disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. Not a huge fan of this chapter, but it gets things moving along. We're a couple chapters away from finally completing this book! Yea! So, I do hope you guys all like this chapter and let me know what you think!
Sneak and Disappear
By Order of
THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
Any student found in possession of the magazines The Quibbler and Witch Weekly will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven.
Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge
High Inquisitor
By mid-morning the new decree signs had been put up all over the school, not just on House notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms as well. Hermione beamed each time she caught one of these signs. Umbridge, unknowingly, made sure that every single person in the castle read both articles. She should have known that by banning something at Hogwarts, students would naturally go out of their way to find it. They wanted what they couldn't have. They were kids after all and by the end of the day, the whole school was quoting the interviews at each other, whispering to their friends as they queued up for classes, discussing it over dinner and even talking about it in the washrooms.
Umbridge was stalking the whole school, stopping students at random and demanding that they turn out their books and pockets. Students, however, were one step ahead of her, bewitching the magazines to resemble extracts from their textbooks or magically wiping them blank. The other professors were forbidden from mentioning the interviews, but found ways to express their feelings all the same. Sprout awarded Gryffindor twenty-five points when Harry passed her a watering can and offered Arabella a spare Dittany after class that was supposed to have extreme healing properties. Flitwick pressed two boxes of squeaking sugar mice on them at the end of Charms, and said, "Shh!" before hurrying away. Trelawney was sobbing hysterically during Divinations, claiming that Harry was not going to suffer an early death after all, but would live to be a ripe old age, become Minister of Magic, and have twelve children. Arabella turned scarlet at the thought of having twelve kids while Ron, Neville and Dean laughed.
Cho Chang caught up with them after lunch the next day, her face a little blotchy, as she said, "I've read both your interviews… it made me cry, you're both so brave. Thank you."
And then outside Transfiguration, Seamus stepped out of the queue to face Arabella and Harry.
"I just want to say," he mumbled, staring at the ground, "I believe you both. I've sent copies of those magazines to me mam."
But what made Arabella the happiest was Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle's reactions. All three of them were in the library with Theodore Nott, glaring at Arabella and Harry behind bookshelves. Goyle was cracking his knuckles while Malfoy was whispering something spiteful to Crabbe and Nott. Arabella smirked. She and Harry had named their fathers as returning Death Eaters. Malfoy and his cronies can't do anything about it without admitting that they broke one of Umbridge's rules. Victory tasted very sweet.
To cap off all her happiness, Ted sent her and Hermione a letter that Witch Weekly and The Quibbler were reprinting more copies of the interviews, that no other edition had ever sold out faster with either magazine.
That night in the Gryffindor common room, Arabella and Harry were held as heroes. Fred and George put an Enlargement Charm on the front cover of The Quibbler and hung it on the wall while it occasionally shouted foul things about Umbridge and the Ministry. Many of the younger female students surrounded Arabella, asking her to sign their copy of Witch Weekly and questions about the article while turning red with embarrassment. Arabella did her best to answer some of their questions, many of them were innocent enough, but after a while, she headed up to bed early, eager to have a peaceful night's sleep. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she finally got it.
The next morning Harry and Ron took Arabella and Hermione to their usual corner of the courtyard, whispering details of the dream he had the night before. He was Voldemort and Augustus Rookwood was begging him for a pardon because Bode was supposed to remove something and didn't. But it was Avery who was going to be punished as he promised that Bode would be able to accomplish the task while fighting under Lucius Malfoy's Imperius Curse. Arabella didn't admit it out loud to her friends, but she felt a strange satisfaction when she heard that Voldemort punished Avery.
When Harry finished, none of them said anything for a while, but stared intensely at Fred and George as they demonstrated their Headless Hats on the other side of the yard.
"So that's why they killed Bode," Hermione said quietly. "When Bode tried to steal this weapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must be defensive spells on it, or around it, to stop people from touching it. That's why he was in St. Mungo's, his brain had gone all funny and he couldn't talk."
"He was getting better," said Arabella, nodding. "That's what Murphy said at St. Mungo's."
"And they couldn't risk him it, could they?" continued Hermione. "The shock of whatever happened when he touched the weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'd explain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have known he'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easy for Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry, is he?"
