Chapter 41: Grawp
April 2, 2003
— 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
Buffy sighed as she walked past the notice with McGonagall. "You are Deputy Headmistress and yet they ignore the chain," she said.
"I know, Buffy," McGonagall said. "But what did you expect? This is what they wanted."
"Yeah," Buffy said. "And the first thing she does is make Malfoy and his goons her right hands."
"Well look on the bright side, Buffy," McGonagall said. "You haven't been dismissed."
"Yeah but I'm still on probation and she's watching my classes looking for any screw ups," Buffy said. "Not that I really care what she wants. Even if she fired me, I wouldn't leave. She crossed a line. I am just biding my time waiting for the right time to make my move."
It was at that moment that Ron, Hermione, Dawn and Ginny came running up to them.
"Buffy," Dawn said. "Filch just took Harry to her office."
Buffy sighed as she took off.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Here we are," Filch said, leering down at Harry as he rapped three times upon Umbridge's door and pushed it open. "The Potter boy to see you, ma'am."
"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 sat. "Well now. What would you like to drink?"
"What?" said Harry, quite sure he had misheard her.
"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 to have a drink with me," she said, her voice becoming more dangerously sweet. "Choose one."
"He won't be drinking anything you give him."
Harry and Umbridge turned and saw Buffy standing in the doorway.
"Buffy," Umbridge said as she smiled her sickly-sweet smile.
"Go to your next class, Harry," Buffy said. "While I talk to Dolores."
Harry looked at Umbridge who nodded and he quickly departed the room.
"Now what can I help you with, Dolores?" Buffy asked.
"First off tell me where is Albus Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked. "And don't lie or I will have you drink one of these. I'm sure you figured it out, that they each contain Veritaserum."
"I did," said Buffy. "And I don't know where Albus is. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. As far as I am concerned you have no authority here."
"The Ministry disagrees with you," said Umbridge.
"That will change," said Buffy.
"It could very well do so, but not before the end of the coming term," said Umbridge.
"It doesn't matter," said Buffy. "You won't be a government employee after the end of the term. Did you know under British law that it was actually illegal to read someone else's mail? Now I know you and your pureblood friends don't care about Muggle laws or the muggle world. But the Wizarding world actually still has to abide by them. The Wizarding world charter as written hundreds of years ago establishes that laws passed by the Wizengamot can't overrule muggle laws. You will be seeing the inside of Azkaban. That's not a threat, that is a promise."
BOOM!
The very floor of the office shook; Umbridge slipped sideways, clutching her desk for support, looking shocked.
"What was—?"
"Shall we see?" Buffy suggested.
"Thank you, but no," Umbridge said, raising her wand and dashing out of the office.
Buffy shrugged as she exited the office heading the other way. When she got to her suite, she pulled out the mirror. "Sirius."
"Buffy?" Sirius said as he appeared in the mirror.
"I think Umbridge just tried to give Harry Veritaserum," Buffy said. "I intervened before she could. She then proceeded to ask me questions as if I knew where Albus was."
"Giving a student Veritaserum is not allowed," said Sirius shocked.
"I know," said Buffy. "I figure the Ministry is growing desperate to find him. Also Umbridge has been made headmaster, I expect with her new position she is going to start reading mail again, assuming she ever stopped."
"Very likely," said Sirius.
"I told her, not that she would care, that under British law that was illegal," she admitted.
"I never knew that," Sirius admitted. "Of course, I never kept up on Muggle laws."
"I intend, as long as nothing happens again this summer, to go before the Wizengamot and see about her being removed from her position here and at the Ministry," Buffy said.
April 3, 2003
The next morning Harry came running into Buffy and Willow's suite.
"Buffy!"
Buffy came out of her room and unlike last time she was wearing pajamas.
"I saw the corridor and the door again. I got through it this time into a circular room lined with doors. I went through that into rectangular room full of an odd, mechanical clicking. Then into 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…"
Buffy sighed. "Harry, you have to practice harder. Or do you want to let Voldemort possess you?"
Harry looked down at the ground knowing Buffy was right.
That evening Buffy found that Snape no longer was going to give either Dawn or Harry Occlumency lessons. When she confronted him, he refused to say and asked her to leave his office immediately.
