Well, I was able to get something done a little quicker this time.

Thanks to Kyae for beta'ing!

Enjoy!

Chapter 33

All Harry could do at the moment was to simply stare at the Minister. They had entered Dumbledore's office five minutes ago.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" the man shouted.

Fudge was angrily pacing up and down in front of Harry and it was not because of the show Umbridge had given him moments before. Tonks and Kingsley, who both were positioned at the door rubbed their ears.

"Where the hell did you get that?" asked Harry, being genuinely surprised after slowly having pretended to get better.

They were currently sitting in Dumbledore's office and the newly awakened Umbridge – despite being bound to a chair – smiled sweetly while Fudge held a piece of parchment in his hand, his eyes wide. He held it in front of Harry's face. Pointing at the words on top of it.

'HOGWARTS ARMY'

'Where the hell did she get the parchment?' thought Harry while frantically trying to come up with something to say. 'Hermione hid it in the Room of Requirement!'

"You w-were trying to create a-an army!" Fudge stuttered and stared at Harry accusingly and with a betrayed look in his eyes at the same time. He didn't answer the question however. Harry really started to feel pity for the man at the moment. Having thrown all of those things at his own head at once would surely start to overwhelm him.

Harry ignored the smiling Umbridge and looked at Dumbledore. He knew, that if the headmaster would be able to break through his Oclumency shields, Harry bet he would have done it to see how he would react. He mentally shook his head. Had Dumbledore himself somehow planned that?

He turned back to the Minister and opened his mouth to deny the accusation, but then hesitated when he caught Dumbledore giving him a warning look over his half-moon spectacles. "I… yes. Yes you're right."

Fudge spluttered. "B-but why? I… I thought you were on our side!"

"Who said I'm not?" asked Harry slightly distracted while his brain was working on full speeds to form a plan how he could get out of the current situation.

Just then Dumbledore stepped around his desk and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "There's no need to speak for me, Harry. It is too late to prove them otherwise."

Harry simply stared at the man, trying to determine if the old lemon drop-sucker had finally lost his mind.

Fudge's face took on an angry purple color. "What are you talking about?"

The headmaster opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly it hit Harry like a ton of bricks. 'That cunning bastard! Why the hell did he do that?', he thought and pushed Dumbledore's hand away from his shoulder. He took a step away from him. "You have no clue, do you?"

Dumbledore blinked and so did Fudge.

Harry snorted and took some more steps away from Dumbledore, until he stood next to Fudge. "You really don't know what's going on, old man, do you?"

"Mr. Potter!" interrupted McGonagall who suddenly entered the office without knocking. "Show some respect to the headmaster!"

With a raised eyebrow from him she lost her anger and stared at him slightly confused. "Why should I show respect to someone like him?"

Dumbledore raised his head slightly and looked at him over his half-moon spectacles. "I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about, Harry. But please, Minerva, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to notify you, that every student of the House of Phoenix – except Mr. Blaise Zabini and Mr. Euan Abercrombie, suddenly appeared injured in the Hospital-wing… just shortly before the incident in the Great Hall, according to Poppy. She was only able to notify me now, because she had to treat their injuries first."

'The hell?' Harry felt his left eyebrow twitch slightly.

"Thank you, please tend to them, Minerva. I'm sorry but we have more pressing matters to discuss at the moment," Dumbledore said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm sure Poppy will take good care of them."

Harry massaged his temples to calm his temper… what had Dumbledore done?

McGonagall turned around to leave, but then looked at the Minister. "According to the injured students she," the Professor nodded to the pink monstrosity on the chair with a look of pure disgust on her face, "is responsible for their injuries."

Then she left and even if Dumbledore was a little taller than him, Harry somehow managed to make it look like he was looking down on the headmaster. And he knew, that the others saw it too. He continued as if they weren't interrupted. "To come back to the matters at hand. Why, tell me, why should I have respect for someone who's no longer able to think clearly and see trough the simple farce of a student?"

Dumbledore titled his head. "What do you mean, my boy? This army was my idea. So what are you talking about?"

Harry looked at the Minister with a friendly smile and then back at Dumbledore with a face devoid of all emotions, carefully considering his words. "I agreed to train the students. Yes, that's true. But… I didn't teach them for you."

