Chapter 14: The Fleeing Inspiration .... Tabitha Knocked Down
That night flew by in Tabitha's eyes and all of it was spent saying good bye to her fiancee. As the dawn was barely breaking over the horizon she and Sirius were saying good bye and in her head it screamed romance fiction; her heart sobbed for what was being destroyed thanks to the toad.
"There you go Furball," she said sadly helping Sirius into his black leather jacket.
"Hey I'll miss you too. We'll see each other soon," he said cupping her face and kissing her softly. It brought a small smile to her face even though tears shown in her chocolate eyes.
"Alright then, you better be leaving," she said handing him the gold coin.
"This is the port-key and the activation keyword is Dragonhead, " she said looking away as Sirius zipped up his jacket and donned the collar she'd given him. If he was honest he liked the collar; it was her first gift to him.
"Now remember to use the port-key outside the grounds and take care of my aunt and yourself too and…" She was rambling but he silenced her with a finger on her lips.
"Shhh….I know and I will. When it's all over we're going to get married and have children I prmise," he said kissing her for the last time.
The kiss was textbook last farwell kiss and it brought tears falling down her eyes. He wiped them away and kissed her head before he changed into his animagus form and ran out of the room.
Tabitha ran to the window and watched the dog leave the castle and run to the gates. She smiled softly as she saw him disappear.
Tabitha walked down the halls with a mission in her mind. Umbridge could attempt to dethrone her from the Transfiguration seat but it would not be easy. And to cement her opposition of the Ministry today she wore tight black pants, her dueling pants, and a white t-shirt that had a large picture of Minerva and Albus smiling on it. On the back the shirt read: I know where my loyalties are do you?
Her make up was dark and theatrical and gothic. She also wore a button on her shirt that changed from reading: Toads are not Teachers to Be MMAD!
When she finally reached the Great Hall for breakfast what she saw wasn't unbelievable but still got her blood boiling.
There Umbridge was sitting in her Darling Albus's chair...... in the headmaster's chair! It meant that she had been, well 'promoted' to headmistress. Tabitha knew it would happen but to see the woman smiling and sitting in that chair made her so angry she wanted to punch something. Preferably the toad.
Umbridge was smirking and looking at Sabrina who was deliberately ignoring her as Severus drank deeply from his mug of coffee. Tabitha took her seat smartly next to her angry cousin as Umbridge smiled at her optimistically.
"I'm sure you are happy to be a professor again," Umbrdige smirked.
"Headmistress I am invoking my right as an opposing Professor to not speak with you. Thank you," Tabitha said cooly piling bacon on her plate.
Umbrdige looked annoyed and put out but wisely said nothing.
A week had passed since the toad had been crowned queen of the castle. The 5th years O.W.L.S had already begun and exam pressure had already settled in.
"I'm never going to make it through potions," whined Neville surfing through his textbook.
"Don't worry Neville, I'm right behind you," said Harry trying to console the boy.
"Don't worry guys I know you can do it," Tabitha smiled as she sat across from them in the common room. She and Sabrina were being joint heads of house for the lions since Tabby was actually a Slytherin.
"Yeah right," Neville sighed.
"Oh come on what's a Bezoar for?" she asked looking through the potions book.
"Posiosn? No saves you from posions?" Neville asked.
"Yes!" Tabitha nodded as they continued the little study session.
A part from O.W.L.S and Hermione; Harry also had Occluemency to deal with and even though Snape was on his side, he was of not much use.
Seemed Severus was highly annoyed with him that afternoon. They had early morning sessions and afternoon ones sometimes. Today it was just during lunch before the last classes of the day.
"Potter how daft are you?" Said an agitated Severus pulling himself out of Harry's head.
"Sev!" commented Sabrina from the back.
"But......" He broke.
"Sev," she said again.
"Fine," he growled.
Suddenly there was loud bang and shouting coming from above them.
"Did you see something suspicious on your way down here Potter?" asked Severus urgently.
Harry shook his head. The three of them dashed towards the crowed entrance hall and shifted through the crowd to come face to with hundreds of fireworks shooting through the castle. Umbrdige stood not far off looking very upset and Tabitha stood just a bit a head of her cheering with her students.
The cause of the disrupption was Fred and George Weasley on their broomsticks. On the wall where they were hovering was magical permanent ink writing on the entrance walls which read:
Tabitha for your inspiration and Sabrina for the ideas we say you guys rock!!-Fred and George.
They swooped down and Fred kissed Sabrina while George kissed Tabby before they flew up again to the poltergeist flying over everyone laughing happily.
"Give her hell for us Peeves," Fred and George shouted bowing slightly at the two girls and winking at Severus as they flew out of Hogwarts.
The group turned to Umbridge, whose hair was still burning a bit.
"Well....I suggest you get cleaned up Headmistress and get rid of the fireworks. It is your job after all," Tabitha cackled leading her first years to class.
