AN: I expect you think I had forgotten to update. And instead here I am with a new chapter! And yet I still own nothing... oh well.
Oh by the way, in case it's unclear, the first scene happens before Umbridge's return to the castle and the rebels running for the Chamber.
CHAPTER 33 – Underworld dreams
Albus Dumbledore reputed himself a man hard to surprise. It was a simple combination of having already seen so much and being very adept both at reading people and at playing the political game. Of course, liberal use of passive legilimency scans had to do with it too, but he didn't believe in invading people's thoughts with no reason. Still, he almost never found himself blindsided by his peers' machinations in the political arena, so it came to no surprise that he had been summoned to London for a Wizengamot special session despite having lost his position in the body. It was a transparent –and if he had to be brutally honest, pretty deluding– strategy to take Hogwarts from him.
He suspected Cornelius to be behind it, the whole plan had his very obvious signature, no doubt supported by Tom's followers. The elderly headmaster still could scarcely believe the near-sightedness and absolute stubbornness their esteemed Minister was showing despite Tom's more than overt display at Azkaban. It was probably Dolores' contribution, the woman was even more delusional than Cornelius himself; Albus was almost tempted to check if she had taken the Mark, it was a more sensible explanation than believing she really was that blind.
That line of thought followed him as he made his way to the Wizengamot chambers, for once accessing from the public entrance instead of the member's one. Again unsurprisingly, most of the present were supporters of either Tom or Cornelius, with just a smattering of the neutrals, but none of the light faction had been summoned apparently. Shaking his head, Albus made his way to the benches for the spectators and sat, massaging his left knee. He wasn't getting any younger, it seemed.
Soon the meeting was called to order by the acting Supreme Warlock, Pius Thickneese, and the headmaster had to take the floor. Dolores was there too in her capacity as Senior Undersecretary, gleefully presenting her "proofs" that not only he was an incompetent headmaster –something that most of the present knew to be false first-hand having been his pupils– but also either senile or downright treasonous.
Looking at the faces of those in attendance, he saw that nobody really believed the woman but they didn't particularly care either. He suddenly felt very old, almost as if only then all his years had caught up to him. He was supposed to defend himself, to repel her accusations, and yet he could already see that nothing he could actually say was going to change anything. The fools had come to throw a fabricated verdict, his presence or his words were of little consequence.
"Very well done Dolores," he said cutting the woman short to the obvious surprise of many of the gathered "You caught me red handed it seems."
"What?" she croaked uncomprehendingly.
"Oh, don't be modest now, it's obvious you saw my real colours," continued Albus in his usual grandfatherly tone.
"Yes well," replied Umbridge trying to save face "I didn't expect you to just admit to it."
"I imagine," he replied, a twinkle clear in his eyes "One usually does not simply admit to being instrumental to forming a rebel army. This causes a question to arise though."
"Which is?" asked Cornelius, obviously too stunned to act with the necessary firmness for one in his position.
"I'd say it's pretty obvious Cornelius: what now?"
"Uh?" was the man's intelligent reply "What do you mean? Now I'll call the aurors and have you arrested."
Albus repressed a sigh. So predictable. It almost wasn't even worth the effort.
"Cornelius, who am I?"
"He's so old he forgot his own name!" crowed Lord Goyle from his seat.
Useless to say, he made his son Gregory seem smart. Still, a smattering of laughs followed the jeer. Albus found it a really sad thing.
"You're Albus Dumbledore," replied the Minister ignoring the comment, his eyes narrowing as he tried to see what was the headmaster's angle.
"Right, but I meant something else," said Albus without letting his benevolent smile fade "I'm the vanquisher of Grindelwald, and the only wizard alive able to outduel Voldemort. Who can you call that would be able to subdue me if I choose to resist?"
Silence met his question. Apparently, they had gotten used to his amiability and had forgotten that he was one of the most accomplished spellcasters alive. A sufficient number of coordinated aurors would of course take him down, he wasn't that powerful, but he knew that Cornelius couldn't possibly gather that many without Amelia noticing, and then his little political ploy would topple faster than one could say Wizengamot.