Harry saw Dumbledore's eyes light up for the break of a second and knew that the headmaster had planned something like that all along. Harry just didn't know why…

You could see the headmaster's shoulders slump. Dumbledore looked at Harry and even though he knew that the headmaster was acting, it stung to see such a sad and disappointed gaze directed at him. "So all the time you worked behind my back… it pains me to know that I failed to see it sooner."

Harry shrugged. "Like I said. You're an old man who can't think straight anymore. As if I would build and teach an army for you!"

"Could you tell me what you're talking about!" demanded Fudge angrily. "Did you create an army, yes or no?"

Dumbledore looked at the Minister while Harry had to hold back a snigger at the expression on Umbridge's face because they ignored her. "Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius - or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What - I don't -?"

"Hogwarts Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face.

"But - but -"

Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudges face. He took a horrified step backwards, right into the fireplace, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again. "You?" he whispered, stamping on his smoldering cloak. "I… was right?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore nodding.

"You organized this?"

"I did," said Dumbledore.

"You recruited these students for - for your army?"

"I did. But I'm afraid, that Mr. Potter…" Dumbledore looked sadly to the floor. "didn't plan to recruit the students for me, but for you,"

"Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled triumphantly.

"That's right," said Dumbledore jovially. "But it would never have worked, because Harry here never planned to stand by my side for the coup d'état, I'm afraid."

Fudge looked at Harry. Confusion clearly written on his face. "What would you have done then?"

Harry chuckled after a short time. "I was training them for you."

"Um… that means what?" asked the Minister dumbly.

Harry sighed exasperated as if the answer was clear. "I planned to train them, so that they could join the ranks of the Ministry after graduation. Our training consisted mostly of reading and dueling. I was hoping to help them with gaining a position."

"You… you did?"

"Yes."

"And… and you deceived Albus who planned to make you and the other students attack the Ministry to overthrow me?"

Harry threw a short look at Dumbledore and when he nodded slightly he took a deep breath. "Yes, that was his plan."

Fudge clapped his hands with delight. "Then there's no need to talk any longer. Albus, you will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically and raised his wand, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh, really?"

"Well - it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to - what is the phrase? - come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole lot of things I would rather be doing."

"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Tonks, Shacklebolt and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling, "not unless you are foolish enough to force me to. And I think it would hurt."

Harry – thinking it was time for him to act - raised his wand and pointed it at the headmaster with a sneer that could rival Snape's. "Would you even hurt me?"

Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged, but he lowered his wand slightly.

"Take him!" roared Fudge and then everything happened very fast.

A streak of silver light flashed around the room; there was a bang like a gunshot and the floor trembled; Harry raised a shield around himself and crouched down on the floor when another flash raced straight to the place where he had just stood. Several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched and a cloud of dust filled the air.

Narrowing his eyes Harry saw a dark figure fall to the ground with a crash in front of him; there was a shriek and a thud and somebody, Fudge, cried, "No!", then there was the sound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, a groan… and silence.

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked when Harry rose to his feet.

Harry nodded and looked at Fudge, Tonks and Kingsley that lay motionless on the floor. Then back to the headmaster with a huff. "You wanted to hit me too, didn't you?"

Dumbledore nodded apologetically. "I thought it would be the best, more authentic, but you were quick enough to avoid a hit."

Harry smirked. "I didn't train for nothing."

Dumbledore eyed him and then sighed softly, before his eyes travelled to the unconscious Umbridge. "You used a modified form of an Unforgivable."

Harry's smirk disappeared and he nodded after a short moment of hesitation. "Yes, I did."

He looked past Dumbledore, his eyes slightly unfocused. "It was the first time I used it on a human being… but…" he looked at the headmaster. "I didn't feel the slightest bit of regret by doing so. My… our whole house – all Phoenixes - agreed that it would be the best solution… the best way to get revenge…"

"As much as using Unforgivables is shunned," said Dumbledore and nodded while patting his shoulder, "sometimes the end really justifies the means. Not feeling regret, after being tormented by a person like that, is only human."