The weather grew breezier, brighter, and warmer as Easter holidays passed. Then to underline the importance of their upcoming examinations, a batch of pamphlets, leaflets, and notices concerning various Wizarding careers appeared on the tables in Gryffindor Tower shortly before the end of the holidays, along with yet another notice on the board, which read:
CAREER ADVICE
All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their
Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they
will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of
individual appointments are listed below.
April 22, 2003
Dawn hurried through the castle and into Buffy's office for her Career Advice appointment. "Sorry, Buffy," she panted, as she closed the door. "I forgot…"
"It's alright, Dawn," Buffy said, but as she spoke, somebody else sniffed from the corner.
Dawn looked around. Umbridge was sitting there, a clipboard on her knee.
"Sit down, Dawn," said Buffy as she shuffled the many pamphlets littering her desk.
Dawn sat down with her back to Umbridge. "Everything all right?" she mouthed as Buffy nodded.
"Well, Dawn, this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years," said Buffy. "Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
Dawn glanced briefly over her shoulder and smirked deciding to hopefully throw Umbridge for a loop. "Well I thought I would work with you, Buffy. You know since I'm a Potential and all."
Umbridge coughed.
"Well then if you are set on helping me," Buffy said with a wink at Dawn. "You might consider finishing out here by taking classes to be an Auror since the Ministry doesn't actually have a Slayer program. That said though you'll need top grades for it," she extracted a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. "They ask for a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s, and nothing under 'Exceeds Expectations' grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. Which if you are determined to be a Slayer you wouldn't have to worry about. But if you do go the Auror route. From what I've heard it's a difficult career path; they only take the best."
At this moment Professor Umbridge gave a very tiny cough, as though she was trying to see how quietly she could do it. Buffy ignored her.
"You'll want to know which subjects you ought to take, I suppose?" Buffy went on, talking a little more loudly than before.
"Yes," said Dawn. "Defense Against the Dark Arts, I suppose?"
"Naturally," said Buffy. "I would also advise—"
Professor Umbridge gave another cough, a little more audible this time.
"I would also advise Transfiguration, because Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work. Then you ought to do Charms, always useful, and Potions. Poisons and antidotes are essential study for Aurors."
Professor Umbridge gave her most pronounced cough yet.
"What?" Buffy growled.
"I just wondered whether I could make the teensiest interruption, Buffy?"
"Go ahead," Buffy said.
"I was just wondering whether Ms. Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?" said Professor Umbridge sweetly.
"Well since Dawn is a Potential," Buffy said. "I think she has the temperament to be a Slayer or an Auror. You see my sister learned from the longest living Slayer currently on record, me."
Umbridge coughed again.
"What now?" Buffy growled.
"I was just concerned that you might not have Dawn's most recent Defense Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped in a note…"
"You talking about this?" Buffy asked as she pulled a sheet of pink parchment from between the leaves of Dawn's folder. "I am well aware that you think she can't do it."
"Well, then, I am confused… I'm afraid I don't quite understand how you can give Dawn false hope that—"
"False hope?" repeated Buffy. "Dawn has received high marks in her Defense Against—"
"I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Buffy," Umbridge said, assuming that Buffy was referring to Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of Defense Against the Forces of Darkness, "but as you will see from my note, Dawn has been achieving very poor results in her classes with me—"
"Well I will agree to disagree," Buffy said. "You see I don't find you qualified to be teaching the subject. Given my status as a Slayer I would have been much more qualified to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts than you."
Professor Umbridge's smile vanished as suddenly as a lightbulb blowing. She sat back in her chair, turned a sheet on her clipboard, and began scribbling very fast indeed, her bulging eyes rolling from side to side.
Buffy turned back to Dawn, her nostrils flared, her eyes burning.
Dawn could tell her sister was tempted to let the Slayer part of her loose on Umbridge. She smiled at Buffy in understanding.
"Any questions, Dawn?" Buffy asked.
"No."
"I think you'll find," said Umbridge, her voice very cold now, "that the Ministry looks into the records of those applying to be Aurors. Their criminal records."
"What criminal records," Buffy said. "Are you accusing my sister of doing something?"
"She has a criminal record," said Umbridge loudly.
"Are you talking about what happened last summer?" Buffy asked. "Those charges were dropped. As far as the American Ministry was concerned. Dawn performed Wiccan magic not wand. And unlike England the U.S. does not regulate Wiccan magic. Plus, they saw that we live on the Hellmouth and agreed that she has the right to protect herself. Therefor she has no criminal record as she was never convicted of a crime."
