Author's Note - This is my warning that this chapter contains information about Umbridge that get's revealed in the last book, Deathly Hallows.
Oh Fudge (Part Four)
Hermione thought very carefully about what she had just heard from Irumi. In some ways Irumi was like Harry, not wanting to have any notoriety effect how people thought of her. But unlike Harry, her notoriety didn't come from what she had done, but what her bloodlines were. Hermione knew that if she had known what Irumi's bloodlines were, she would have acted more like she had when she had first met Harry. And unlike Harry, who didn't care one way or another, Irumi wished to hide the fact that she was related to two Elven Lords and the Elf in the Fellowship.
That explained why Irumi got upset as she did when people said they were going to marry her cousin. Of course, Hermione couldn't blame Irumi as some of those girls, Gigi for instance, she wouldn't want in her family. Hermione shuttered to think what would happen if her sister found out that Irumi was related too Legolas. This was a secret that Hermione would most defiantly keep from her sister and others as it would have precipitating effects.
Hermione looked up at the building in front of her. She had seen it while her parents, her sister and she were driving to their new house. It was a huge, rundown stadium. She should have recognized the style and identified it as a Quiditch stadium, but she was not the one interested in flying around on brooms, which she hated, and chasing balls. For her, the game was pointless.
Hermione was surprised that the place hadn't fallen down yet, nor why the Ministry hadn't made it so it looked like something else to the Muggles. She didn't understand why the Ministry in truth didn't hide from the Muggle world at all. She quickly followed after Irumi to the entrance of the stadium and that was where she saw a man behind the table dressed in Muggle clothing.
He looked up as soon as Irumi let out a small clearing of her throat. He tapped his fingers on the table and looked at her. "You are back I see. I take it you didn't get any help from your Elven Lord in this matter."
Irumi handed over to him the sealed letter, which left a confused look on the mans face. A confused look was on Hermione's face too. "Your dressed in Muggle clothing … and there is nothing to make you not look like a Muggle."
The man then looked up at Hermione, "You, young lady, must be a Witch from the mainland, not from the island of Anwe."
"I just moved here because of … well there were circumstances that forced me to move here." Hermione just stared at the man as he opened the letter.
"Well, here in Anwe, we believe in a complete synthesis of Wizarding and Muggle community. The majority of Muggles don't know about us, but a few do. It is likely to increase as those books speculating the future of one Harry Potter have come out into the Muggle hands. Not just here, but around the world. I would say that we are better adapted to handle the situation then any of the other places. It was bound to happen anyways. We couldn't help but tell them so. They are so behind the times, they don't realize all the things that Muggles have passed them behind on."
The man opened the letter and then began to carefully read it. Hermione noticed Umbridge looking straight at her and motioned for China and Irumi to move out of ear shot of the man while he read his letter. Hermione frowned as she looked at the lady, if one could call the mousy woman a lady.
"That's Umbridge. I believe I told you she had a thing against anything that wasn't of human blood. Well, she is a complete hag. She pushed a movement through the ministry in what would have been my seventh year that said that Muggle born Wizard and Witches stole magic by taking another persons wand, someone who was pure blood. She was pushing for complete investigation into how we 'stole' magic."
"How can a Muggle have stolen magic?" China shook her head at Hermione. "That makes no sense to me at all."
"Well, the way they argues it, there is no magic in our blood in the first place so how did we come to have magic. Thievery is the only logical explanation for it, or so she and her followers say," Hermione was livid with anger.
"That is rather ironic, considering the Eldar remember a time when the Edain had no magic powers at all, only a slight few. There was once no magical blood lines, when Middle Earth existed. But I guess Wizarding history doesn't go that far back." This comment from Irumi made Hermione look at the Elfling. The girl had a smile on her face. "And with the logic she was using, you can imagine what that would imply, no, for all Wizarding folk. But we Eldar don't believe it."
"It implies humans stole magic from something else. That they stole it from the Eldar or the Dwarves." Hermione smiled at that too.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say Dwarves," China retorted. But she was soon shocked by the retort from Irumi, who was still joking around.
"The Dwarves never let their secrets leave them. I don't know of any that have taken in and trained humans. A folly of our people I guess." Irumi's eyes twinkled with mirth.
"And most of our people don't make such mirth about ourselves," China stated dryly, glaring as she did so at the other elfling. Hermione just laughed and shook her head. China then glared at Hermione. "It really isn't funny."
"Yes it is," Irumi piped up.
"No it isn't." China put her hands on her hips.
"Master Gimli would think so,"
"Master Gimli is a Dwarf." China was about to turn around in a huff when they saw Umbridge following the weird man with the lime green bowler over to where they were.
Hermione pursed her lips as she had major problems with Umbridge's prejudices and the stupidity of Fudge, but she had to hold her tongue, else she might say something that might get her or her new friends into trouble. Fudge headed over to the desk where the man was reading the letter was sitting. Umbridge however walked over to the three children.
"I see that Harry Potter's friend has made friends with even more of life's lowlifes, but that is to be expected as she isn't a true Witch."
"You still believe all that baloney," Hermione restrained herself from snapping at the woman.
"Believe, well it is all true. In fact, you don't have your wand yet, so that means you have yet to acaust a Witch or Wizard to get one. I should speak with the Ministry of Magic here to get a watch over you to make sure that you don't steal anyones watch and steal the magic,"
"And they will most likely think you crazy," Hermione retorted, none to happy.
It was then that a woman came over to great them, followed by a Dwarf and a Hobbit, both of whom were adults. The Dwarf nodded his head at Irumi. "So ye must be the Elfling that Fudge person has been ranting about. You're the only Elf child here with brown hair."
"Personally, I don't see why I can't be the Seeker. I have skill. Everyone else went home, but these two wanted to meet you. I wanted to see what outranked me for the position of Seeker, and I think they've made a very bad decision."
It was then that Fudge came hurrying over, an ecstatic look on his face. He grabbed Irumi's hand and began to shake it. "Lailaith Oropherian, I would never have thought. You'll be amazing, considering who your related to."
Irumi winced and stared at the man. The woman who had walked over was not happy. "It shouldn't be her family that gets her where she is, but her own skill. We need to order the teams Quiditch uniforms. She should be in charge of ordering them. If she can't do it, then she can't be on the team."
"Sheila, it is not your decision as to who is on or off the team. And I don't know if your even suited for a team. With what happened with you and your Harpies tryout three years ago, you've got to prove that your willing to be a team player." The man behind the counter then turned to Irumi.
"But it isn't a bad idea for you to go and get the uniforms. You know nothing about Quiditch, hopefully it will teach you something. I can't believe that I am stuck with this mess though. You may be Lord Oropher's granddaughter, but that only puts political means to you. It is getting late, everyone should head on home."
Everyone headed off. Fudge tipped his bowler at Hermione. "It is also good to see one of the famous Harry Potter's friends here."
The three young ones just stared after him.
Author's note –
Fudge pops up onto screen. He tilts his lime green bowler to the readers. "Well, I never thought that I would ever get to meet an Elf, let alone one that is that politically related through bloodlines to the greats. I don't know why she didn't brag about it when we first met. I know I sure would of. Well, anyways, this is the forth and last installment of the 'Oh Fudge' part of 'Finding a Hero'. The authoress hopes you enjoy and that you figured out why these past four chapters were named the way they were. I sure don't. Originally, she syndicated this for a one shot run, but felt it better to break up the chapters into four parts. Thank you, and have a nice day."