It took Umbridge and Flitch all aternoon and most of the night to get rid of the fireworks due to the teachers unability to deal with it.
Truthfully they just loved how flustered the Headmistress was getting because she could not get rid of them as well as the rest of the staff could have if they had felt inclined to.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"Good night headmistress. Are you sure you know what you are doing?" the girls smirked at her as they left the dinner table and walked back to their rooms.
Tabitha spent the night playing with her crup and Sabrina spent hers safely placed in Severus' strong arms.
Meanwhile at Dumbledore Estate; Aberforth, Remus, Tonks, Minerva, Sirius, and Albus were meeting to discuss and put a grand finale plan into action.
"Hello, everybody," said Albus looking at everyone kindly but his voice was very serious.
"As you are now aware of the prophecy and the horcruxes you know that our final job is to find them. This is to give Harry the greatest advantage at deafeating Voldemort," he explained.
The members nodded solemnly.
"We'll be splitting up into three groups of two. Minerva and Sirius, Remus and Tonks, and of course myself and Aberforth. You know the plan, you know why we cannot fail, and you know the locations. Find them and destroy them. You are each given the acid that will destroy them. Be careful and use it wisely. Now I think it is time we must part," Albus said as they began dispersing.
"And remember not to let the pull of magic effect your decision. Destroy it; don't keep it," he added.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Just before Sirius and Minerva left Albus pulled her to the side.
"Minerva I didn't want you to do this but you forced your way through here. I won't be able to survive without you Minerva so please be very careful," Albus pleading kissing his fiancée.
Minerva returned the kiss, nodded, and hugged him tightly.
"I love you too so come back to me Albus," she said kissing him again for the last time and then mounting Sirius' bike. The side cart had been taken off to make the bike go faster.
Albus took a second to think about how turned on he was by his fiancee on a motor bike but then shook himself.
He looked at a Sirius who seemed to be extremely pleased with himself for getting to use his beloved bike again and gave the man a penetrating look. Sirius nodded in understanding and flew away on his bike with Minerva.
Late the next night; Severus and Sabrina were in the staff room snogging when a red spark shout past the window.
"What the bloody hell?" Severus asked.
They ran to the window and saw Tabitha fighting four ministry aurors as Umbridge snidely watched the duel and shouted instructions.
The two looked at each other and then ran down the many stairs and corridors outside where the duel was fierce.
Sabrina made to reach for her wand and found it gone. But Tabitha shouted for her to remain anyway.
"No Rina this is mine! Stay out of it!" said Tabitha angrily.
Up in the Astronomy Tower all the studnets and test examiners were watching unable to turn away.
Neville and Harry were both hoping Tabby would be okay as they felt a connection to her.
Hermione was wondering why the others were not helping her...although it appeared she didn't need it.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The duel had started because Tabitha had opposed Umbridge's attack on Hagrid. Oddly enough the duel had seem to work as a form of diversion for Hagrid's escape.
"Crucio!" Umbridge suddenly shouted pointing her wand at Tabitha who was now wandlessly attacking the one auror left.
The Crucio was so sudden and unpredictable that Tabby couldn't dodge it and fell twitching to the ground.
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Tabby screamed in a voice that would have been perfect for horror movies .
"Please, please stop I'm begging you please…." cried Sabrina as she ran to her cousin and fell next to a twitching Tabitha, her crying brought Umbridge back to reality. Dolores snarled and walked away leaving Severus and Sabrina to tend to Tabitha.
"We must get her to the hospital," said Madam Pomfrey from behind the group as she walked away to the Hospital Wing to prepare it for her new patient.
"I don't have a wand I left it back there," said Sabrina to Severus.
"Neither do I," replied Severus.
"I think I'll pick her up," he said gently taking the beauty in his arms and rushing to the Hospital Wing with his fiancee following quickly.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
An hour or so later Tabitha was already up and healthy again. It was astonishing to the medi-witch at how fast the girl had healed; after all ..... the Crucio wasn't an unforgettable for no reason.
"What were you thinking?" asked Sabrina to Tabitha in a very serious tone. Tabitha had never seen her cousin so serious ever.
"I was thinking of killing her and protecting Hagrid wouldn't you?" Tabitha asked cheekily.
"Tabitha!" shouted Sabrina.
"She called the McGonagall Clan whores! What was I supposed to do smile sweetly and say 'Oh of course my mother and my aunts were a bunch of sluts!!??' Is that what you want me to do Rina?" Tabitha screamed.
"Well it isn't the very way I would put it," Sabrina sighed, "But Tabitha you're supposed to be the rational one!"
"Well darn it Sabrina my brain said it was rational!" Tabitha hissed.
Sabrina couldn't think how to rebuttal that and nor could Severus so they dropped the subject and went to their rooms.