Chapter 51:

— BY ORDER OF —

The Ministry of Magic

Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight.

Signed:

Cornelius Oswald Fudge

MINISTER OF MAGIC

The notices had gone up all over the school overnight, but they did not explain how every single person within the castle seemed to know that Dumbledore had overcome two Aurors, the High Inquisitor, the Minister of Magic, and his Junior Assistant to escape. No matter where the twins went within the castle next day, the sole topic of conversation was Dumbledore's flight, and though some of the details might have gone awry in the retelling (Harry overheard one second-year girl assuring another that Fudge was now lying in St. Mungo's with a pumpkin for a head), it was surprising how accurate the rest of their information was. Everybody seemed aware, for instance, that Alicia, Harry and Marietta were the only students to have witnessed the scene in Dumbledore's office, and as Marietta was now in the hospital wing, Harry and Alicia found themselves besieged with requests to give a firsthand account wherever they went.

"Dumbledore will be back before long," said Ernie Macmillan confidently on the way back from Herbology after listening intently to Harry's story. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me…" He dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had to lean closer to him to hear, "… that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently she had a right little tantrum…"

Alicia laughed.

"Oh, I expect she 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, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.

"God, hiding like a coward Malfoy?" Alicia sighed, she couldn't be bothered dealing with him.

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

"It's only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.

"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" snarled Ron.

"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Malfoy; Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad —"

"The what?" said Hermione sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing toward a tiny silver I upon 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… Macmillan, five for contradicting me… Five because I don't like you, Potter… Five for you Evans for calling me a coward… ("you are" Alicia mouthed) Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that… Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that…"

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "New Head, new times… Be good now, Potty… Weasel King…"

He strode away, laughing heartily with Crabbe and Goyle.

"He was bluffing," said Ernie, looking appalled. "He can't be allowed to dock points… that would be ridiculous… It would completely undermine the prefect system…"

But Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had turned automatically toward the giant hourglasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the House points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as they watched, stones flew upward, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.

"Noticed, have you?" said Fred's voice.

He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joined Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie in front of the hourglasses.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upward from the Gryffindor hourglass.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" said Ron quickly.

"He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." Alicia patted his head and he pulled her into his side, giving her a one armed hug grinning.

Hermione looked very shocked.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!"

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," said Fred coolly. "Anyway… we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" asked Hermione.

" 'Course we have," said George. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," said Fred.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," said George.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," said Fred.

"But now?" said Ron tentatively.

"Well, now —" said George.

"— what with Dumbledore gone —" said Fred.

"— we reckon a bit of mayhem —" said George.

"— is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred.

"You going to harm her or just seriously mess with her?" Alicia wondered

"Seriously mess." Fred assured

"Well if she accidentally gets harmed in the process…" George added smirking slightly

"You mustn't!" whispered Hermione. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" said Fred, smiling at her.

"We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway," he checked his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what?" said Hermione anxiously.

"You'll see," said George. "Run along, now."

"Oh please tell me!" Alicia pleaded to Fred wrapping her arms around his waist, much to the surprise of Ron and Harry.

"Patients." Fred smirked

"Come on on you know I've never been good at that." Alicia said simply. She looked at them expectantly but George put a hand on Fred's shoulder to stop him when he just looked like contemplating telling her.

She sighed and released him.

"Fine. But if I can help you let me." she demanded. The twins grinned and both nudged her, Fred patting her head in return for her doing it and disappeared into the swelling crowd descending the stairs toward lunch. Looking highly disconcerted, Ernie muttered something about unfinished Transfiguration homework and scurried away.

"I think we should get out of here, you know," said Hermione nervously. "Just in case…"

"Yeah, all right," said Ron, and the three of them moved toward the doors to the Great Hall.

"Alicia what's going on with you and Fred?" Ron demanded

"As of now? Nothing much." she responded

"What does that mean?" he asked. But Alicia didn't get a chance to answer as somebody tapped both her and Harry on the shoulder and, turning, they found themselves almost nose to nose with Filch, the caretaker. He took several hasty steps backward; Filch was best viewed at a distance.

"The headmistress would like to see you, Potter, Evans," he leered.

"I didn't do it," said Harry stupidly, thinking of whatever Fred and George were planning. Filch's jowls wobbled with silent laughter.

"Guilty conscience, eh?" he wheezed. "Follow me…"

The twins shared a look before they glanced back at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking worried. He shrugged as Alicia moved off after Filch and Harry followed her back into the Entrance Hall, against the tide of hungry students.

Filch seemed to be in an extremely good mood; he hummed creakily under his breath as they climbed the marble staircase. As they reached the first landing he said, "Things are changing around here, Potter."

"I've noticed," said Harry coldly.

"Yerse… I've been telling Dumbledore for years and years he's too soft with you all," said Filch, chuckling nastily. "You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stinkpellets if you'd known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could've strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I'll be allowed to do them things… And she's asked the Minister to sign an order for the expulsion of Peeves… Oh, things are going to be very different around here with her in charge…"

Harry looked at Alicia and she pulled a face. He had to restrain from laughing.

