Edelgard came back up to the common room with a small, but smug smile on her face. Harry and Ron, who had been puzzling over a particularly nasty essay when she had left, were still sitting where she had left them hours earlier. Ron looked up at her. He could immediately tell that something had happened.
"What did you do?"
"Thanks for the warning, Harry." She said smugly, as she raised Hermione's hand. They gaped at the message inscribed there. 'VOLDEMORT HAS RETURNED' Harry and Ron gaped at her.
"I manipulated the pen and had it inscribe in a different, more important message." Edelgard said, amused at their reactions.
"Come off of it." Ron said weakly. "She can't have liked that."
"Oh, she didn't." Edelgard said brightly. "She tried to give me more detentions, but I refused. I told her that she had learned her lesson."
She found herself relishing the look of absolute joy and disbelief on Harry and Ron's faces. That joy seemed, however, soon began to fade with worry and apprehension.
"But… you scarred Hermione's hand." Ron said.
"And Umbridge is going to have it in for you now." Harry said.
'Nonsense." Edelgard said briskly. "She has no power over us. All she has is the fear of punishment, the fear of reprimandation. Our lives will be easier if we just do as we are told, or so she says."
Her eyes flashed to a group of students in the corner. Several other students were watching her, clearly taking in everything she had to say.
"But that is not true, is it?" She asked, not Ron and Harry, but the entire common room. "We will not sit idly by, and allow this woman to push her beliefs onto us. We will not allow her to shelter us from the outside world, to allow the ministry to dictate what we can and cannot believe.
She turned and raised her fist upward, so that the fist that she had scarred with her message was visible to all. She turned to everyone in the room, ensuring that all could see it, before turning back to Harry and Ron.
"Harry." She said. "Cedric Diggory was killed by Lord Voldemort."
He did not speak. He seemed to be at a loss for words. He seemed completely enraptured by what he was saying.
"You have told me." Edelgard said. "That Cedric Diggory was a brave young man, who did his best to honor not only his own house of Hufflepuff, but Hogwarts School and this country as a whole. A bright young man, murdered by Voldemort. And what happens?"
She turned around again. The entire room was staring at her now, not even attempting to hide their obvious fascination with her speech.
"They ignore it." She whispered. "His death goes down as a tragic accident in the eyes of our government. He left behind grieving parents and a beautiful young girlfriend. His death left this whole school in mourning."
She noticed a handful of girls, older ones, ones that had likely gone to school with Cedric, were beginning to tear up. They had liked him. She noticed. Liked him a lot.
"We cannot bring back Cedric Diggory." She said. "But we must not allow his memory to be tarnished. Voldemort has returned. Weakened, perhaps, than when he was first defeated. But he has returned nonetheless. And I believe that he once again will rise to power."
The whole room fell into silence. Edelgard stopped speaking. She could tell that she had them hook, line, and sinker.
She said nothing more and turned back to Harry and Ron. "Harry." She said. "We must stand up to her. We must not allow her to walk all over us."
Edelgard stopped talking and looked up. Footsteps were coming up the stairway into the Common Room. They did not sound like Student's footsteps.
In walked McGonagall, followed very closely by Dolores Umbridge. McGonagall was looking unbelievably grave and stern. Umbridge still looked wild and frantic, but there was an air of triumph about her. Edelgard smiled.
"Evening Professors." Edelgard said politely. "What do I owe this pleasure?"
"Miss… Granger." McGonagall said. "Professor Umbridge has just informed me that you have…" She struggled to find the words. "Disrespected her and walked out of a detention."
Umbridge was smiling widely now, staring at Edelgard as if she would like to eat her alive. For the first time, Edelgard for a strong sense of personal dislike for her. The woman relished having power over her students.
Edelgard had not been prepared for this: McGonagall, she understood, was on their side.
"We simply had a conversation about the return of Lord Voldemort." Edelgard said.
Umbridge stepped forward.
"Voldemort has not RETURNED." She hissed, her eyes seemingly bugging out. It seemed that she had expected Edelgard to fold under McGonagall's judgmental stare. "Minerve, perhaps we should take this conversation outside?"
She was keenly trying to keep the conversation away from the matter at hand.
"I think the students have a right to hear this." Edelgard said casually, as she leaned up against the side of the table. "You have been hiding very interesting facts about the murder of Cedric Diggory, haven't you?"
"Cedric Diggory was not mur-"
"There is no conspiracy." Edelgard interrupted. "Cedric Diggory was taken by Portkey in front of a crowd of over a thousand people, right here on the grounds. When he returned, he was dead. I have not heard the Ministry provide an adequate explanation as to where he went, or how he did die-"
"The Cup was not a portkey-"
"Then where did Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory go during that period of time?" Edelgard asked. "They simply disappeared,, when they should have been declared the Tournament Champions."
The crowd around her was muttering around itself. Umbridge was looking around at them, frantically, as Edelgard coolly stared at her. It was as she thought. Without that illusion of control, without that state mandated power over them. She was absolutely nothing.
"There are no physical marks for the killing curse." Edelgard said. "To a professional, it would be obvious as to what had happened. Cedric Diggory was murdered by another wizard. And if Harry Potter's testimony is reliable-"
"Harry Potter is a filthy liar!"
Edelgard's lip curled. "Are you accusing Harry Potter of having murdered Cedric Diggory?"
The silence was so thick you could hear a pin dropped. Umbridge seemed to be struggling what to think.