"He was even hanging around the day I had my hearing," said Harry. "In the – hang on… He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day! Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing, but what if –"
"Sturgis," gasped Hermione.
"Sorry?" said Ron.
"Sturgis Podmore," Hermione said breathlessly. "Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak, right? So, what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move, or guessed he was there, or just did the Imperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there? So, when Sturgis next has an opportunity – probably when it was his turn on guard duty again – he tried to get into the department to steal the weapon for Voldemort – Ron, be quiet – but he got caught and sent to Azkaban… And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?"
"I didn't hear all the conversation, but that's what it sounded like," said Harry. "Rookwood used to work there… Maybe Voldemort'll send Rookwood to do it?"
Hermione nodded, apparently still lost in thought. Then, quiet abruptly, she said, "But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry."
"What?"
"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sort of thing."
"I know I am but –"
"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," said Hermione firmly. "And you ought to put in a bit for effort on your Occlumency from now on."
Harry was so angry with her that he did not speak to her for the rest of the day. Arabella tried to get Harry to see reason, that Hermione did have a point, but she was preoccupied with other things. Arabella had received two more A's in Potions and began to get a bit worried. She needed either an E or an O to be able to take Potions next year. On top of that, Slytherins were still singing 'Weasley Is Our King' every chance they got, her mountain of homework was getting taller, and there was always the impending possibility that Hagrid was going to get sacked. But Hagrid wasn't the first one to be canned.
It happened two weeks after Harry's dream of Rookwood when a piercing scream erupted from the Entrance Hall. Arabella was having dinner with Hermione and Ron while Harry was having another lesson with Snape. The scream made everyone in the Great Hall pause for a moment and look around, puzzled. Then there was another scream and they began flooding out of the Great Hall, shoving and pushing each other to see what the commotion was about. The Entrance Hall was packed within a moment and some students were on the marble staircase, trying to get a better look. The students in the Hall were forming a ring, each looking shocked and frightened. Arabella shoved her way forward and stood behind Alfred Clemens and the Creevey brothers.
Professor Trelawney was standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall looking utterly hysterical. Her hands were shaking as she held onto her wand and an empty bottle of sherry. Her hair was sticking up on its ends, her glasses lopsided, tears streaming down her face – she looked as though she was a second away from completely falling apart. Two large trunks laid on the floor beside her as she stared at the foot of the stairs, terrified.
"No!" shrieked Trelawney. "NO! This cannot be happening… It cannot… I refuse to accept it!"
"You didn't realize this was coming?" said a high girlish voice. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"
"You c-can't! You c-can't sack me! I've b-been here sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"
Trelawney sunk to the to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably as she clutched onto one of her trunks. Arabella was never a big fan of Trelawney, but she did not deserve this. In fact, this was the last thing in the world she deserved.
"It was your home," said Umbridge, her toad-like mouth stretching into a smile, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this Hall. You are embarrassing us."
Trelawney did not move. She shuddered and moaned, rocking back and forth, as Umbridge stood and watched with an expression of gloating enjoyment. Lavender and Parvati were both crying silently across from Arabella, their arms around each other. McGonagall broke away from the crowd, marched straight up to Trelawney and patted her firmly on the back. She then took out a large handkerchief from inside her robes.
"There, there, Sybill… Calm down… Blow your nose on this… It's not as bad as you think, now… You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts…"
"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" Umbridge said in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is…?"
"That would be mine."
The oak front doors swung open. Student beside them scurried out of the way as Professor Dumbledore appeared in the Entrance Hall. It was an oddly misty night, illuminating and making Dumbledore an impressive figure. He strode forward to the place where Trelawney sat, trembling upon her trunks with McGonagall alongside her.
"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" said Umbridge with an unpleasant laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here" – she pulled out a parchment scroll from within her robes – "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teachers she – that is to say, I – feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her."
Dumbledore glanced up for a moment and continued to smile. He looked down at Trelawney and said, "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."
Trelawney gave a wild little laugh with a hiccup at the end. "No – no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore! I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere –"
"No. It is my wish that you remain, Sybill." Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall. "Might I ask you to escort Sybill back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"
"Of course," said McGonagall. "Up you get, Sybill…"
Sprout and Flitwick came hurrying forward at once. Sprout grabbed Trelawney's other arm while Flitwick took out his wand and levitated Trelawney's suitcases after her. Umbridge was standing still in shock, staring at Dumbledore, who was smiling benevolently at her.