Umbridge had obviously gone to some lengths to get Filch on her side, and the worst of it was that he would probably prove an important weapon; his knowledge of the school's secret passageways and hiding places was probably second only to the Weasley twins.

"Here we are," he said, leering down at Harry as he rapped three times upon Professor Umbridge's door and pushed it open. "The Potter boy and Evans girl to see you, ma'am."

Umbridge's office, so very familiar to Harry and Alicia from their many detentions, 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's and George's Cleansweeps, were now chained and padlocked to a stout iron peg in the wall behind the desk. Umbridge was sitting behind the desk, busily scribbling upon some of her pink parchment, but 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 backward.

"Sit," said Umbridge curtly, pointing toward a chair, and Harry and Alicia sat. She continued to scribble for a few moments. He watched some of the foul kittens gambolling around the plates over her head, wondering what fresh horror she had in store for him while Alicia took a glance at what she was doing.

"Well now," she said finally, setting down her quill and looking like a toad about to swallow a particularly juicy fly. "What would you like to drink?"

"What?" said Harry, quite sure he had misheard her.

"No." Alicia answered.

"To drink, Mr. 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 upon her desk.

"Nothing, thank you," said Harry.

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

"Fine… tea then," said Harry, shrugging. Umbridge looked at Alicia and she realised a breath.

"Tea please." she agreed.

She got up and made quite a performance of adding milk with her back to him. Alicia instantly didn't trust her. She knew better than anyone what could be put in a drink and if Umbridge wanted something…

The women bustled around the desk with it, smiling in sinisterly sweet fashion.

"There," she said, handing it to him. "Drink it before it gets cold, won't you? Well, now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans… I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night."

He said nothing. She settled herself back into her seat and waited. When several long moments had passed in silence, she said gaily, "You're not drinking up!"

He raised the cup to his lips.

Don't drink it! Alicia demanded and Harry looked at her. She raised the tea and smelled it carefully, looking as though she was drinking and instantly her nose smelled very much like…

Veritaserum. Umbridge had put the truth cerium into their drinks. Harry looked from Alicia to his drink and lowered it as the girl glared at Umbridge.

"What's the matter?" said Umbridge, who was still watching them. "Do you want sugar?"

"No," said Harry. He looked at Alicia and she watched him as he raised the cup to his lips again and pretended to take a sip, though keeping his mouth tightly closed.

The toad women smiled and turned to Alicia, she copied her brother's actions and made sure not to let a single drop enter her mouth.

Umbridge's smile widened. "Good," she whispered. "Very good. Now then…" She leaned forward a little. "Where is Albus Dumbledore?"
"No idea," said Harry promptly.

"How on earth would we know?" Alicia asked confused by the question.

"Drink up, drink up," she said, still smiling. "Now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, let us not play childish games. I know that you know where he has gone. You and Dumbledore have been in this together from the beginning. Consider your position, Mr. Potter…"

"I don't know where he is."

Harry pretended to drink again.

"Professor, I can understand why you'd possibly think that, but Professor Dumbledore is a very smart man, wouldn't he suspect you to ask us? Of course he wouldn't tell us that? And why would he trust two miscreant fifteen year olds?" Alicia wondered. Umbridge watched her as she took another sip and glanced at her cup. Some of it's contents vanished at her sight and she lowered it.

"Very well," said Umbridge, looking displeased. "In that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black."

Harry's hand holding the teacup shook so that the cup rattled in its saucer. He tilted the cup to his mouth with his lips pressed together, so that some of the hot liquid trickled down onto his robes.

"I'm sorry?" Alicia asked, she'd been too surprised to move.

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

"Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, "let me remind you that it was I who almost caught the criminal Black in the Gryffindor fire in October. I know perfectly well it was you he was meeting and if I had had any proof neither of you would be at large today, I promise you. I repeat, Mr. Potter… Where is Sirius Black?"

"No idea," said Harry loudly. "Haven't got a clue."

"Sirius Black was in the Gryffindor fireplace?!" Alicia asked her eyes wide. She was so surprised at Umbridge asking such a question that it was so easy to fix the expression.

They stared at each other so long that Harry felt his eyes watering. Then she stood up.

"Very well, Potter, I will take your word for it this time, but be warned: The might of the Ministry stands behind me. All channels of communication in and out of this school are being monitored. A Floo Network Regulator is keeping watch over every fire in Hogwarts — except my own, of course. My Inquisitorial Squad is opening and reading all owl post entering and leaving the castle. And Mr. Filch is observing all secret passages in and out of the castle. If I find a shred of evidence…"

BOOM!

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

"What was — ?"

She was gazing toward the door; Harry took the opportunity to empty his almost full cup of tea into the nearest vase of dried flowers while Alicia used the vanishing spell. They could hear people running and screaming several floors below.

"Back to lunch with you, Potter!" cried Umbridge, raising her wand and dashing out of the office. Harry gave her a few seconds' start then he and Alicia hurried after her to see what the source of all the uproar was.

"I hate her! She made us miss it!" Alicia complained. "And how dare she try to trick us with Veritaserum!"

Harry said nothing as they ran.