"You see." Edelgard said, her tone light and friendly as she addressed the class. "Isn't it INTERESTING how the Ministry is willing to support any idea, any story, any narrative, that goes against the idea that Lord Voldemort is responsible for this? Isn't it funny, how this toad can stand up and tell us that we have nothing to fear from Dark Wizards, while she's making us carve lines into our hands."
She raised her fist. Professor McGonagall gasped, raising her hands to her face. She looked positively appalled. Umbridge though, was shaking furiously.
"Granger." She said. "I promise you. You will be expelled."
Edelgard smiled radiantly. "And how exactly is that going to protect me from Lord Voldemort, Professor?"
It happened in an instant. Professor Umbridge lunged at her, pudgy fingers going straight for her throat. Several girls screamed. Harry and Ron stood up behind her as Umbridge rammed into her, pushing her backwards onto their table.
Edelgard struggled furiously. Umbridge was not a tall woman, but she was one of the most obese ladies she had ever seen in her life. Although she had been training Hermione's body in combat with whatever exercise she could think of, she had not become strong enough to throw her off.
There was a loud BANG! And Umbridge was pulled off of Edelgard and slammed into a wall. Edelgard gasped wildly, and gladly took Harry and Ron's arms as they helped her off.
Never had Edelgard seen Professor McGonagall so angry.
"How DARE You." She said. "How DARE You attack a student. In my Common Room, no less!" She seemed positively beside her.
Umbridge stood up shakily. She glared hatefully at Edelgard.
"A man only fights." Edelgard said, so that the room could hear. "When he has no other option to have his way." She raised her fist again. Umbridge let out a furious choking sound, and seemed to be ready to draw her wand. With McGonagall still pointing her wand at her, however, she seemed to lose sight of it.
"I must… She must be punished, Minerva." Umbridge rasped, staring at her. "That girl… there's something about that girl…!"
"We will speak about it at length, Dolores." McGonagall said. "In my office." Edelgard saw her cast a glance back at her, and noticed that there was a small sign of unease in her expression.
McGonagall led the beaten Umbridge back down the stairs and the entire room exploded into cheers. Edelgard brushed her hair back callously as she turned to Harry and Ron, who were both gaping at her.
"That." She said. "Is how it is done."
…
It was hard to believe that she had ever been nervous or uneasy about learning a new kind of magic. The fundamentals were still similar. There were still incantations, and basic moments you had to abide by. If anything she was shocked at how quickly she was picking it up.
"Wow." Dorothea commented, as Hermione held a fireball in her hand. "Most new students wouldn't be able to learn that quickly."
"Well, I've studied magic at Hogwarts." Hermione explained. "Honestly it's basically the same. I'm just… not used to using my wand, that's all." She squeezed her hand and the magic became more powerful and focused. The fire became harder. Dorothea made a loud, impressed sound.
"You're really good at the theory aspect." Dorothea said. "You've memorized the incantation and everything. Right now we just have to put it into practice."
"Are you ready for a practical exercise?"
Hermione jumped. Byleth had crept up on her without realizing. The fire burst into sparks in Dorothea's face, and she pulled away, wrinkling her nose disapprovingly.
"Oh!" Hermione said. "Professor…"
"You seem to have mastered the basics." Byleth said. "Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that you already understood the basics? From what I can see, you are ready to enter combat and learn from practical experience."
Hermione could feel herself start to sweat.
"C-combat?" She repeated. "Do you mean that I need to go out into the field?"
"Eventually." Dorothea said casually, leaning over to her. "This is a Military Academy, Hermione. You're not going to get better at fighting and making war if you don't go out and do it."
She smiled and winked. She seemed to be trying to reassure her. Hermione was anything but reassured.
"What if I get Edelgard killed?" She replied anxiously. "What if I-"
"You can't think like that, Hermione.' Dorothea said. "You need to trust us to take care of you. And in time, you can take care of us too."
Hermione nodded, her mouth dry, as she looked up at Byleth.
"I thought." He said. "That you might benefit from having a sparring partner. I want Dorothea to stand by and give you advice, so I'm afraid I won't allow her to partner with you. But I have already requested another house student to join us for this session."
Dorothea was immediately intrigued.
"Really?" She asked. "Who is it? No, don't tell me." She tapped her forehead, clearly thinking deeply. "It can't be a Blue Lion… someone from the Golden Deer… a Mage…." She looked up. "Lysithea?"
"Correct." Byleth said. Hermione half expected him to award ten points to the Black Eagles, but he instead turned and walked away.
Dorothea turned to her.
"Ooooh, this isn't good." She said. "Lysithea is amazing. Better than me, even."
"Really?" Hermione had seen Lysithea and knew her to be a small, rather young girl with white hair. Although she knew next to nothing about her, she was rather surprised to hear that she was Dorothea's better when it came to this form of magic Especially since Dorothea had already admitted to being several years older than her.
"She won't hold back, either." Dorothea said. "She's… uh, kind of eager to prove herself?" Dorothea scrunched up her face. "She's really smart. She's always reading and studying something. She's kind of a know it all, honestly."
Hermione smiled weakly. "I know the type."
…
A/N Wow, maybe I should have condensed the last few chapters into one chapter. I've pumped out like what? Four in the last couple of days? I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up (I write real novels) But I have to say I'm really enjoying it.
Anyway, please enjoy and be sure to leave a review. Tell me about how much you love Edelgard. I love her too.