Chapter 50:
They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. Alicia just hoped the rest of them would be fine, if Ron was caught — Mrs. Weasley would kill him — and of how Hermione would feel if she was expelled before she could take her O.W.L.s. And it had been Seamus's very first meeting… and Neville had been getting so good…
"Fizzing Whizbee," sang Umbridge, and the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and they ascended the moving stone staircase. They reached the polished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge did not bother to knock, she strode straight inside, still holding tight to Harry and Alicia.
The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was rocking backward and forward on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard neither Alicia or Harry recognised with very short, wiry hair were positioned on either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.
The portraits of old headmasters and mistresses were not shamming sleep tonight. All of them were watching what was happening below, alert and serious. As they entered, a few flitted into neighbouring frames and whispered urgently into their neighbours' ears.
Alicia wrenched her arm from Umbridge fiercely and Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp as the door swung shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring at him with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face.
"Well," he said. "Well, well, well…"
Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. His heart drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddly cool and clear. Alicia however looked at Dumbledore. Umbridge knew, but did Dumbledore? This could all go very badly.
"They were heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice, the same callous pleasure Harry had heard as she watched Professor Trelawney dissolving with misery in the entrance hall. "The Malfoy boy cornered him."
"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter, Evans—"
"Potter." Alicia corrected. "And you know that Minister, I would prefer if you addressed me properly, please, sir." Alicia interrupted, remembering to sound calm and somewhat respectful still.
Fudge didn't look happy either way. Although the last time Alicia had addressed him, he had been insulted by her.
He ignored her this time, though his face purpled slightly.
"I expect you know why you are here?" Harry opened his mouth as if to answer.
Don't. Harry glanced at Alicia and she looked at Dumbledore who was staring at her. Harry did the same in time too see Dumbledore shake his head a tiny fraction to each side.
Harry changed direction mid-word.
"Yeh — no."
"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.
"No," said Harry, firmly.
"You don't know why you are here?"
"No, we don't," said Harry and Alicia.
Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Professor Umbridge.
Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.
"So you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"
"School rules?" said Harry. "No."
"Which ones?" Alicia wondered adding a confused look to her face.
"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.
"Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly. He looked at Alicia who shrugged and shook her head.
It was almost worth telling these lies to watch Fudge's blood pressure rising, but the point seemed meaningless. Someone had spilled the news and clearly the twins were the leaders, explosion was not far off.
Alicia had begun to do a headcount in her head, to find out who had been missing from the meeting and who could have spilled. Not only did she need to know when everything had been going to well, but it was keeping her calm as well.
"So it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organisation has been discovered within this school?"
"Illegal organisation?" Alicia asked
"Yes, it is," said Harry, hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise onto his face.
"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."
"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"
"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.
Alicia finished her headcount and already she remembered who was missing. She looked to Harry and he looked at her, the eye contact was all she needed and she pushed the image of who she saw into Harry's head. He looked at her surprised, of course he wouldn't believe that. But it made sense. She'd never wanted to be there.
Alicia shrugged all the same.
There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then the door opened behind him. Umbridge moved past him into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.
"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office — she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."
"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to — galloping gargoyles!"
As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backward in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed and stamped on the hem of his cloak, which had started to smoke, and Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before the whole room had seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."
Alicia smirked ever so slightly at Hermione's handiwork. It really was a neat bit of magic.
"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister —"
But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.
"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back onto her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."
"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look. "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"
But Marietta would not speak. She merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.
"Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"
"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, and Harry felt a surge of pride in Hermione's jinxing ability. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here.
"You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Evans and Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade —"
"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.
"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter and Evans said and hastened straight to the school to report to me —"
Alicia held back a scowl.
"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"
"Blatant corruption!" roared the portrait of the corpulent, red-nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"
"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledore softly.
"The purpose of Potter and Evans' meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age —"
Alicia so wanted to interject and argue but she kept herself quiet, taking some deep breaths to keep herself calm. Harry was glancing at her as though sensing this.
"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.