It was not difficult to find. One floor down, pandemonium reigned. Somebody (and both twins 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 swearwords in midair of their own accord. Firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Harry 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 he watched.

Filch and Umbridge were standing, apparently transfixed with horror, halfway down the stairs. As Harry watched, one of the larger Catherine wheels seemed to decide that what it needed was more room to manoeuvre; it whirled toward Umbridge and Filch with a sinister wheeeeeeeeee. Both adults yelled with fright and ducked and it soared straight out of the window behind them and off across the grounds. Meanwhile, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape toward the second floor.

"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something — Stupefy!"

A jet of red light shot out of the end of her wand and hit one of the rockets. Instead of freezing in midair, it exploded with such force that it blasted a hole in a painting of a soppy-looking witch in the middle of a meadow — she ran for it just in time, reappearing seconds later squashed into the painting next door, where a couple of wizards playing cards stood up hastily to make room for her.

"Don't Stun them, Filch!" shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his suggestion.

"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who was a Squib and 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.

Alicia had bursted out laughing with Harry. If it wasn't for him, she'd have stood there forever laughing but he grabbed her hand and, still laughing, he ducked down low, ran to a door he knew was concealed behind a tapestry a little way along the corridor and slipped through it, pulling Alicia, to find Fred and George hiding just behind it, listening to Umbridge's and Filch's yells and quaking with suppressed mirth.

Alicia covered her mouth to try and keep quiet, as to not give them away.

"Impressive," Harry said quietly, grinning. "Very impressive… You'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem…"

"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next… They multiply by ten every time you try…"

"You two are genius'." Alicia decided still snickering.

"Oh? Do we earn a prize for that?" Fred grinned

"What you want?" Alicia offered through her laughs.

"Fred can have mine." George smirked. Alicia leaned forwards, crawling past Harry, and Harry gapped, his mouth wide open, as she suddenly kissed Fred.

"That'll work." Fred grinned, when they stopped "Do I get one every time?"

"Depends how good they are." she grinned before she started laughing again.

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 did not seem to mind them very much.

"Dear, dear," said Professor McGonagall sardonically, as one of the dragons soared around her classroom, emitting loud bangs and exhaling flame. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"

The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. When the final bell rang and the students were heading back to Gryffindor Tower with their bags, Harry saw, with immense satisfaction, a disheveled and soot-blackened Umbridge tottering sweaty-faced from Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority…"

Beaming, he closed his classroom door in her snarling face.

Fred and George were heroes that night in the Gryffindor common room. Even Hermione fought her way through the excited crowd around them to congratulate them.

"They were wonderful fireworks," she said admiringly.

"Thanks," said George, looking both surprised and pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're going to have to start again from scratch now…"

"It was worth it, though," said Fred, who was taking orders from clamouring Gryffindors while holding Alicia's hand. They hadn't parted since he'd sat beside her at dinner, though she was having so much fun with their ideas and creations no one seemed surprised. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe…"

Hermione returned to the table where Harry and Ron were sitting staring at their schoolbags as though hoping their homework might spring out of it and start doing itself.

"Oh, why don't we have a night off?" said Hermione brightly, as a silver-tailed Weasley rocket zoomed past the window. "After all, the Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then…"

"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"Now you mention it," said Hermione happily, "d'you know… I think I'm feeling a bit… rebellious."

"What's going on with Fred and Alicia?" Ron managed to ask after he got over the shock of Hermione's actions.

"She kissed him." Harry responded

"WHAT!?" Ron shouted, surprising everyone.

"She did?" Hermione asked surprised and Harry nodded. "That happened sooner than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"Oh come on, as if you didn't notice." Hermione said and she sighed at the two's look.

Alicia was very happy when she climbed into bed, but also extremely exhausted. She fell asleep still hearing the distant bangs of the escaped fireworks all over the castle.

And then, despite her clearing her head and emotions to calm down, she was within the corridor.

She moved along the corridor, and felt the desire for the door to open, moving through it when it did again. There was a circular room on the other side, the walls lined with doors. She moved across the room and placed her hand upon an identical door, and it swung inward…

Now she was in a long, rectangular room full of an odd, mechanical clicking. There were dancing flecks of light on the walls but she continue on…

There was a door at the far end… It too opened at a touch…

She was in a dimly lit room as high and wide as a church, full of nothing but rows and rows of towering shelves, each laden with small, dusty, spun-glass spheres… The spheres confused Alicia, for her, as herself, didn't understand what these were, or what they meant. Despite this she was moving again, running forward… There was something in this room she wanted very, very much. No not her, somebody else wanted…

She could feel the pain in her neck before the entire thing suddenly faded away as a giant BANG! outside woke her up. Lavender and Pavarti were by the window as another firework was clearly outside catching attentions. Alicia could hear others from other dormitories awake and also observing the fireworks.

She simply lay there after scratching her neck and began to clear her mind. They had another Occlumency lesson tomorrow and she had to clear her head from entering Harry's mind who was clearly entering Voldemort's again or Snape would ruin the end of her day. She took a breath and began to clear her mind before she was able to drift off to sleep again, this time without any corridor intruding it.