like a warrior who just won a battle. Her vicious but loyal partner moving at an equal and protective pace with her.
Ron knew without even telling that the spell cast was 'Fiendfire'. Dark Magic, Ron was not a fervent reader and he knew that. But conversations he had with Bill and Charlie had told him that, that kind of magic takes a lot from the caster and their magical core. The only sign of magical depletion was precipitation on her face and her burnt and ragged clothes.
Rest she looked fine, dare he say calm after the whole debacle.
"Let's go back home, Kreacher told me he will have a feast prepared. he even told me he'd make both your favourites Treacle Tarts and double chocolate pudding." She said after sending her lion away.
At her words, Ron almost couldn't control his feeling of sickness.
Later Ron while thinking about today's events, will think that before today he had an emotional range of a teaspoon.
I am in a need of a beta who can love this story as much as I do. please let me know if anybody is interested.
All the characters belong to the brilliant J.K.Rowling.