Harry stared at him. He could not see how Dumbledore was going to talk him out of this one; if Willy Widdershins had indeed heard every word he said in the Hog's Head there was simply no escaping it.
"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on — Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day?" Alicia rose an eyebrow "Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"
Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh.
"Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"
Harry could have kicked him. Then he saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore was smiling gently too.
"Cornelius, I do not deny — and nor, I am sure, does Harry or Alicia — that they were in the Hog's Head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defence Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."
Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce, his mouth hanging open.
Alicia repressed her grin. That couldn't be put against them, but if there was evidence it had happened after the decree then they were in trouble.
Umbridge recovered first.
"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."
"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"
As Dumbledore spoke, the twins heard a rustle behind him and rather thought Kingsley whispered something. Harry could have sworn too that he felt something brush against his side, a gentle something like a draft or bird wings, but looking down he saw nothing there. Alicia assumed Dumbledore and Kingsley were working something up for if this, when this, all went terribly wrong for them.
"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toadlike smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"
"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."
"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"
Alicia huffed every so slightly so that Harry and Marietta were the only ones to hear her. If she did anything the spots would worsen and continue to do so as she spoke. Hermione would have made sure of that.
"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta. "Come on, now, that won't activate the jinx further…" Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta's face. Only her eyes were visible between the pulled up robes and her curly fringe. Perhaps it was a trick of the firelight, but her eyes looked oddly blank. And then — to Harry's utter amazement — Marietta shook her head.
Alicia looked at Marietta for a second, confused by her sudden expression and change of attitude. But it clicked ever so quickly. Kingsley and his spell… had he confounded Marietta, or worse yet, used the imperious curse on her? She felt that might be taking it a bit far, but she knew he was responsible.
Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge and then back at Marietta.
"I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear? I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?"
Again, Marietta shook her head.
"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" said Umbridge in a testy voice.
"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly. "There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"
Marietta nodded.
Harry looked at Alicia and she gave him a look to stop looking surprised. He tried to recompose his features.
"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridge furiously. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter and Evans were the leaders, were they not, Potter and Evans organised it, Potter — why are you shaking your head, girl?"
"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no.' So unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans —"
Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around to face her, and began shaking her very hard. A split second later Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised. Kingsley started forward and Umbridge leapt back from Marietta, waving her hands in the air as though they had been burned.
"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore, and for the first time, he looked angry.
"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble now."
"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes — you're right, Shacklebolt — I — I forgot myself."
Alicia smirked just slightly.
Marietta was standing exactly where Umbridge had released her. She seemed neither perturbed by Umbridge's sudden attack, nor relieved by her release. She was still clutching her robe up to her oddly blank eyes, staring straight ahead of her. Alicia's thoughts were confirmed and Harry looked at her questioningly, through their connection she knew his question and nodded ever so slightly.
"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight — the one we know definitely happened —"
"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes… well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind… We needed evidence and the room provided…"
Alicia felt the blood drain from her face as she suddenly withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.
"The moment I saw Potter and Evans' name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.
"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face. "Excellent, Dolores. And… by thunder…"
He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standing beside Marietta, his wand held loosely in his hand.
"See what they've named themselves?" said Fudge quietly. "Dumbledore's Army."
Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the heading scribbled by Hermione months before and for a moment seemed unable to speak.
Alicia instantly came to the conclusion he had not thought it would get to this. He hadn't known what they'd called themselves and instantly she believed it was a wrong idea. Because she knew Dumbledore and he'd protect them all to the very end, and if that meant taking the blame. He'd do it.
As if to confirm her thoughts, Dumbledore looked up, smiling.
"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?"
Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other. There was fear in both faces.
"Hang on—" Alicia started instantly but she was cut off as Dumbledore shot her a look.
She knew that the headmaster could look after himself better than Harry and Alicia could, if they were expelled they'd be out in the open for Voldemort, without the use of magic, or even the likely hood of having their wands to protect them. Dumbledore of the other hand… It did make more sense but with Dumbledore on the run, Umbridge would have full rein of the castle and would that benefit the order for Dumbledore to be just as much in hiding?
