A New Headmistress

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

'Kat!' said a voice behind her.

'Harry, what happened? I didn't get achance to meet you yesterday? Tell me everything.'

'Well, Kat listen. Dumbledore's gone,' said Harry.

Kitty's eyes grew as wide as galleons. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, Umbridge took me to his office. Fudge was there too. And that complete bitch, Cho's friend she told Umbridge about the DA meetings. Fudge was going to expel me, but then Dumbledore vouched for me and said that the meetings had been taking place under his was going to arrest Dumbledore but then he vanished. And guess what, Umbridge's been made Headmistress of Hogwarts,' said Harry.

There was a nasty silence.

'But how did you get away?' asked Hermione.

'I er…I hid in the library. Was no one else caught?' Kitty said.

'Don't think so,' replied Harry.

'I expect Umbridge really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office,' said Hermione viciously, as they walked up the stone steps into the Entrance Hall. 'Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old-'

'Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?'

Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.

'Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor,' he drawled.

'It's only teachers who can dock points from houses, Malfoy,' said Harry at once.

'Yeah, I'm a prefect, too, remember?' snarled Hermione.

'I know prefects can't dock points,' sneered Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. 'But members of the Inquisitorial Squad-'

'The what?' said Hermione sharply.

'The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger,' said Malfoy, pointing towards a tiny silver 'I' on his robes just beneath his prefect's badge. 'A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points ... so, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new Headmistress. Five because I don't like you, Potter. Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten off for that.'

Harry pulled out his wand, but Kitty pushed it away, whispering, 'Don't!'

'Wise move, Potter,' breathed Malfoy. 'New Head, new times ...be good now, Potters ... mudblood...'

Laughing heartily, he strode away with Crabbe and Goyle.

'I wonder now why he didn't dock points from Ravenclaw,' said Hermione.

'Oh I suppose…because I was not saying anything rude,' said Kitty hastily.

'Hmm,' said Hermione, 'Come on Harry, we have to go for History of Magic.'

Harry and Hermione walked off, leaving Kitty standing alone. Kitty took one look at them and then darted off in the direction Malfoy had gone. She caught up with him minutes later.

'You two go on,' said Malfoy to Crabbe and Goyle, 'I'll handle this little twit.'

Crabbe and Goyle trudged away.

'Mal…Draco, thanks for helping me escape yesterday,' said Kitty breathlessly.

'Don't mention it,' said Malfoy.

'Why'd you do it?' said Kitty.

Malfoy hesitated. 'Because…because you…you aren't like your brother. Well, I have to go now, for Charms, see you later.'

'Yeah, bye,' said Kitty.

'Oy, you!' said someone behind her. Kitty turned around. It was Filch.

'Potter's sister, aren't you?'

Kitty nodded.

'The Headmistress would like to see you,' said Filch leering, 'Come on now.'

Kitty wondered how Umbridge could possibly know that she was also part of the DA. She followed Filch to her office.

'Here we are,' he said, leering down at Kitty as he rapped three times on Professor Umbridge's door and pushed it open. 'The Potter girl to see you, Ma'am.'

Umbridge's office was the same as usual except for the large wooden block lying across the front of her desk on which golden letters spelled the word: HEADMISTRESS. Also, Harry's Firebolt and Fred and George's Cleansweeps, were chained and padlocked to a stout iron peg in the wall behind the desk.

Umbridge was sitting behind the desk, busily scribbling on some of her pink parchment, but she looked up and smiled widely at their entrance.

'Thank you, Argus,' she said sweetly.

'Not at all, Ma'am, not at all,' said Filch, bowing as low as his rheumatism would permit, and exiting backwards.

'Sit,' said Umbridge curtly, pointing towards a chair. Kitty sat. Umbridge continued to scribble for a few moments.

'Well, now, I had a talk with your brother earlier today,' she said finally, setting down her quill and surveying her complacently, like a toad about to swallow a particularly juicy fly. 'What would you like to drink?'

'What?' said Kitty; quite sure she had misheard her.

'To drink, Ms. Potter,' she said, smiling still more widely. Tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?'

As she named each drink, she gave her short wand a wave, and a cup or glass of it appeared on her desk.

'Nothing, thank you,' said Kitty.

'I wish you to have a drink with me,' she said, her voice becoming dangerously sweet. 'Choose one.'

'Fine ... tea then,' said Kitty shrugging.

She got up and made quite a performance of adding milk with her back to Kitty. She then bustled around the desk with it, smiling in a sinisterly sweet fashion. A horrible idea came into Kitty's head as she remembered that day's Potions class. Veritaserum…

'There,' she said, handing it to her. 'Drink it before it gets cold, won't you? Well, now, Ms. Potter ... I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night. Were you also a part of this organization Dumbledore had founded? This, if I'm not mistaken, Dumbledore's Army?'

'No,' said Kitty automatically.

'Drink up, drink up,' said Umbridge.

Kitty pretended to draw the cup to her lips and take a sip.

'I see,' continued Umbridge, 'Well, would you happen to know where Dumbledore is?'

'No,' repeated Kitty, and pretended to take another sip.

'Very well, in that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black,' said Umbridge sweetly.

Kitty's stomach turned over and her hand holding the teacup shook so that it rattled in its saucer. She tilted the cup to her mouth with her lips pressed together, so that some of the hot liquid trickled down on to her robes.

'I don't know,' she said, a little too quickly.

Umbridge eyed her carefully.

'Would you happen to know where Hagrid was for the earlier part of the year?' she asked.

'I wouldn't,' said Kitty immediately.

'Very well, I will take your word for it this time, Ms. Potter. You may go,' she said.

BOOM!

The very floor of the office shook. Umbridge slipped sideways, clutching her desk for support, and looking shocked.

'What was-?'

She was gazing towards the door. Kitty took the opportunity to hurriedly mutter the Drought Charm under her breath. The tea in her almost full cup disappeared. She could hear people running and screaming several floors below.

'Back to lunch you go, Potter!' cried Umbridge, raising her wand and dashing out of the office. Kitty hurried after her to see what the source of all the uproar was.

It was not difficult to find. One floor down, pandemonium reigned. Somebody (and Kitty had a very shrewd idea who) had set off what seemed to be an enormous crate of enchanted fireworks.

Dragons comprised entirely of green and gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they went; shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter were whizzing lethally through the air like so many flying saucers; rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars were ricocheting off the walls; sparklers were writing swear words in midair of their own accord; firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Kitty looked, and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight or fizzling to a halt, these pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining in energy and momentum the longer she watched.

'Don't Stun them, Filch!' shouted Umbridge angrily.

'Right you are, Headmistress!' wheezed Filch, who as a Squib could no more have Stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom and began swatting at the fireworks in midair; within seconds the head of the broom was ablaze.

The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers didn't seem to mind them very much. The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as Headmistress running all over the school answering the summons of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her.

The next evening, Harry and Kitty set off for Occlumency. Harry was very irritable as he had fought again with Cho.

'She keeps talking loudly in the Ravenclaw common room about how horrible Hermione is,' said Kitty, 'Actually, it's a good thing you broke up with her, Harry. Next time, choose someone more cheerful.'

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