Harry smiled slightly. "Thank you, sir." His face grew serious. "But… why did you do that?"

Dumbledore gave him a grim smile. "I am in dire need to leave the school for a longer period of time to research something. I couldn't think of another way to explain my probably long absence, so I set up something that would force me to leave the school for a reason."

Harry smiled back once more. "My house-mates aren't in the hospital wing, are they?

The headmaster nodded. "No, I only planted false memories in Umbridge's mind so that she will admit to injuring them when questioned under Veritaserum. I told your housemates when they luckily arrived first in the Great Hall, that's why they disappeared shortly before Umbridge arrived. I originally planned to tell you and your housemates this afternoon."

"Forgive my rudeness, sir, but you're a manipulative bastard," Harry deadpanned and Dumbledore chuckled. "How very Slytherin of you," he added impressed with the cunning of the headmaster. "But now you have to leave as a criminal on the run."

"Yes, and that was exactly my intention," replied Dumbledore and Harry nodded. "Our dear Tom after all, should believe the Light has now lost every chance to prepare itself."

"You'll leave to give him false security." Harry concluded. "Very well then…"

He then looked at Kingsley, who gave a slight groan. Dumbledore chuckled and patted him on the shoulder like he did before. "I don't understand why Severus refuses to admit that you would have done well in Slytherin. Not only did you prove your innocence to the Minister, but also made him believe that you're fully supporting the Ministry. And all that even though I hadn't notified you beforehand."

Harry said nothing and then Dumbledore's smile changed into a warning look. "Be careful Harry. There's no guarantee of your plan to get rid of Umbridge to work."

Harry smiled darkly. "Oh, don't worry, sir. You gave me something else to hold against her. And Fudge, after all, saw her use the Cruciatus."

Now said Minister was stirring and Fawkes flew over to Dumbledore. Harry nodded at the look the headmaster gave him, went over to one of the destroyed glass cupboards near the door and sat down in front of it.

"Take care of yourself and tell Minerva that she'll replace me for the time being," whispered Dumbledore and in a flash of fire he and Fawkes disappeared.

…HPHPHP…

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, finally pushing himself up from the floor. "Where is he?"

"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley seemingly startled and also leaping to his feet before helping Tonks up.

Harry groaned and Fudge looked down at him. "Mr. Potter, Harry. Are you all right?"

He nodded while holding back a chuckle. "Yeah… ouch… my head."

"What are you doing?" asked Fudge when Harry stared at Umbridge.

"You know that there's no way to find Dumbledore now… as much as I regret to say it," began Harry while standing up. "So maybe we can talk about something else."

Fudge sighed. "You're probably right… but I want you Kingsley, to notify all the Aurors as soon as we leave her. Tell them to hunt down Dumbledore!"

"Sure…" murmured Kingsley only.

Umbridge, who had been looking at the destruction around her with wide watery eyes immediately whirled around to face Harry. "There's no time for your nasty lies now brat!"

Fudge stared at her. "Now, now, Mr. Potter did - or rather wanted to do the Ministry a great favor by training students for us. Don't talk to him like that."

"But… but he-"

"You know, Minister," said Harry coldly, "she's exactly what I want to talk to you about."

"I'm listening, Harry," replied Fudge with a friendly smile.

Harry saw Tonks and Kingsley snicker behind Fudge and had to repress a smile himself. "Dumbledore's plan was discovered partly because of Professor Umbridge, I give her that. She found the parchment after all."

'Now that I think about it, who gave her the parchment?' he asked himself mentally.

Umbridge smiled sweetly at Fudge and Harry snorted. "Minister, I'm sure you heard about the tragedy that happened two days ago."

Fudge nodded. "Yes, I've heard about Miss Zeller's loss and she certainly has my condolences. A pity that muggle technology is so unstable."

Harry snarled and spat in front of Umbridge's feet. "Their deaths have nothing to do with failed technology!"

Umbridge's smile faded and she glared at him. "Be quiet!"

Harry ignored her and looked at Fudge's now confused and curious face. "I expect you to question her under Veritaserum anyway, then you'll see what I mean. Despite that, you saw what Umbridge did in the Great Hall."

