Dumbledore Disappears
Harry entered the DADA Professors office. He was taken aback. Unlike Moody who had barely shown any sign of inhabiting the room, Umbridge had completely redecorated.
The walls were now a pastel pink, with white trimmings. A legion of cats looked through picture frames at Harry. There was a big, white and very shiny new desk, and in a corner there was a plush sitting area.
Harry looked around, a bit uncertain what to make of the room.
"Hrm, hrm," Umbridge intoned, "Take a chair."
Harry moved to the desk and sat down, across from the professor.
For a few moments Umbridge just looked at Harry with a grim frown. He expected some sort of tirade about his behavior next. Instead entirely unexpected words came out of the Undersecretaries mouth: "We at the ministry have been keeping an eye on you."
Harry usually tried to keep a low profile around the toad-like professor. But at the moment he could not keep the question in: "Why would you tell me this? It would be better for you if I don't know."
"We have found that there are times for both. If the target doesn't know, it usually give more fruitful intel, but they do, it can have certain other beneficial effects."
Harry suddenly understood the whole scenario, "You know that I faced Voldemort, at least this spring. And let me just confirm the rumors, this was not the first confrontation. You think 'we are watching you' is going to scare me?"
"The Ministry is fully aware what is going on. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that Wizarding Britain remains safe."
Harry remained quiet. He doubted very much the truth of Umbridge's words, but he had spoken too much already.
After a few moments of silence Umbridge said: "You will write 'I will not attack my fellow wizards and witches.' two hundred times. I trust you brought your parchment and quill."
Harry silently proceeded to write his lines.
HPU
The door to the Dungeons swung open. The door slammed into the wall, and the bang echoed down the various corridors of the Slytherin house.
In strode the ancient figure of the Headmaster. His age was belied by his confident strides and his focused eyes. This was the man who defeated Grindelwald. He looked around, and shouted: "Where is Harry Potter?"
Several intimidated Slytherins pointed at SSSSam's nook. Harry sat there doing his homework.
Barely giving Harry time to put his stuff into his bag, Headmaster Dumbledore pulled him along. He dragged Harry through Hogwarts, and outside.
As they walked, Harry repeatedly asked, "What are we doing?" and "Where are we going?"
To which Dumbledore only replied with a terse "Later."
Once they reached the ward lines, Dumbledore asked Harry to grab his hand tightly. He warned him about the unpleasantness of apparition, and then they popped away.
…
Harry found himself in the Headmaster's office.
The Headmaster stepped back and put his wand away. "Thank you Harry, for your time, you may go now."
Harry was confused, "How did I get here?"
"It will all become clear in time. But I'm very busy today, and I'm afraid you will be angry with me when that happens. Go now, my boy."
Harry looked into Dumbledore's eyes, as if to divine what happened.
"I must compliment you on your progress in Occlumency, but I am afraid that your Legilimency is not yet developed enough to get my thoughts out." Dumbledore smiled benevolently. "In time this will all become clear, but you must be patient until then."
Harry got up, he was not going to get much else out of the old man.
HPU
"Hi, where have you been? Did Dumbledore talk to you?" Theo asked as Harry entered the Slytherin common room. He had clearly been waiting in the nook next to the door.
Harry looked at Theo with confusion. "I was just gone … it doesn't feel that long. How long have I been gone?"
"Mate, it's almost time for the Halloween Feast. You've been gone all day."
"That can't be." Harry cast a quick tempus charm. It showed that it was already five forty-five. "Impossible!"
Theo dragged Harry into one of the more private coves surrounding the Common room. "What happened to you today?"
"I just remember the Headmaster getting me in the morning. He hauled me outside, past the wards of Hogwarts. Then I was suddenly inside his office, and he sent me away. It seems like it has been ten minutes since Dumbledore entered the Dungeons. Although, I also feel exhausted."
