Well, it's Monday, and that means that it is again time for another chapter. In this chapter, how to deal with a traitor in your midst.

Thanks to those of you who have read, and even more thanks to those of you who have reviewed:

The ever faithful Snood – Yeah, I figure the Azkaban Medical Reference has pretty much everything; the species is so old there's not much they don't know about themselves. And it isn't stated, but it does seem that the Patronus takes an animal form that means something to the person. Harry's stag represents his father and Tonks' werewolf (in HBP) represents Lupin, therefore Katie's would be a Dementor to represent Esdras. Dementor blindness in the presence of a house elf was originally a plot device I conceived in order to allow Esdras to be in the top box at the World Quidditch Cup and not see Crouch Junior. However, if we were to think about it, it would make sense. House elves have powerful magic, and if they were to protect their masters from Dementors, how better than to blind the Dementor? As for the 45th, you'll see what happens to them. And I fixed the typo, thanks!

Buffalo1fromSalem – Thank you! And no Dementor would eat a toad, for reasons that will be explained in this chapter. And I have a sneaking suspicion that you will love this chapter. The toad won't know what hit her.

All the rest of y'all that haven't reviewed really should consider it. I like hearing from you and your comments help make me a better writer. Plus, if you have any questions, I can answer them for you. So go ahead, press the blue button.

And as always, text in italics is in Azkabaaner and I don't own HP.

Chapter 16 – Azkabaaner for Traitor

Esdras slipped in through one of the windows in the Ravenclaw common room and immediately went into battle mode. "Roger, take account of all personnel, make sure we're all accounted for."

Roger, though unaccustomed to taking orders from Esdras the soldier, snapped to attention and began determining who was where in the common room. Within a few minutes, he reported back to the Dementor, who was standing in mortal form by the fireplace. "We're all accounted for. All except Marietta, but she wasn't at the meeting tonight."

The Dementor nodded and sighed in relief. "That's good; I thought we might have lost someone. I doubt Umbridge managed to get anyone other than Harry tonight."

The mortal turned to face the Dementor. "But that's enough right there. She managed to get Harry. Do you have any idea what she's going to do to him, what she'll do to us?"

Esdras turned towards the fire, and regarded the burning embers for a second. "You're assuming that Harry would even consider betraying his friends. He's not that type of person. If anything, he'll attempt to take responsibility for everything entirely on his shoulders. Right now, the situation is out of our hands, we must bide our time until we figure out what is going to happen."

Roger nodded and quietly regarded the fire as well, leaning against the mantelpiece as time slowly passed. Finally, he stirred. "Where is Marietta, anyway?"

The Dementor shrugged and yawned. "I don't know. Ask Cho, those two are as thick as thieves."

The mortal nodded and wandered off to find Cho, leaving Esdras alone by the fire. On the other side of the room, the hallway door opened and all Esdras turned to see who was entering. What he saw froze him where he stood. Marietta Edgecombe, trying desperately to hide her face, walked into the common room behind Dolores Umbridge. He could only hear the end of their conversation in which the professor was trying to console the student. "Now don't worry, Madame Pomfrey said she'll work all night long to come up with something to heal your face, so be patient. Just try to get a good night's sleep."

Marietta nodded and walked into the common room, allowing the door to shut behind her. Cho was the first to get to her. "Oh my goodness! Marietta, what happened to your face?"

The stricken girl whimpered and, after some prodding, finally uncovered her face. In bright red pustules, the word 'SNEAK' could be seen. Marietta cried piteously. Roger, however, screamed in fury. "It was you!"

The other Ravenclaw members of the DA gathered round, murder flashing in their eyes. The teary eyed girl backed up against the wall and cried even harder. Cho stood protectively in front of her. "Now everyone just relax. I'm sure there's a good reason."

Esdras walked over, pushing his way through the sparse crowd to face the two girls. He put a hand on Cho's shoulder and effortlessly pushed her away, coming glowing eye to eye with the sneak. "Yes, I'm certain there is a reason for all of this, and I would love to hear it. Please, tell your story, Marietta."

Marietta stared into the Dementor's glowing green eyes, seemingly hypnotized by them. Her voice was shaky and quiet as she began. "My…my mom, she works in the Floo Network Office. She's always telling me to listen to Professor Umbridge, that she knows what's best. She told me if anything was going on I should tell her immediately, that it was important to trust her…to not trust Harry." She broke into tears. "So…so I told her."