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I have to apologize once more," replied Fudge and had a small unsure smile on his face, while his eyes darted back and forth between him and Umbridge. "She of course will be arrested for using an Unforgivable."

Harry smiled darkly. "You know, that is not the only thing she has done." He eyed Umbridge with distain and started to slowly pace trough the room. "You heard Professor McGonagall, nearly the whole House of Phoenix is in the hospital-wing, which means she attacked them to get the list about the Hogwarts Army!"

"I'm sure that she didn't mean to do-"

"I DID NO SUCH THING!" screeched Umbridge and Fudge jumped in the air and stared at her in shock. "Stay calm! I'm sure that Mr. Potter wasn't finished."

"He's such a slimy, arrogant, disgusting, little-"

"YOU SHUT UP! NOW!", roared Harry and Umbridge fell down on the chair she was standing in front of. He took a deep breath and whirled around to face the Minister. "For Merlin's sake, Minister, she used the Cruciatus on me! What makes you think she wouldn't use it on other students?"

The Minister stayed quiet.

"Look at that!" he snapped then and held his hand with the scars in front of Fudge's face. "When injured students aren't enough for you, is at least the use of a blood-quill? The torment of everyone that associates with me?" his eyes flashed dangerously and his voice lowered. "Or is it only the use of the Unforgivable on me that interests you because I'm famous?"

Fudge's eyes flashed to Tonks and Kingsley. Both had a look of disbelief and anger on their faces while staring at Umbridge.

"A-all that…?" stuttered Fudge. "She did all that?"

"Yes."

"YOU LIAR! DISGUSTING LITTLE PIECE OF FILTH! YOU-"

"SHUT IT!" roared Harry and looked at Umbridge who reminded him very strongly of the old portrait of Mrs. Black that had hung at Grimmauld-Place before he had destroyed it at Christmas.

With another deep breath Harry glared at Umbridge and then his face became devoid of all emotion. Umbridge, it seemed, was meanwhile trying to find an escape route, because her eyes where darting trough the room and every so often resting on the door.

Harry's eyes didn't leave the toad and when he continued his voice was hollow and as cold as ice. "I want her gone. Now. If she's still here on Monday – which I hope not, because you have seen what she's capable of herself - I will use my right as the future Head of the Ancient House of Potter and challenge her to a wizards' duel of life and death."

Umbridge gave a screech and jumped to her feat. "You have no right to do so, you ignorant little rodent!" she screamed and waved her fist in front of his face.

"As a future Lord it is my right to defend those whom I hold dear," replied Harry coolly. "By law, I'm allowed to do as I please with the person who caused harm to those that stand under the protection of the House of Potter." He leaned forwards and narrowed his eyes. "I could very well kill you without giving you a chance to defend yourself! But I'm not like that, so I would allow you to fight for your miserable excuse for a life. It's true, that in the last two hundred years no one made use of that law, but it still exists."

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! YOU CAN'T… you… you won't!"

"Oh, you don't want to know what I can do if I want to," Harry chuckled darkly and raised his wand. With a seemingly casual flick of it, but a whole lot of concentration a powerful surge of magic went through the room. "Don't push your luck you ugly toad. I can end it right here if you want to die now."

"Now, now… Harry, please!" interjected Fudge. "There's no need for something like that. I'm sure we can-"

Harry sighed annoyed. "No we can't! My patience has worn out, sir! Can you understand that?"

Fudge sighed but then nodded. "Yes, Harry, I can. She'll be imprisoned, that is for sure… and I once more must apologize… but what about a second chance?"

Harry snorted. "A second chance? She had her second chance already. How many second chances should I give her?"

"What do you mean?" asked Fudge perplexed and Harry nearly slapped himself at the man's dumbness.

"I didn't say anything when she gave me detention for just being me," said Harry then. "I don't like to repeat the incident in the Great Hall and everything else."

With a huff Harry turned to Tonks and Kingsley. "I have one thing to do, before you take her away."

When they nodded, he circled Umbridge like a cat of prey and then suddenly stopped with his wand at the base of her neck. He smirked when the toad slowly but surely started hyperventilating.