"And what," whispered Umbridge, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."
"You've found –? You've found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-two –"
" – the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if – and only if – the headmaster is unable to find one. And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"
Hooves were heard though the open front doors. People were murmuring to each other in shock and those nearest the doors hastily moved backwards to clear a path for the newcomer. Arabella let out a breathless chuckle. She had only seen the figure once before in the Forbidden Forest.
"This is Firenze. I think you'll find him suitable."
They had their first lesson with Firenze a couple days after the sacking of Trelawney. Arabella felt uneasy about the whole ordeal. She looked forward to what Firenze would be teaching them, but knew Umbridge was going to seek revenge on Dumbledore and Firenze. Dumbledore embarrassed her in front of the whole school and hired another part-human. The look on her face was priceless, but Arabella knew Dumbledore and Firenze were going to pay for the whole ordeal. After breakfast, Arabella, Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender towards classroom eleven that was on the ground floor. Classroom eleven used to be one of those classrooms that were never used regularly. She was expecting it to be a neglected storeroom, but what she got was completely strange.
When she entered the classroom behind Lavender she found herself right in the middle of a forest clearing. Arabella was stunned, her pace slowing down as she took in her surrounding. The floor became mossy with trees growing out of it. Branches fanned across the ceiling and windows, only allow bit of soft, green light to emit through. The students that arrived early were sitting on the earthy floor with their backs resting against the trees and boulders. They were all looking very nervous towards Firenze, who was standing in the middle of the room. As Firenze welcomed Harry into the room, Arabella took note of the bruise on his chest. It was a faint hoof-shape bruise with small bits of dried blood around it.
When the door was closed and the last student sat down on a tree stump beside the wastepaper basket, Firenze gestured around the room.
"Professor Dumbledore has kindly arranged this classroom for us in imitation of my natural habitat. I would have preferred to teach you in the Forbidden Forest, which was – until Monday – my home… but this is not possible."
"Please – er – sir –" said Parvati, raising her hand, "why not? We've been in there before with Hagrid, we're not frightened!"
"It is not a question of your bravery," said Firenze softly, "but of my position. I can no longer return to the forest. My herd has banished me."
"Herd?" said Lavender, confused. "What – oh! There are more of you?"
"Did Hagrid breed you, like thestrals?" Dean asked eagerly.
Arabella put her head in her hands, embarrassed. Dean seemed to realize that he said something offensive and began sputtering out an apology.
"Centaurs are not the servants or playthings of human," Firenze said quietly.
Parvati raised her hand again and said, "Please, sir… why have the other centaurs banished you?"
"Because I have agreed to work for Professor Dumbledore. They see this as a betrayal of our kind. Please, let us begin."
He swished his long tail, raised his hand toward the leafy canopy overhead then lowered it slowly. As he did so, the light in the room dimmed, so that they now seemed to be sitting in a forest clearing with stars upon the ceiling. Many of them gasped in awe as Firenze instructed them to lay down on the floor to observe the stars better.
Arabella stretched out on her back and gazed at the ceiling. It was a rather… unusual lesson to say the least. Firenze told them to look for certain shapes and symbols in the stars, but was perfectly certain that none of them could see any of the signs as they were all human and humans were not particular good at this. He even said that it took centaurs thousands of years to become competent, but was foolish to put any faith in centaurs as they can read the stars wrongly as well. He seemed to put a lot of emphasise on how knowledge was not completely foolproof rather than actually teach them something worthwhile. Once class had ended, Firenze asked Harry to stay behind, giving him a strange message, that Hagrid was working on something that was doomed to fail. What really caught Arabella off guard was Firenze saying that Hagrid showed disregard for all living creatures. How was that even possible? Hagrid loved every creature! He was the proud parent of a three-headed dog, managed to get a dragon's egg before the end of their first year, cried buckets of tears when he had to send Norbert away, fought for Buckbeak and loves his job as Care of Magical Creatures professor. She didn't believe Firenze, it was obviously a misunderstanding.
