Chapter 11
Rose POV.
It seemed that every time I passed the Great-Hall door, the dark stone around it was being cluttered by more and more of Umbridge's restrictive decrees, and the only time I saw Filtch was on that massive ladder of his. The din of his hammer blows were never ending.
After a full month had passed, the wall was so crammed with the framed parchments that the old caretaker had had to start encroaching on the picture walls. The paintings had no qualms about voicing their displeasure. Umbridge had threatened more than once to have Fitch take them down, even-though that was far beyond her current powers.
Her attempts to take over the school were most evident in the Defense-Against-the-Dark-Arts classroom, where we were quickly reduced to nothing but tedious copy-work, three times each to be exact. She claimed that it was to make us memorize the content of our books, but the information in the accursed book Defensive Magic for Beginners or whatever it was called, I'd stopped caring long ago, was what was taught to the first years. Her complete and utter lack of instruction on the subject was going to make the less advanced students in my year fail their O.W.L.s on the subject for sure.
Was the Ministry so power-hungry that they wanted the wizards and witches under their rule to be reduced to sheeple, or just completely defenseless against the threat I knew loomed menacing over us, unseen and in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike when we were powerless to stand against them?
Since I personally knew the Minister of Magic - having dined with him several times and even been invited, along with the rest of my family, to the World Cup before the infamous attack - I knew that he was a paranoid man scared to death of the prospect of the return of You-Know-Who, but he didn't seemed to me like a true leader; he seemed more like a puppet, being controlled by the fear-mongers within the Ministry. However, I wouldn't put it past the Ministry to recruit Death-eaters, known or not, into positions of power. For all I knew, Umbridge was a Death-eater who was still unknown to the public. That would explain the torture she seemed to enjoy inflicting on the students of Hogwarts. She seemed to particularly enjoy abusing the Gryfindors.
The final straw came when Umbridge took the wand of a second year Ravenclaw who was harmlessly practicing a spell that I had taught her to heal bruises since she was prone to being bullied under the guise that she had decreed that no magic could be practiced in the halls, causing her bruises to reappear and open into bleeding wounds. I exploded when I came to the little girl's rescue.
"What... What is your problem, Professor?! Do you get off on hurting innocent children?! She did nothing to you!" I screamed as she walked away.
She turned then, striding back up to me as I stood my ground. My gift itched to be released, feeding off of my anger at the revolting woman. "Do you dare question my authority?" she asked condescendingly, pulling her uncommonly short wand from her sweater pocket.
"When it comes to my little sister, absolutely." I seethed, my voice drowned in venom. I pushed Rose behind me and she bolted. Now that my little sister was out of the line of fire, I drew out my wand and held it semi-passively at my side, expecting an altercation.
"Naughty children deserve to be punished, young Rose. Your sister is no different." she replied.
My fury rose, and I screeched at the woman, startling her slightly, as I raised my wand to her. My anger was causing me to lose my careful control on both my emotions and my gift, and I had several jinxs on my tongue to shoot her way if she brought me to it. "How dare you!? My sister is not at fault here. I taught her that spell to help her. You and your torture will stop, mark my words. No one messes with my family." I hissed menacingly.
I realized then that I had attracted an audience as the hallway I was in flanked the courtyard. Students piled in the arches as they watched us. I considered throwing a hex her way, a stun on my tongue, when I realized that I could use my audience to my advantage. Umbridge never retaliated or tortured if she had a witnesses. She knew that Dumbledore would depose her if he got wind of what she was doing, but she had scared the students she abused into silence with the threat of detention with a Blood-Quill or worse. I had told Professor McGonagall, but either she hadn't told the Headmaster, or he was somehow powerless to deal with her. I didn't like that possibility.
Personally, I didn't care if I got detention with a Blood-Quill. It would be nice to toy with her in return, letting my gift go just enough to heal me at the same rate as the Blood-Quill followed its design, so as to look like I had grown immune to its effects.
Oh, how it would drive her insane. I thought, the idea infecting my brain as fury consumed me. I pushed the thought away. There was no reason to be rash if I was to be serving detention anyway for protecting my sister. There was something though that I could do for her.
Knowing that my audience was keeping Umbridge powerless, I raised my wand and thought, Accio Rose's wand. My sister's ten inch long, light colored wand flew from Umbridge's grasp and landed in my hands. I had long since grown adept at non-verbal spells.
The students clapped wildly that some student had the courage to stand up to Umbridge. "Rose Braddock," Umbridge said slowly, her fear flooding off of her in a torrent, "You will serve detention for the rest of the week at seven thirty in my office."
She slunk away.
The students roared, but I just felt sick. What had happened? It was so unlike me to take advantage of someone else. Even if it was someone like Umbridge it felt overly wrong.
I suddenly felt weak, the cause quickly made known to me. Magic pulsed from me, renewing the cuts on Umbridge's hands.
My vision faded, my legs buckled, and – in front of God and everyone - I collapsed to the cold stone below.