She couldn't decide what to do, whether she should disagree or leave it.
"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What — I don't — ?"
"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army."
"But — but —"
Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He took a horrified step backward, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again.
"You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smouldering cloak.
"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.
"You organised this?"
"I did," said Dumbledore.
"You recruited these students for — for your army?"
"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."
Marietta nodded. Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore, his chest swelling.
"Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.
"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.
"NO!" shouted Harry.
Kingsley flashed a look of warning at him, McGonagall widened her eyes threateningly. It seemed Harry now understood as well.
"No — Professor Dumbledore!"
"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," said Dumbledore calmly.
"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge, who was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. Harry looked at Alicia but she couldn't bring herself to speak after even Kingsley had reacted against Harry's outburst. Perhaps Dumbledore did have a plan. "Well, well, well — I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and Evans and instead —"
"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"
"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"
"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.
"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilise me?"
"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.
"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee. "Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!" Percy dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and 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, "I'm afraid I do."
"Oh really?"
"Well — it's just that you seem to be labouring 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 host of things I would rather be doing."
Alicia couldn't blame the headmaster for his modesty and she smiled slightly despite the fact that Dumbledore was about to leave Hogwarts in the hands of the Ministry.
Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder, she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, away from the wall. Harry saw his hand drift, almost casually, toward his pocket.
"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to — er — 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you."
The man called Dawlish blinked, looking rather foolish. He looked toward Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.
"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"
"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."
"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.
"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"
"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"
A streak of silver light flashed around the room. There was a bang like a gunshot, and the floor trembled. A hand grabbed the scruff of Harry's neck and forced them down on the floor while Alicia dived for the floor herself as a second silver flash went off — several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched, and a cloud of dust filled the air. Coughing in the dust, 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 cried, "No!" Then the sound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, a groan — and silence.
Alicia looked up instantly and couched slightly from the dust as Harry did the same from beside her. She glanced at him to find him beside Professor McGonagall who had forced him and Marietta to the floor.
Looking back through the dust she saw something very tall through the dust moving towards them and knew it was Dumbledore before he spoke. She got to her feet instantly.
"Are you all right?" said Dumbledore.
"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up and dragging Harry and Marietta with her.
The dust was clearing. The wreckage of the office loomed into view: Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all of the spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silver instruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley, and Dawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.
"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would have looked very suspicious," said Dumbledore in a low voice. "He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone was looking the other way — thank him for me, won't you, Minerva?"
"Oh, I thought he confounded her." Alicia mumbled, annoyed she'd gotten that wrong.
"Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate — you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember —"
"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"
"Oh no," said Dumbledore with a grim smile. "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you…"
"Professor Dumbledore…" Harry began. But he stopped as though he didn't know what to say.
"We're really sorry but we couldn't just sit and do nothing and I don't want you to take the blame but it's probably better and I know things'll be fine but please forgive us, we would have told you about it but you've been distant and all—" Alicia rambled very quickly to get everything out as she could before Dumbledore silenced her with a raise of his hand.
She was okay to do so, having apologised.
"Listen to me, Harry," he said urgently, "you must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams — you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me —"
The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbledore seized Harry's wrist.
"Remember — close your mind —"
Alicia felt the hot like pain shoot through her neck and she instantly took Harry's hand, feeling the anger and desire rise in Harry all of a sudden and the man's touch.
"— you will understand," whispered Dumbledore.
"Yes." Alicia mumbled
"You as well Alicia, you mustn't allow him to possibly influence you." Dumbledore said quickly.
Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore released Harry, raised his hand, and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them had gone.
"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the ground. "Where is he?"
"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.
"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't inside this school —"
"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge. Fudge hesitated, then got to his feet slowly, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence.
"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirt- sleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."
"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.
Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures.
"You'd better get those three off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nod toward Harry, Alicia and Marietta.
She said nothing, but marched Alicia, Harry and Marietta to the door. As it swung closed behind them, Harry heard Phineas Nigellus's voice.
"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts… but you cannot deny he's got style…"