But Arabella didn't have much time to dwell on the matter. March came and went dully, and April was suddenly upon them. It seemed as though each day brought a new set of problems and worry. Umbridge continued to attend all Care of Magical Creatures lessons, following Hagrid around like a hawk, her quill constantly ready to catch his mistakes. All their professors continuously reminded them that their O.W.L.s were drawing closer and closer. Many fifth years were suffering from stress to some degree. Some were merely sleeping or snappish, while others were prone to random outbursts that required them to take some of Madam Pomfrey's Calming Draught.
If it wasn't for D.A. lessons, Arabella would be constantly miserable. Every time she tried to study in the common room, she had to refrain herself from screaming at the other students. They kept making ruckus in the common room instead of studying or just staying quiet for five minutes. D.A. lessons made her happy and calm, swelling with pride as everyone kept working harder than their previous lesson.
Harry promised her that their last lesson before Easter was going to be spectacular and he certainly did not disappoint. In the Room of Requirement, everyone stood around, waiting for Harry's instruction. Harry looked around the room. He smiled when he saw Seamus standing next to Dean. It was his first meeting.
"All right, everyone, I thought we could do something interesting today. Something more… practical."
There was now a small smirk on his face as everyone began murmuring at their neighbour, clearly confused.
"I think it's time we move on to… Patronuses."
The room immediately broke out into applause with many of them cheering, none louder than Fred and George. Arabella grinned in their enthusiasm. They've been asking for this lesson for a long time now. She couldn't wait to see what they were going to produce.
"This is a very advanced spell, so don't get upset with yourselves if you don't get it down on the first try. It takes some time to really get this one down. It took Arabella and I a couple months until we figured out how to produce one and we had a really amazing professor. Now, in order to cast a Patronus, you need to think of your happiest memory. It has to be extremely powerful and you have to let it consume you, really fill you up. Once you have that memory in mind, say the incantation. To produce a corporal Patronus is very difficult, but a shield works just as well. I don't want anyone to get upset if you don't produce an elephant or a bear on their first try. Just focus, concentrate, and don't beat yourself up. Arabella, if you please."
Arabella nodded and stepped forward. She gripped her wand tightly and thought of her first kiss with Harry at the Yule Ball. With the memory clearly in her mind, she raised her wand and said, clearly, "Expecto Patronum!"
White light formed at the tip of her wand and, within a second, a great, big dog began running the length of the room. The room gasped and ooh-ed at the sight. Arabella gave them a shy smile.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A stag ran forward and took down Padfoot. They all began laughing at the sight of Padfoot and Prongs wrestling with each other, the latter gaining an advantage, before disappearing. Everyone clapped at the display and then spread out as Harry instructed. They all started immediately, everyone producing nothing with their eagerness.
"Remember, this spell is beyond O.W.L.s," Harry said sternly. "You have to really concentrate on your happiest memory with all your might. Think about that memory before you try the spell again."
Everyone took his words to heart. They all awkwardly stood still for a while, either glancing at their neighbours or concentrating really hard on a good memory. Alfred Clemens squeezed his eyes shut and his tongue stuck out. For a very long time, nobody did anything and Arabella got the feeling that nobody wanted to go first. Seamus and Dean kept elbowing each other, trying to convince the other to go first, while Neville looked around nervously.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A small wisp of silvery gas erupted from Ginny's wand. But as soon as it appeared, it vanished. Ginny gasped in delight as Fred and George cheered.
"Fantastic, Ginny!" said Harry gleefully.
Everyone was feeling more confident now and began shouting the incantation at once. It took a while, but within an hour, they were getting the hang of it. Cho produced a graceful swan that soared around the Room of Requirements while Hermione's otter danced around her fondly. Ron was having a hard time keeping track of his Jack Russell Terrier, Ginny's wild stallion let out a loud snort, and Luna's hare bounced around the room wildly. Some were still having a little trouble. Neville wasn't quite there yet, his wand only producing feeble wisps of silver smoke, and Lavender wasn't really coming up with anything.
"I still – can't – do it!" she said angrily, jabbing her wand into the air.
"You can't produce a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom," said Harry patiently. "When Arabella and I did this, we were confronted by a dementor. Being under threat and producing a Patronus is completely different than this."