"He took you away for the whole day. You don't remember anything?" Theo's question sounded more like a statement, "then he must have obliviated you."
"I'm almost certain that I am a good enough Occlumen to prevent that." Harry disagreed, "or at least notice that something is wrong."
"Then how do you explain this?"
"I must have agreed to it. I don't know why I would do that, but that is the only logical explanation."
"Are you sure you would trust the dotting old fool?" Theo scoffed.
"I think it's an act. There have been several times now where Dumbledore talked with me in private, where he was completely lucid. Last spring for instance, when we went over what happened at the final task. He showed why the world respects him."
"Or at least why it respected him. What happened in that task anyway, you never told anyone?" Theo almost sounded accusatory.
Harry was about to tell him, when he noticed something strange, he had not noticed before.
He knew he should not be able to tell him. And yet, the magical vow Umbridge had forced upon them held no power at the moment. Did Theo already know? How would he know? And why would he fake asking about it? These questions stopped Harry from sharing any more. He would discuss this with Hermione.
Harry was quiet, not knowing what he should say in this situation. Theo eventually said: "I know, I know, you cant talk about it. I just wish you would trust me. Anyway, we don't really have much time, if you are ready for the feast, we should head to the Great Hall."
"Just wait a moment for me, I need to take my stuff back to my room. Whatever I was doing, I was carrying my homework with me all day."
HPU
Harry and Theo were almost late to the Halloween Feast. As they sat at the long Slytherin table, they speculated and wondered some more about what could have happened today. The empty Headmaster's chair added fuel to their discussion. Where was Professor Dumbledore? He usually didn't miss the big feasts.
When it was time to begin the feast, Madam Umbridge rose from her seat.
It took a few moments for anyone to notice that she was standing and trying to get the attention of everyone. Her fake cough was completely drowned in the happy chatter of the students.
Professor McGonagall was finally the one who got everybody to pay attention. As soon as she rose, the Hall stilled.
"There are a few announcements from the Ministry of Magic. Madam Umbridge would like to inform you of several changes to your experience here. Madam Umbridge." She introduced the Senior Undersecretary, and sat back down.
"Faculty and Students of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore is no longer the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He was an inspirational leader and the educator of several generations of Britain's brightest witches and wizards, but all of this is now in doubt. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Department of Mysteries are leading a joint inquiry into several suspicious incidents over the past several years. While of course we need to always assume innocence unless proven guilty, Professor Dumbledore's reaction, namely of fleeing, does not leave a good impression."
The hall erupted into startled whispering. Theo leaned over and whispered into Harry's ear, "Unbelievable, the day Dumbledore is being sacked, the last day he is at the school, he spends with you. And you can't remember."
Harry understood Theo's frustration. He shared it after all. But why was he so obsessed over it?
Meanwhile, the student body of Hogwarts was frantic. What had happened? Where was Dumbledore? What did this mean for Hogwarts?
"Hrm, hrm." Umbridge fake coughed. "While this is of course a big surprise, I want to reassure all of you that this should have only a minimal impact on your daily live. Everything possible is being done to insure this. Classes will resume as normal on Monday. Professor McGonagall will hold the position of acting Headmistress until the board of governors can agree to a permanent replacement. The Minister has furthermore pledged to place all available Ministry resources in the manhunt of Albus Dumbledore. The Wizengamot has scheduled a trial of him for the coming Thursday, with or without the defendant's presence. I want to repeat, this should not cause worry for any of you. The Ministry is doing its best to make Hogwarts as safe as it should be and to ensure that Hogwarts' educational standards are reflective of its status as Britain's premier magical school. In order to achieve these goals the Minister for Magic has decided to appoint me High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. My precise role is yet to be determined, but suffice it to say, Hogwarts will only improve."
Umbridge looked proudly around the hall. If the announcement had not been so serious, Harry would have found the reaction of the student body hilarious. Almost universal horror was painted on the faces of the students.