The Dementor sighed and held out his arms. The mortal rushed into them and began to cry despondently on his shoulder. Esdras did his best to calm the traitorous girl. "Now now, it will be alright. Everything's fine."

As Marietta calmed down within his embrace, Roger's voice came from behind him. "She betrayed us, Esdras. She betrayed all of us."

Esdras nodded. "She had to make a choice, Roger. And she did. She's very brave, and I'm very proud of her." Slowly, Esdras began the transformation from mortal to Dementor. When Esdras spoke again, his voice was laced with his thick, Azkabaaner accent. "In fact, she was so brave, she deserves a Kiss."

Cho tried to rush forward at this point to push Marietta away, but was held firmly in place by Roger and Michael Corner. The pair merely shook their heads as she struggled to escape. Roger looked sternly into her eyes. "She deserves this."

Marietta's eyes shot open and she looked up into the pitch black hood of the Dementor. She tried to scream, but found she could not. The lamps in the Ravenclaw common room extinguished and the fire went cold as Esdras rescinded the Mark Thirteen protective spells on his cloak and began to actively feed. Those who could quickly stepped back from the Dementor as he lifted the sneak up by her neck. With his free hand, Esdras pulled back his hood and transfixed the girl with his empty, black eye sockets. He spoke softly. "You betrayed us all, Marietta. We trusted you and you betrayed us. Now you will pay for what you have done."

The Dementor's breathing changed pitch, becoming a deep, rattling wheeze that seemed to draw the life out of the room. The terrified girl continued to struggle in Esdras' iron grip. Tears were beginning to freeze on her face and she was starting to grow weak. "Please, Esdras. I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt anyone."

Esdras moved his mouth closer to hers, and the terrified mortal found she was powerless to prevent the inevitable. But just when it seemed that Esdras was going to latch on to her, he let her drop from his grip. Marietta collapsed in a limp pile at the Dementor's feet. He stared down at her and spoke with disgust. "I would kill you, but that would involve eating your soul. And I know from experience that the soul of a traitor tastes bitter. You aren't even worth devouring; your existence is meaningless to me."

Returning to mortal form, the Dementor stared for a few more seconds at the now unconscious traitor before reinitializing his protective spells. As the lights and heat began to return to the room, Cho rushed forward and began to beat on the Dementor. "You evil creature! I hate you!"

The Dementor pushed the mortal roughly, causing her to fall back onto the ground. Esdras towered over her, his green eyes flashing ominously. "Mind your words, Cho, and remember mine. I am a Dementor of Azkaban, and no one will question me if I take a life. So you decide and decide carefully who you will ally yourself with. Next time, I won't be so generous to a traitor in my midst. Next time, I will bring death."

At breakfast the next day, the major news was Dumbledore's escape from Hogwarts, leaving Umbridge in charge by Ministry order. Second only to that was the visible rift between the Ravenclaw members of the DA and Cho and Marietta. By now, the whole school knew of the traitor and the fate that had befallen her. The rift manifested itself at the breakfast table where Esdras sat at one end of the table between Roger and Ben Britten. Every so often, one would look down to the other end of the table and glare menacingly at the girls. Roger smirked wickedly. "I've never seen anyone wear that much makeup. How unfortunate that you can still read it beneath all that."

Michael Corner, sitting opposite them, suppressed a laugh. "At this rate, she'll run out of foundation in a few days. I wonder what she'll do then."

Anthony, sitting next to Michael, was a bit more observant, though. "Even with all that makeup, she looks like she's a walking corpse."

Esdras smirked. "That would be my doing. I took as much out of her as I could without killing her. She got the kind of treatment Azkaban prisoners get." He looked down the table to see Marietta slump tiredly against the table. "All the chocolate in the world won't be able to help her now. She shouldn't even be able to use magic for a few days now."

Ben looked impressed. "Good job, Esdras. I can't wait until Transfiguration."

The Dementor sighed. "Perhaps, but we have more important things to worry about than Marietta. You all read Educational Decree Twenty Eight just like I did. Umbridge is Headmistress. No good can come of this."

Silence fell across the Ravenclaws as they pondered the change of command. At least until the cause of that change interrupted their thoughts. "Hem hem. If I may have your attention please."

Roger looked up to the High Table. The toad was standing at the center seat of the table and looking imperiously down at the students. He sighed and spoke softly. "Speak of the devil…"

Once Umbridge was sure she had the whole school's attention, she smiled evilly and raised a scroll which she began to read from. "By order of the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts: All non-mortal students are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The aforementioned is in accordance with Educational Decree Twenty Nine."