"You are not bringing a dementor here," said Arabella, help Colin and Dennis.
"What we need is a boggart –"
"What we need is to practice, and where would you even get a boggart anyway?"
"There are probably some lurking in Filch's office," said Harry. "Or I can get this room to conjure up one."
"And conjure up a bunch of other fears in the meantime," said Arabella. "Come on, Harry. Don't be a killjoy. We've only been at this for like an hour. We need to practice. It's a difficult spell, like you said."
She gave him a smile as everyone around them worked harder. The threat of even bringing in a dementor seemed to just about do it.
"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" yelled Seamus. "Look – ah – it's gone… But it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"
"They are sort of nice, aren't they?" Hermione said softly.
The door of the Room of Requirement opened and then closed again. Arabella looked up to see who entered, but there was no one there. People close to the door had fallen silent and the next thing Arabella knew, Dobby the house-elf was tugging at Harry's robes near his knees. Arabella quickly made her way over towards them. There was something wrong, she just knew it. As she drew closer, she saw Dobby's whole body shaking, his eyes wide with terror, and all the Patronuses around her faded away.
"Harry Potter, sir… Harry Potter, sir… Dobby has come to warn you… but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…"
He groaned and ran headfirst at the wall. Harry seized him swiftly as many of the student gasped out of fear and sympathy. Harry dragged Dobby away from anything that could potentially hurt him.
"What's happened, Dobby?" asked Harry.
"Harry Potter… she… she…"
Arabella's insides went cold. Dobby was extremely frightened and there was only one 'she' in the whole school that could emit such a reaction, house-elf or not.
"Who's 'she,' Dobby?" whispered Harry, horrified. "Umbridge?"
Dobby nodded and let out a brash sob.
"What about her? Dobby – she hasn't found out about this – about us – about the D.A.?"
Dobby tried to kick himself in the face and sank to his knees.
"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.
Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"
Harry straightened up and looked around. Everyone was motionless and terrified as they stared at the thrashing elf.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" bellowed Harry. "RUN!"
They all began pelting towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door. Arabella heard some of them sprinting along the corridors, screaming and trying to get far away from the Room of Requirement. Harry quickly gave Dobby some instructions to head back to the kitchen and to not hurt himself. Arabella looked back at the exit. There was now a knot of people fighting to get out, all worried and looking around wildly, trying to figure out what to do.
"Harry, come on!" Hermione shrieked from the herd.
"Go!" Harry commanded Arabella, pointing at the exit.
"I can't just leave you –" began Arabella.
"GO!"
Harry shoved her forward and Arabella ran over the threshold, looking around the corridor. She couldn't find her friends or the other Gryffindors. She started running towards the girls' bathroom down the corridor, knowing that she was not going to make it back to the common room before getting caught. She could pretend that she was there all along, that she had to take a really long leak –
"AAAHH!"
"Got you, Black!"
Something caught Arabella around her ankle and she fell to the ground, smacking her head on the ground. She groaned and turned on her back. A delightful yelp filled the corridor and Pansy Parkinson stood over Arabella.
"I've got you, Black! I've got you! Professor – PROFESSOR! I've got her!"
Arabella slowly lifted herself on her elbows, her head throbbing. Umbridge was running down the corridor, breathless and wearing a triumphant smile.
"Of course, I should have known!" snarled Umbridge. "Excellent work, Miss Parkinson! Fifty points to Slytherin! Now, take her to the headmaster's office – the password is Fizzing Whizbee – and wait there for me… Stand up, Black!"
Arabella got up and glared at the pair of them. She had never seen Umbridge look so happy before.
"No funny business, Black," warned Umbridge. "I have given Miss Parkinson and the others to use any means necessary to subdue you lot."
Parkinson's smirk grew as she grabbed Arabella's arm, her nails dug in, and dragged her towards the stone gargoyles. She gave them the password and the wall behind them split open. Parkinson shoved Arabella forward, rose up the moving stone staircase, and reached the polished door.
"You really in for it now, Black," Parkinson whispered, pleasure laced in her tone. "You think you're better than the rest of you, purer because of you blood, but you're no better than your Mudblood friends and that half-breed you call family. I've finally taken you down, Black. It's over."