"Thank you and Happy Halloween." Umbridge sat down quickly and the hall erupted into speculation.
Harry turned to Theo.
"Well, bugger me sideways with a chocolate frog." Theo said, "that was unexpected."
"What, that is all you have to say?" Harry could not believe it. "They decided the worst teacher of Hogwarts should be in charge? Or am I missing something?"
"Yes, I would argue Binns is far worse."
"Really? While he is maybe more boring, at least what little he teaches about the goblin rebellions is true. Umbridge is actively trying to sabotage our defense skills." Harry protested. "But that is besides the point. Why would they want to put that toad in charge of Hogwarts? How can you take this so … so easily?"
"If your are honest, Hogwarts has struggled to maintain its standards for decades. Umbridge can't be any worse than Dumbledore."
"But Hogwarts is the best school of magic in all of Britain. Everyone knows that!" Harry decided to ignore Daphne's description of Hogwarts.
"How many other magical schools do you know?" Theo asked. "That is one of the problems of Hogwarts. It doesn't teach you about the wider magical culture. Besides Hogwarts historic and political importance, it is really only exceptional in Charms and Transfiguration. You can look at the OWL and NEWT results to see that all other classes are average at best and abysmal at worst. The main reason for Hogwarts' importance is that ninety-seven percent of Ministers and Department Heads in the last hundred years have graduated from Hogwarts."
Harry resolved to ask Daphne about this in her next tutoring session. "I don't know anything about other schools, but I know two reasons that I am very worried about this. One, Umbridge is absolutely awful. She will make Hogwarts worse. And two, now that Dumbledore is gone, Hogwarts is much more vulnerable."
"Hogwarts defenses predate Dumbledore by almost a millennia." Theo said, ignoring Harry's first objection, "They have held all this time. Who do you think could be both crazy enough and powerful enough to try to breach them?"
Harry remained silent.
"Only the Dark Lord in his prime could have even tried. Are you suggesting…" Theo slipped into silence as well.
After several minutes of silence, Harry decided to change the topic to something he was burning to ask anyway. "Umbridge mentioned a trial for Dumbledore, how will that work? Who will defend him?"
"It seems unlikely that Dumbledore will be caught in time. So the Wizengamot will have to appoint a defense in his place. Likely someone from the bureaucrats of the DMLE. He will be oath bound to put up the best defense possible, but you can see how it does not present a good impression to have the persecution and the defense both come from the same group."
"So it will be a show trial?"
"Not exactly. The trial will be be behind closed doors no doubt." Theo declared. "So there will be no show. But I would place a high wager that the outcome is practically guaranteed."
"What will they charge him with? While I agree that there has been more havoc at Hogwarts than there should be at a school, is there anything criminal in Dumbledore's behavior?"
"Probably not, but that is only what they are releasing to the public. If I'm right and they do it in a closed Wizengamot session, there is no telling what the charges are actually.
HPU
It was surprising to Harry how quickly the new normal became … normal.
In a way not much had changed. Classes went on mostly as usual. Harry kept himself busy with his many activities. Physical training, Occlumency practice and, so far futile, attempts of building a network, as well as classes and the reoccurring detentions fitted together into a very busy schedule. Apart of some fleeting thoughts, Harry had little time to worry about the fate of Dumbledore.
It could almost be said that Madam Umbridge became an ordinary, if unpleasant, feature of Hogwarts.
The only thing that did not settle down was the incessant speculation by most of the student body. What had Dumbledore done? Where was he now? Who would be the next Headmaster?
A few days after the big event, Harry received a letter that cleared some things up, but left huge questions behind. Harry kept the letter to himself, but he would bet that his classmates would kill to get their hands on the information it contained.
Dear Harry,
Thank you for you long letter. I can't believe all the ruckus you have already made. Moody shared with me a bit more about last year. You didn't tell me the full picture. You make us Marauders look like amateurs. I can't believe you slew a troll in your first year.