He bent forward, so that he was able to whisper directly into her ear. "Strange, isn't it?" he asked loud enough for everyone to hear. "That every single injured student is a part of the House of Phoenix. The House that I'm part in! All of them, except Blaise Zabini and Euan Abercrombie – who had been in the hospital-wing with Rose at the time - seem to have been injured in your little chase."

"You vermin!" she spat and Harry resisted the urge to punch her.

"People who play with fire only get burned," he whispered so that only she could hear and stared into her eyes. "Be lucky that you only burned your fingers. If it was for me, you would be long dead. And believe me, if I had killed you, your snake-faced master would have seemed like an angel compared to what I would have had in store for you."

Harry deliberately exaggerated, but was glad that his words showed effect when the pink toad started whimpering.

Kingsley stepped forward. "That's enough Mr. Potter. We don't need to hear more" He turned to Fudge. "She may be your Undersecretary, Minister Fudge, but as the second Head of the Auror Department, I hereby arrest her. She's broken several laws, tortured students, injured several one of them, used an Unforgivable and all in all abused her responsibilities as a teacher." Kingsley threw Harry a small smile. "What Mr. Potter has listed is enough for two life-sentences in Azkaban."

"B-but…" stammered Umbridge. "Y-you can't!"

Kingsley shook his head while giving her a disgusted look. "I can and I will. Auror Tonks, would you be so kind and take her to the holding cells?"

Tonks grinned and her hair changed into a cherry red color. "Certainly, Captain Shaklebolt. See ya, Harry."

She grabbed Umbridge who was stammering nonsense without a stop and went over to the fireplace. After she had thrown floo-powder into the fire she winked at Harry and then vanished in green flames. Umbridge disappeared with her.

Harry stayed silent and Kingsley cleared his throat. "I believe my job here is done Minister Fudge" He looked at Harry with a small smile. "Mr. Potter, I trust that you'll be able to bring evidence for her crimes if not everything can be uncovered under the influence of Veritaserum?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"That'll do," replied Kingsley and also turned to the fireplace. "Minister, I will take my leave now."

Fudge just nodded dumbly and when Kingsley left the room and Harry kept his back turned to him, he started to shuffle nervously and wanted to go to the fireplace.

"Minister," said Harry quietly and saw that Fudge flinched when he turned around. "I'm sorry for my outburst."

"Um… that was no problem at all Harry," replied the slightly stunned wizard. "After all you had enough trouble. Once again I must thank you. Surely the students you taught will be a great help in the future of the Ministry."

Harry nodded while in his head he was doing a little happy-dance ever since Umbridge had disappeared into the flames. "I just wanted to make sure. I normally don't lose my temper like that, but when my friends are hurt I can't always control myself."

Fudge nodded. "Th-that's understandable. I just hope that Dolores'… behavior doesn't affect your trust in the Ministry."

Harry wanted to snort, but held himself back. He smiled slightly and turned around. "No, it doesn't. I still trust the Ministry. When the time comes that I can't trust you anymore, who else can I trust then?"

The minister smiled and fingered his bowler. "That's good to hear. I hope our next meeting will be under better circumstances."

Harry just nodded and Fudge disappeared into a burst of green flames.

A full-blown grin appeared on Harry's face when he was alone in the office and he practically jumped over to the door where the other Professor's were still banging against. With a flick of his wand it opened and McGonagall stumbled in. Followed by Snape and Flitwick.

They looked around with wide eyes.

"Merlin… what happened here?" asked McGonagall quietly. "I didn't know Albus' plan would go like this!"

Snape had immediately seen him standing next to the door and was looking at him with something akin to amazement and annoyance now. Harry just smiled pleasantly.

"Dumbledore's decided to take a vacation, as you may know" answered Harry and McGonagall nodded. "If you're quick enough you might catch him at Grimmauld Place." He happily skipped over to the door and shortly turned around. "By the way Minny, I should tell you that you're the Headmistress for the time being."

Whistling a happy tune he skipped down the corridor. He shortly stopped to look out the window and stretched his limps. "Ah… I should get at least five awards for my performance today!"

When he turned the corner, he found himself face to face with the other Phoenixes. He gave them a thumbs-up.

„She's gone!"

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Dark Phoenix of Slytherin