Arabella rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Parkinson. Live in your delusional world."
There were footsteps behind them. Umbridge appeared and she was not alone. Harry was limping alongside her and Arabella wanted to scream. How did this all happen? How did go so wrong?
"Ah, Miss Parkinson, I've got it from here," Umbridge said in a soft, dangerous voice. "Go and see if you can round anymore of them with Draco. Look in the library and check the girls' bathroom. See if anyone's out of breath. I can handle them."
Parkinson nodded and hopped away. Arabella and Harry looked at each other. He looked anxious and a little scared. Arabella wanted to reach out towards him, to kiss him, to whisper sweet words of comfort in his ears, but she knew it was impossible and her words would be meaningless.
Umbridge opened the door without knocking and shoved Arabella and Harry inside. The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, the tips of his fingers together, looking as though he was the calmest of everyone in the room. McGonagall was standing right beside him, her whole body rigid and her lips pursed into an extremely thin line. Cornelius Fudge stood on front of the fire, rocking back and forth on his heels, extremely pleased with the situation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a short, wiry hair wizard were standing on either side of the door, like guards, while Percy Weasley hovered beside the wall, eagerly waiting to take down notes. The portraits of the old headmasters and headmistresses were not pretending to sleep tonight. They were all alert, serious, and whispering to their neighbours.
The door swung shut behind them as Umbridge walked towards the center of the room. Fudge was glaring at Harry with a vicious look satisfaction upon his face.
"Well, well, well…"
"They were heading back to the Gryffindor Tower, sir," said Umbridge, not bothering to keep the excitement from her voice. "The Malfoy boy cornered him while Miss Parkinson subdued her."
"Did they now?" Fudge said admiringly. "I must remember to tell Lucius and Phineas. Well, Potter… I expect you know why you are here?"
"Yeh – no."
"I beg your pardon?"
"No," Harry said firmly, taking in a deep breath. "I don't know why I'm here."
"Surely, Black, you must know," demanded Fudge, rounding on Arabella.
Arabella shrugged her shoulders and said, "Haven't got the faintest, Minister."
"So you both have no idea why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? Neither one of you are aware of the school rules you have broken?"
"School rule?" said Harry. "No."
"Or Ministry decrees?" Fudge said angrily.
"Have we?" Arabella asked blandly. "Can't recall ever doing such a thing."
Fudge's face turned red with anger. "So, it's new to you, is it, that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?"
Arabella tried her best to feign innocent surprise as Harry said, "Yes, it is."
"I think, Minister," interrupted Umbridge, her smile growing, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."
Fudge agreed and Umbridge left the room at once. Arabella and Harry looked at each other for a moment. Though Harry's face was blank, she could tell that he was worried. If there was truly an informant, and a reliable one at that, they were in trouble. Arabella shifted her feet and inched her way towards Harry. Nobody seemed to notice what she was doing and Arabella reached for his hand, offering him a small comfort. No matter what happens right now, they will never be able to have another D.A. lesson. Arabella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She thought of their progress, how much they all improved, how they just conjured a Patronus, and felt as though they were doing something worthwhile during a miserable year. It was all gone now. Just like that…
After a couple minutes, Umbridge came back into the room, gripping a student by the shoulder. She was hiding her face behind her curly red hair, whimpering and sobbing softly as Umbridge tried to comfort her.
"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Umbridge, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The Minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been." She then turned towards Fudge and said, "Marietta's mother is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office – she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."
"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge, beaming. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to – galloping gargoyles!"
Arabella quickly seized Harry's hand in fright. Harry responded in kind as they stared at Marietta's face. Fudge nearly fell backward into the fire as Marietta gave a wail, trying to cover her face with her robes. But it was too late. Everyone in the room had already seen just how disfigured her face had gotten. Large purple pustules and boils spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK." Marietta began sobbing once more underneath her robes, despite Umbridge's numerous attempts in getting her to explain what happened.
"Very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She turned back to Fudge and plastered a sickening smile on her face. "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately, at this point this hex came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."
Fudge nodded and tried to rearrange his face into a fatherly look at Marietta as he said, "Well, now, it was very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"
Marietta did not speak. She shook her head fearfully and Fudge asked if there was some sort of counterjinx to fix her face.