How lucky for the man that all that posturing was actually useful to the old headmaster.
"Fortunately for you Cornelius, I don't plan to resist," he said when he had left them stew long enough.
"Well, that will surely help your case later on," commented the visibility relieved Minister "Dolores, please go summon the aurors waiting outside the door."
"Right away Minister!" replied the zealous woman.
"Oh, you seem to be under another misconception Cornelius," he said as she got up, freezing them all in their places "I said I wouldn't resist, but I never said I'd go with the aurors. Fawkes."
In a brilliant explosion of golden fire, his old friend materialized above him and landed on his shoulder.
"I'll be taking my leave now, wouldn't want to steal any more of your valuable time," he said stroking the phoenix's plumage "Ladies and gentlemen, goodbye!"
And with that he flamed back to his office in Hogwarts. He had to secure it against Dolores' snooping.
The slope continued into the darkness for almost a full minute before discharging the six teens on a carpet of something frail that Chandra immediately recognised as bones. Trying not to dwell too much on why were bones at the Chamber's entrance, she pushed herself to a sitting position and lit up her hair to provide light.
"Anyone injured?" she asked her companions, letting her gaze wander over the teens.
A series of nays and grunts was her answer. Some pain from the less than ideal landing and the carpet of rodent bones she surmised. Since there didn't seem to be any life threatening injuries, the pyromancer diverted her attention to her surroundings: they were in what looked like a well, a hub in the pipework of the castle, with many chutes ending into it, likely from other hidden entrances like the one they had used. There was also a large archway that led somewhere else, probably to the Chamber proper. A faint silvery light filtered from that direction, suggesting that the rest of her group had gone in that direction.
Chandra got up, helped the others, and then all together they made their way towards the light. They walked a short way in a roughly carved corridor, which then opened in a vast natural cave containing what looked like a large skeleton of a snake, probably as long as the dragon the pyromancer had faced the previous year, and a large construction of some kind closed off by an ornate bronze door themed after snakes. In front of that door they saw the other students making up the rebels. As soon as they got in sight, Davis rushed closer, a worried expression etched on her face. It soon became apparent that despite having escaped Umbridge's clutches, they had ended up in a dead end: the portal was closed, and there was no way to go up the slippery slopes to return to the castle; they had effectively trapped themselves.
"We cannot even force our way past the door," supplied Davis' friend, Greengrass "It's goblin made and warded even heavier than the castle's gates."
"What about the walls?" was Chandra's response to that statement.
"The walls?"
The planeswalker smirked triumphantly.
"Welcome to scoundrel 101," she said marching up to the wall a couple of meters off the majestic portal and placing a hand on it "First lesson: doors are for those that lack imagination."
Her hand lit up in flames as did her hair. She used her free hand to don her goggles before igniting that too and placing it next to the other.
"Walls are a bit too foreseeable, as I told Hermione earlier," she continued as the wall started taking a dark red hue near where she was touching it "Lawmages start to expect them after the first few times, but a wall will do when you cannot access the roof or the floor."
Students started distancing themselves from her when the air started to get first hot, then downright sweltering. Soon part of the masonry started leaking down in glowing rivulets around the focused redhead.
"But remember, walls are usually thicker than everything else other than floors, and these in particular are remarkably so."
Despite her words it took her less than five minutes to actually melt her way through the wall. It was a passing hole barely large enough for a cat to Crawl through, but she surely had tunnelled her way across the wall. She took a step back panting heavily and surveyed her work.
"Whew, that was pretty hard," she said wiping her brow and replacing her goggles "I can't do anything else without some rest, but do feel free to practice that blasting hex of yours on the hole. Take care not to spray yourselves or the others with molten rock, that stuff hurts."
She then sat down near where Hermione and Abbot were still lying unconscious and stared at the collected students expectantly.
"You heard professor Nalaar?" called Bones from where she was sitting nearby "ten people at time, half of them use shields, the other half bombarda and reducto as if they're going out of style! Get casting people!"