This past week, Moody and I got an addition to our team. Albus Dumbledore decided he would be best served by spending the last of his days with us two escapees. You read that right. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is on his death bed. He contracted a rare disease, movensitis, and is slowly but surely loosing his magical reserves. At his age, magic is really the only thing keeping him alive. This is after all the reason magicals live so much longer than Muggles. While he has some time left, his strength is slowly dwindling. Moody and I try to keep him comfortable. Despite the whole situation (I'm sure you know about the manhunt), the old goat is in surprisingly good spirit. He did not want to go into details, but he seemed to be very happy about his last meeting with you. He places a lot of hope on your endeavors.
I am forbidden by Moody to give you too many details about our daily lives. He was horrified that I told you about the sanatorium in Switzerland. Anyway, in the morning, Moody is brutally retraining me in fighting. In the afternoons, I can relax at least, the beach here is nice and the girls fair.
As for who I know from my time at Hogwarts, there are a few. Albus mentioned McGonagall and Sprout are still there. The Marauders had an intense rivalry with Snape, your head of house. I think it was fueled by jealousy from James. He was infatuated with Lily, and could not stand that she spent so much time with him. I despised all Slytherins because of my family, so I helped James a lot with his pranks.
The letter continued with stories of the Marauders and Harry read them with a smirk on his face. He wondered how long it took Sirius to accept that he had been placed into Slytherin.
Harry got suddenly serious. Dumbledore was dying. What else had the ancient Headmaster told him in those forgotten hours? And what had he told the Headmaster?
Harry wanted to curse.
HPU
Harry stood in the shadow of one of the nooks of the Slytherin common room. Unlike his normal habit, it was not SSSSam's nook, nor did he do his homework. He was under his invisibility cloak, and barely breathed, trying to be absolutely quiet in the busy common room. He was listening to what nearby groups talked about. He had wandered silently and invisibly from group to group, spending a minute or two with most of them.
Some were doing homework, others talked about Quidditch. For the most part everyone was doing regular stuff.
Then he struck gold.
A small group consisting of Zabini, Bulstrode, Parkinson, Warrington and the Carrow twins sat in a corner. The group got to Harry's attention, because he could only hear a buzz coming from them. They were under some silencing wards.
Harry stepped closer. If they knew what they were doing, their wards should alert the caster to anyone crossing the secrecy wards, even if one was hidden. Harry knew this, but he also knew that his cloak was not an ordinary cloak. He didn't know where his father had gotten it, but Moody had tested it thoroughly last year, and it was not an ordinary cloak. Among other things, it let him pas undetected through these wards.
"… said there are a number of Death Eaters active in the castle." Zabini said as Harry closed in on the group.
"I have heard, at least one of them is a silver mask." Parkinson added.
"That can't be, silver masks were only given by the Dark Lord himself. No student could have known him. We are all not old enough. And Dumbledore would not hire a Death Eater." One of the Carrows said. Harry was only a little surprised at her knowledge. He wondered if the inner structure of Death Eater organization were common knowledge.
"Mother always said that we would hear from him again." Zabini said almost in a whisper.
"But Potter vanquished him, didn't he?" the same Carrow said.
"My father always described the Dark Lord as a force of nature. Something you could only placate, never defeat." Parkinson said. Harry wondered in what way her father had known Voldemort.
"Are you saying, You-Know-Who is back from the dead?" Warrington asked in a dumbstruck voice.
"No one ever found his body, didn't they?" Zabini said. "Why is that?"
A uneasy silence spread through the group.
"If he was not dead, where was he?" the other Carrow twin asked.
"We can only speculate about the hows, but that won't get us anywhere. What we really have to decide is what will you do?" Zabini said. "I don't know when but we will all have to decide on whose side we are on. And I bet it will be sooner then you think."
"You made your choice?" the first Carrow twin asked.
"I have." Zabini didn't elaborate.