Umbridge's triumphant posture was totally ruined by a peal of Dementor laughter. The disturbing whisper filled the Great Hall as every student turned to look at Esdras, who had, during the reading of the new decree, been surrounded by aurors with wands drawn. The Dementor took all this in stride. "Don't worry, I'll come easily. But mark my words, Dolores. I'll be back here for dinner!"

As the auror guard escorted the Dementor from the Great Hall, a single form ran to intercept them. Katie rushed into Esdras' arms, worry written over her face. "She can't do this to you!"

Esdras smiled softly and kissed her on the cheek. "Relax, and leave everything to me. I'll see you tonight for dinner. Tell Roger to take notes for me today. Good ones, not that messy scrawl like he usually does."

Katie laughed at this and nodded. "I'll tell him. But what are you going to do about all this?"

The pink haired auror on his left jabbed Esdras lightly with her wand. The Dementor jumped in surprise and glared. "Oh, calm down, Tonks." The auror merely winked at the pair before he turned to face Katie. Quiet confidence was written on his face. "Leave everything to me. It'll be a dinner to remember."

The day passed anxiously for the students of Hogwarts after the expulsion of Esdras. His proclamation of rejoining them for dinner had been exactly the fuel necessary for the Hogwarts rumor mill to start turning at maximum output. Theories abounded as to how he would manage it, everything from Umbridge mysteriously disappearing to the complete destruction of Hogwarts by some sort of Azkaban super weapon. Katie, however, had remained calm and done her best to dispel any of the more frightening rumors, including two about Dementors killing first and asking questions later and one involving some form of Azkaban brain parasite that would turn every mortal in the school into some sort of zombie to make the harvesting of souls easier.

Confident of her Dementor's success, Katie smirked as she pulled her black silk dress from her closet and laid it on her bed next to her black dragon leather corset. When she descended the stairs of the girl's dormitory, she was greeted by every male in the common room staring slack jawed at her. Grinning, she made her way to the portrait hole, where she was intercepted by the Weasley twins. They looked her up and down and then Fred smirked. "Someone's expecting a grand entrance tonight."

George nodded. "Very true, brother. I would say that Katie here knows something."

Katie shook her head and looked nervous. "I know as much as you do. But I do know that Esdras warned her about the danger of pulling stunts like this when she gave me detention with that horrible quill in the fall. And chances are that someone's going to have to calm him down. Hopefully, this will do the trick."

The pair nodded sagely, and Fred spoke up. "That's right. He said something about her unleashing a horrible force that would bring our kind to extinction."

George laughed. "Sounds like it ought to be an interesting dinner. And I doubt that dress will calm Esdras down, but it will probably help distract him." He winked playfully. "I suggest we get down there before the shepherd's pie is gone."

Katie looked at the pair in disbelief. "You're not concerned?"

She was met with twinned laughter and George smiled, throwing an arm around her shoulder and leading her out the portrait hole. "Not in the least. This is Esdras we're talking about, and the Fourth Fleet along with him. He's going to put on one hell of a show and make us all think that we're in mortal danger."

Fred threw his arm around her other shoulder and grinned. "Then, right at the last minute, Umbridge will give in and all the Dementors will settle down and have a cup of tea on the ceiling. I'm looking forward to seeing it, personally."

Katie simply shook her head and let the pair lead her into the Great Hall, where they all sat down for dinner. It was obvious that Umbridge had taken Esdras at his word, for there were aurors stationed at the corners of the Great Hall and seated at the High Table with the professors. The main course had hardly been served when Katie looked up to see a very curious sight. Esdras Demnin simply materialized through the wall of the Great Hall like a ghost, then passed through students, food, and tables until he was standing in the middle of the hall, facing Umbridge. From her position at the Gryffindor table, Katie could see that Esdras' mortal eyes glowed a fierce purple, indicating that he was under the effect of one of the Quicksilver Projects.

The toad looked down in shock as Esdras spoke clearly and calmly. "Dolores Umbridge, as Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, you represent the Ministry of Magic in all decisions you make. Section 25 of the Treaty of Edinburgh prevents the restriction of Azkaban citizens from any educational opportunity. By expelling me, you have violated this section of the treaty, explain your actions."

Umbridge didn't even attempt an explanation, merely opting to gesture for her aurors. "Arrest that Dementor!"