"I have not found one, Minister," admitted Umbridge. "But it does not matter. I can take up the story from here. You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter and his friends had a meeting with a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade –"
"And what is your evidence for that?" McGonagall cut it.
"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva," Umbridge said smugly, looking over her shoulder. "He happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired. He heard every word Potter and Black said, and hastened straight to the school to report to me –"
"Oh, so that's why he was prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets! What an interesting insight into our justice system!"
Arabella couldn't help but smile at McGonagall's little outburst. It was completely justified, of course, and the fact that Umbridge was able to do such a thing should be a punishable offense. But instead, she was rewarded with her High Inquisitor position. The Ministry was getting more and more corrupted by the day.
"Blatant exploitation!" roared a portrait behind Dumbledore's desk. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"
"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledore.
"The purpose of Potter and Black's meeting with these students," continued Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry had decided are inappropriate for school-age –"
"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," Dumbledore said quietly.
He peered over his spectacles at Umbridge, his blue eyes twinkling, and Arabella stared at him. There was no way Dumbledore was going to be able to get them out of this one. There was a witness who heard every single word they said in the Hog's Head. There was no way they were going to escape this one. She and Harry were done for.
"Oho!" exclaimed Fudge. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter and Black out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on – Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it their identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"
Percy let out a hearty laugh and said, "Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"
Dumbledore smiled gently at Fudge, much to Arabella's astonishment. "Cornelius, I do not deny – and nor, I am sure, does Harry and Arabella – that they were both in the Hog's Head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at the time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after the meeting. Harry and Arabella were not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."
Fudge's mouth was hanging open while Percy looked as though something heavy dropped on his head.
Umbridge recovered quickly, smiling sweetly as she said, "That's all very fine, Headmaster, but we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since more certainly are."
"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying Umbridge over his spectacles, "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"
Behind her, Kingsley was whispering something. Arabella felt something brush against her shoulder, but when she looked, nothing was there.
"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge in a high tone. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"
"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings? I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."
Umbridge's neck was red. She rounded off on Marietta and said, "Miss Edgecombe, tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"
Everyone in the room was staring at Marietta's face. Only her eyes were visible and they oddly looked blank. To Arabella's confusion, Marietta shook her head. Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge and then back at Marietta. She repeated her question again and Marietta shook her head again.
"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" Umbridge said in a tense voice.
"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," snipped McGonagall. "There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"
Marietta nodded and Umbridge was utterly furious.
"But there was a meeting tonight!" snarled Umbridge. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter was the lead, was he not, Potter – why are you shaking your head, girl?"
"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no.' So unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans –"
Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around to face her, and began shaking her violently. Dumbledore was on his feet in a second, his wand raised, and Kingsley took a step forward, his hand reaching for his own wand. Umbridge leapt back from Marietta, waving her hand in the air, and trying to compose herself.
"I will not allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore.
For the first time, he looked angry and Arabella was terrified. There was an edge to his tone and his eyes no longer twinkled. In fact, they looked dark and daunting.
"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble now."
"No," Umbridge said breathlessly. "I mean, yes – you're right, Shacklebolt – I – I forgot myself."
Marietta stood exactly where Umbridge had released her. She seemed unfazed by Umbridge's sudden attack. She was still clutching her robe, staring straight ahead of her.
"Dolores," Fudge said impatiently, "the meeting tonight – the one we know definitely happened –"
"Yes, yes… well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here. Mr. Warrington ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind… We needed evidence and the room provided… The moment I saw Potter and Black's names on top, I knew what we were dealing with…"
Arabella felt her heart drop into her stomach. Umbridge withdrew from her pocket the list of names and handed it to Fudge. A smile spread across his face and he looked at Dumbledore in victory.
"See what they've named themselves?" he whispered. "Dumbledore's Army."
Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at it for a moment, looked up, and smiled. "Well, the game is up. Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius – or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"
"State?" Fudge said slowly. "What – I don't –?"
"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," Dumbledore said simply, giving the list a little wave. "Not Potter's Army or Black's Army. Dumbledore's Army."
Realization dawning upon Arabella and she knew what Dumbledore was about to do. "No," she whispered, shaking her head.