Umbridge stood up. "Your sister has no chance whatsoever of becoming an Auror or a Slayer!"
Buffy got to her feet too. "Dawn, I think Dolores needs an example of the power at your control. She will then see you have excellent marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Defense Against the Forces of Darkness."
"Are you sure, Buffy?" Dawn asked.
"Yes."
Dawn got to her feet and turned to face Umbridge as she began to glow green. "Where shall I send her? London? Paris? Azkaban?"
"Send her for a swim," Buffy said with a malicious glint in her eye.
Dawn nodded as she closed her eyes and pictured a portal opening beneath Umbridge. Umbridge's eyes went wide as she fell into the portal and landed in the Atlantic Ocean several miles off the coast of England.
"Good job," Buffy said as she smiled at her sister.
"You do know when she gets back, she is likely going to report this," Dawn said as she turned back to face her sister.
"Probably," Buffy said. "But here is the thing. You have a number of people at your back. Myself, our brother, your girlfriend, Hermione, Ron, the rest of his and Ginny's family, Sirius, Faith, Xander, Giles. And of course, Willow, who is one of two of the most powerful Wiccan witches on the planet."
"Who's the other?" Dawn asked.
"As if you don't know," Buffy answered.
Dawn did know as she smiled. "Me."
"When she returns and should she mess with you, me, Harry, Ginny, Willow or any of our friends. You have my permission to send her someplace even worse. I'm done playing nice girl. Now would you pass on what I told you about Auror to Harry. I am sure that is the career path he would be most interested in as well. Especially if he is like his twin sister and insists on wanting to help me."
"I will," Dawn said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Later that evening Harry walked into the Buffy and Willow's suite. "Buffy, can I borrow the mirror?"
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"I want to talk to Sirius about dad," Harry answered.
Buffy nodded, she retrieved the mirror and motioned for Harry to sit down on the sofa next to her. "Sirius," she said as he sat down.
It took a moment before Sirius appeared in the mirror. "Buffy, Harry."
"Harry has some questions about our dad," Buffy said.
Sirius had a look of great surprise.
Harry explained that he had seen James in a pensieve in Snape's office. When he had finished, Sirius didn't speak for a moment.
Then Sirius said quietly, "I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen—"
"I'm fifteen!" said Harry heatedly.
"Look, Harry," said Sirius placatingly, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be—he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James—whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry—always hated the Dark Arts."
"Yeah," said Harry, "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because—well, just because you said you were bored," he finished with a slightly apologetic note in his voice.
"I'm not proud of it," said Sirius quickly. "Look what you both have got to understand is that your father and I were the best in the school at whatever we did—everyone thought we were the height of cool… Everyone thought we were sometimes arrogant little berks."
"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.
Sirius laughed. "I'd forgotten he used to do that," he said affectionately. "Was he playing with the Snitch?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Well… I thought he was a bit of an idiot."
"Of course, he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly. "We were all idiots! Well—not Moony so much," he said fairly.
"And," said Harry doggedly, "he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!"
"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around," said Sirius, shrugging. "He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."
"How come she married him?" Harry asked miserably. "She hated him!"
"Nah, she didn't," said Sirius.
"She didn't," Buffy said as Sirius glanced her way. "Dawn managed briefly to reverse the mind reading charm. She briefly saw Lily in Snape's mind. He admitted to me that they had grown up together and that he had even loved her."
"She started going out with James in fifth year," said Sirius. "Once James had deflated his head a bit. And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it." (A/N)
"Even Snape?" said Harry.
"Well," said Sirius slowly, "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"
"And our mum was okay with that?"
"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth," said Sirius. "I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he? Look your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."
"Yeah, okay," said Harry heavily. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."
"Now you mention it," said Sirius, "how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?"
"He told me he'd never teach me or Dawn Occlumency again," said Harry.
"He WHAT?" shouted Sirius. "Are you serious, Harry? He's stopped giving both you and Dawn lessons?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"Buffy, go tell Snape that is he to not stop giving Harry or Dawn lessons—when Dumbledore hears—" Sirius said.
"Buffy can't tell him that, he'd kill her, me or Dawn!" said Harry, outraged. "You didn't see him when we got out of the Pensieve—"
"I agree that Harry and Dawn need to master Occlumency." said Buffy. "But we're too close to O.W.L. exams. I will ask Severus to teach me, my classes are done for the rest of school year anyways since mine don't matter for exams. Then over the summer I can teach Harry and Dawn."