"What are our choices?" Warrington asked. "Do you think we can remain neutral?"
"I don't see the Death Eaters giving us that option." the second Carrow said.
"Neither would the Ministry do that" the other Carrow added to her sister. "They seem to have a very keen eye on Hogwarts, right now?"
"For a proper pureblood, there is only one choice to make." Bulstrode forcefully entered the conversation. "If he is back, then that only proves who the strongest wizard is. Who do you think could stand up to him." She added, almost reverently. Then she got up and left.
"Looks like she knows who she will follow." Warrington said. "I'll have to think about this more." He too got up and left.
The conversation seemed to drift back to more normal conversation, and Parkinson soon left.
Harry pondered what he had heard as he returned to his room. He wondered who the Death Eaters were. The silver masked one could not be the one last year. He had been killed in the final task. It could have been the other one, if he had been rewarded. But what could Harry do with this knowledge? There were too many questions left, along with many new ones.
HPU
As so often lately, Harry was walking down the hallway, scouting for new leads, to build his network.
The hallway was almost empty, only a handful of students went about their business. Since there was so few students about, he focused more on the individual students. One of the Hufflepuff seemed more then passingly familiar. How did he know him?
Then he figured it out. It was the guy who had given him the pleasure potion during the Yule Ball last year.
This had potential.
He followed the Hufflepuff until they were alone, then he said: "How is business after the blue stuff?"
He flinched and turned around. "Oh, I remember you. You want some potions? I'm sorry to say, but the buoyant blue supply has disappeared. I have other potions almost as potent though."
"No, I'm not interested in consuming them. But, tell me, how is your supply working for you?"
The boy stared at him suspiciously.
"I'm Harry Potter by the way. Who are you?"
"Yeah, I know, who doesn't? I'm Bernard Bristlecone, and to be honest, supplies are always shaky. You have any ideas, want to become a supplier?"
"For the right price I would not mind."
HPU
"Potter, I have heard rumors that Dumbledore's spent his last free day with you. Do you have anything to say about that?" Umbridge started Harry's detention, before he had even sat down.
"I have heard rumors of Death Eater recruiting. Has the Ministry done anything about that?" Harry decided to ignore the question, as he pulled up a chair. What could he say anyways, 'sorry Madam, I don't remember anything'?
"That is irrelevant to my question. We have a dangerous fugitive on the loose, and we need all the information we can get." Umbridge's voice took on a shrill dimension as she became agitated.
"Whatever the charges against Dumbledore, they have to be ridiculous." Harry retorted, "Death Eaters are here in Hogwarts, and you are doing nothing about it."
"We know who our enemies are." Umbridge glared at him. "But enough, I had hoped you would be willing to cooperate after last time. Maybe this will help your cooperation."
She pulled out a dark red quill. Harry took it, wondering why this should make him talk. The whole detention thing was laughable.
"You will write four hundred lines today. I think the sentence: "The Ministry knows best." should do."
Harry began to pull out his ink well.
"You won't need that." Umbridge stopped him.
Shaking his head internally, Harry sat down and started to write.
The … Harry began to write without ink. His wrist stung. He stopped. To his surprise, the word was there in blood red.
"What is holding you up?" Umbridge asked in a sugar sweet voice.
"The quill … it is …"
"… behaving exactly as it should. Now stop dilly dallying."
Harry continued to write. After a little while his hand got numb and the stinging lessened. For a short time this was better, but then the numbness spread to his whole arm, and he started struggling to write legibly. After about three hundred lines, his hand started slowly bleeding.
Umbridge smiled sure of her victory as Harry left for the evening.
'We'll see who is more stubborn,' Harry thought.
A.N. Well, here we really begin the story. I fear that this a problem. Just like 'Blue Blood,' I start and take forever to reach a point of tension. But is it actually a point of tension? Also, is there a body of Voldemort in canon? I wondered about that some time.