The aurors that ran to arrest him merely passed through him, unable to touch the Dementor. But Esdras was one step ahead of her. Smirking, he spoke a single word. "Attack."

From the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, over seventy Dementors in Riot Assault cloaks descended with lightning speed. They moved with practiced efficiency, some subduing the professors, others subduing the aurors, and the rest standing guard over the students. The only person not subdued was Umbridge herself. She glared at Esdras, her face turning an unhealthy shade of red. "Just what do you think you're doing, Mister Demnin?"

The Dementor shook his head sadly. "I warned you, Dolores. If you tested my patience, there would be hell to pay." He grinned wickedly, his glowing violet eyes adding an unearthly touch to his expression. "I again call the Treaty of Edinburgh into abeyance and retake my position as King of Azkaban. But don't worry; your precious prison will remain secure. I instead call my troops to war. Yes, a great war against the mortals." He addressed his troops in English, his voice echoing mightily in the hall. "Thirteenth Infantry, these mortals will be the first casualties in our conquest of the world. We will crush their inferior culture and replace it with the glory of Azkaban. All Dementors, prepare to attack!"

At the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were grinning. Fred looked over to Katie. "This is great, dinner and a show!"

Umbridge, by this point, had drawn her wand. She pointed it at the Dementor and glared. Esdras, however, laughed. "Oh yes, let's see what the mighty Defense professor is capable of. Come now, Dolores. I dare you."

The toad growled and leveled her wand at the Dementor. "Expecto Patronum!" The Patronus that came forth was laughable at best, no more than a silvery mist which moved quickly towards Esdras. When it impacted, it ripped his mortal form away, revealing the Dementor beneath but hardly repelling him. Esdras, instead, began to feed. His afterburners fired with a shrieking wail and he pressed against the Patronus, weakening it as he processed its energy and discharged it as ichor plasma. Finally, the silver mist evaporated, leaving only the Dementor.

As Umbridge watched in horror, Esdras leveled his wand at her. "My turn. Crucio!" The toad woman crumpled to the ground, screaming in ultimate suffering as the curse coursed through her body. Esdras calmly glided up to her twitching form and ended the spell. He reached down and grabbed her, lifting her into the air. He did not lift her up by the head, however. He instead grabbed her by the sternum, digging his fingers into her body and lifting her massive bulk up by the skeleton. The professor's screams increased in volume as she tried to dislodge herself from the Dementor. Esdras shouted to be heard over her screams. "If you want evil Dementors, then you will have them! Rescind the decree!"

Umbridge cried out as Esdras squeezed her sternum tighter, eliciting loud snaps from within her body as ribs dislodged from her sternum and spine. Finally, the pain became too much for her. "The decree is rescinded! The decree is rescinded! Just let me go!"

The Dementor dropped the professor and regarded her quietly as he switched to mortal form and Scourgified his blood soaked hand. His glowing purple eyes bore into her as he stepped down on her chest, grinding his heel into the wound, causing her to scream in pain. He spoke with furious intensity. "I relinquish my reign, but do not try anything else like this again. The Treaty of Edinburgh was designed to give Dementors the basic freedoms that you seem so intent on taking away from your own kind. If you try to remove them, I will fight back for myself and for my people. And next time, I will kill you where you stand. Remember what I have told you today, and even if you don't remember my words, remember the pain."

The Dementor lifted his foot from her injury and turned, walking slowly down from the High Table dais in total silence. As soon as he was on level with the students again, Katie came running from the Gryffindor table. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Welcome back, my darling."

Esdras smiled and kissed her softly before motioning for his men to disperse. The Dementors floated away, unpinning the professors and aurors and quickly gliding out the door of the Great Hall, into the Entrance Hall and the waiting night beyond. When they were gone, Esdras spared Katie a grin. "I told you I'd put her in her place."

Katie nodded and looked over his shoulder to Umbridge, who was being tended to by Madame Pomfrey. She fingered the cloak that rested on his shoulders before staring into his purple eyes. "Let me guess, the Transphasic Project?"

Laughing, the Dementor nodded and bent down to look at his reflection on one of the silver water carafes. "Purple eyes for this one. That's something new."

The mortal laughed joyously and led him to the Gryffindor table. "Well, defender of Azkaban, are you hungry?"

Esdras nodded quickly. "Very. It's hard work starting a war." He looked Katie up and down in her silk dress and smiled. "But I have a feeling I'm going to work up an appetite again anyway."