"But – but –" sputtered Fudge. He then took a horrified step back and yelped, "You?"
"That's right," said Dumbledore.
"You organized this?"
"I did."
"You recruited these students for – for your army?"
"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."
"Then you have been plotting against me!" yelled Fudge, his chest swelling.
"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.
"NO!" shouted Harry. "No – Professor Dumbledore!"
"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office."
"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge. But there was an odd delightful tone to his voice. "Well, well, well – I thought I came here tonight to expel Potter and his little girlfriend and instead –"
"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"
Fudge barked at Percy, making sure that he got Dumbledore's confession before ordering him to send a copy of it to the Daily Prophet at once. He turned back to Dumbledore and said, "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"
"Ah," said Dumbledore, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."
"Snag? I see no snag, Dumbledore!"
"Well, I'm afraid I do. It seemed that you're labouring under the delusion that I am going to – what is the phrase? 'Come quietly.' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course – but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."
Harry quickly pulled Arabella closer towards him, both unsure of what was going to happen next. Umbridge looked ready to kill while Fudge was stunned. He made a choking noise and then looked at Kingsley and the other short man. The short man gave Fudge a curt nod, moved away from the wall and reached for his pocket.
"Don't be silly, Dawlish," Dumbledore said kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieve 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to – er – 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you."
Dawlish blinked and paused for a moment.
"So," sneered Fudge, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"
Arabella held her breath as Professor McGonagall plunged her hand inside her robes and bellowed, "He will not be single-handed!"
"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" Dumbledore said sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"
"Enough of this rubbish!" barked Fudge. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"
Suddenly, a streak of silver light flashed around the room. There was a bang and the floor underneath them trembled. Arabella fell to the floor, taking Harry with her, as another silver flash went off. Several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched, and dust filled the air. Arabella began coughing and quickly covered a mouth. Harry threw his arms over her just as another dark figure fell to the ground. He did his best to shield her while someone let out a high-pitched shriek, another screamed, and glass broke all around her. It was like an earthquake. Arabella gripped the front of Harry's robes tightly, wondering how long this was going to last, if they were going to fall through the floor – and then silence. It was eerily. Harry was breathing heavily in her ears and they were still for a couple seconds. Arabella lifted her head slowly. Professor McGonagall was crouching beside them with a vice grip on Marietta. Dust was floating through the air around them and a tall figure moved towards them.
"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, staring at all of them.
"Yes," panted McGonagall.
They all stood up. The dust was clearing and the debris of the office came into view. Dumbledore's desk was overturned, the items on his desk knocked over and shattered all over the floor. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley and Dawlish were motionless on the floor with Fawkes soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.
"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too," Dumbledore said in a low voice, "or it would have looked very suspicious. He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone was looking the other way – thank him for me, won't you, Minerva? Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they don't know that we had time to communicate – you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember –"
"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"
"Oh no. I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you…"
"Professor," began Arabella, tears in her eyes. "We're so… we're so sorry for everything. We didn't mean for this to happen."
"Don't be sorry, Arabella," Dumbledore said gently. "You could not have seen this happening. This is not your fault."
Arabella gave him a small nod and Dumbledore seized Harry's wrist.
"Listen to me, Harry, you must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams – you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me – remember – close your mind – you will understand –"
Fawkes swooped low over Dumbledore. He released Harry, raised his hand, and grasped Fawkes's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and they were gone. Fudge, Kingsley, Umbridge and Dawlish began groaning and stirring. Fudge was the first to come to his senses. He quickly leapt to his feet, looking around wildly for Dumbledore. Dawlish, Kingsley and Umbridge hurried out the door, all thinking that he fled through the stairs, while Fudge glared at Professor McGonagall.
"Well, Minerva," he mocked, "I'm afraid this is the end of our friend Dumbledore."
"You think so, do you?" McGonagall said derisively.
"Get them off to bed," snapped Fudge.
McGonagall glared at him and marched Arabella, Harry and Marietta to the door. Just before the door swung behind them, Phineas Nigellus spoke and Arabella couldn't help but agree with him.
"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts… but you cannot deny he's got style."
Thank you so much for reading! Until next time, my friends!