Sirius sighed. "Alright, I guess that's better than nothing."
At the same time Harry and Buffy were talking to Sirius. Fred and George were leaving school for good on their brooms.
April 23, 2003
Buffy walked into Snape's office and toward the man. "Severus."
"No," Snape said instantly knowing why Buffy was there. "I will not be resuming their Occlumency lessons."
"I'm not here for them. Well actually I am. You will teach me the remainder of the term, so I can do it over the summer," Buffy said.
"I will not teach you either," Snape said.
Buffy growled as she got up close to him. He took a step backwards. "You will. Or you will find what it's like to piss off a Slayer. I won't kill you but I will make life for you, for the remainder of the term a living hell. If that doesn't get the point across, I will have Dawn open a portal and you will find yourself in an actual hell dimension being tortured by any number of demons."
"You wouldn't," Snape said.
"Try me," Buffy said. "If you think I won't pull out your wand now and force me out of your office. I'm unarmed."
Snape knew that even if Buffy wasn't carrying her wand that she was never in reality unarmed. Being the Slayer gave her strength, speed and agility equal and even above that of a vampire. He knew that by the time he had his wand in hand he would likely be lying on the floor. "Very well," he said reluctantly.
June 1, 2003
The final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, took place on the last weekend of May. Buffy, Harry, Hermione and Ginny found seats in the topmost row of the stands. It was a fine, clear day.
Lee Jordan, who had been very dispirited since Fred and George had left, was commentating as usual. As the teams zoomed out onto the pitch, he named the players with something less than his usual gusto. "…Bradley… Davies… Chang," he said. "And they're off! And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well… He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot—and—and—" Lee swore very loudly. "And he's scored."
Buffy, Ginny, Harry and Hermione groaned with the rest of the Gryffindors.
Predictably, horribly, the Slytherins on the other side of the stands began to sing:
Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring…
"Buffy," said a hoarse voice in Buffy's ear.
Buffy looked around and saw Hagrid's enormous bearded face sticking between the seats; apparently, he had squeezed his way all along the row behind, for the first and second years he had just passed had a ruffled, flattened look about them. For some reason, Hagrid was bent double as though anxious not to be seen, though he was still at least four feet taller than everybody else.
"Listen," he whispered, "can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?"
"It's Dawn's last match of the year, Hagrid," Buffy said. "I'm not. I won't stop Harry, Hermione or Ginny from going though."
"I'm staying," Ginny said.
"Is it important?" Harry asked as Hagrid nodded. He looked at his sister with a sigh. "Let me know what happens." He and Hermione and followed Hagrid out of the stands and away from the Quidditch pitch.
An hour later Buffy, Dawn and Ginny followed a group that had hoisted Ron their shoulders as they headed toward the castle after another Gryffindor win. All around them Gryffindors were singing.
Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He didn't let the Quaffle in,
Weasley is our King…
Weasley can save anything,
He never leaves a single ring
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Weasley is our King.
"Hermione…" said Harry slowly.
Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He didn't let the Quaffle in,
Weasley is our King…
"HARRY! HERMIONE!" yelled Ron, waving the silver Quidditch Cup in the air and looking quite beside himself as they passed Harry and Hermione. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"
June 2, 2003
The next day Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dawn and Ginny joined Buffy and Willow under the beech tree on the edge of the lake.
Ron was telling Harry and Hermione everything they had missed when they went with Hagrid.
"Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's, so I wasn't feeling that confident, but I dunno, when Bradley came toward me, just out of nowhere, I thought—you can do this! And I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goal hoop—my right, obviously, his left—but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left—his right, I mean—and—well—you saw what happened," Ron concluded modestly.
Willow, Harry, Hermione, Buffy and Ginny had yet to tell Ron or Dawn that Harry and Hermione hadn't seen the game, that they had been with Hagrid.
"And then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later—what?" Ron said, stopping mid-sentence at the look on Harry's face. "Why are you grinning?"
"I'm not," said Harry. "I'm just glad we won, that's all."
"Yeah," said Ron slowly, savoring the words, "we won. Did you see the look on Chang's face when Dawn got the Snitch right out from under her nose? You saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"
"No, they didn't," Buffy said as she looked toward her brother and Hermione. "They left with Hagrid not long after Davies goal."
"Why?"
"He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants," Harry said. "He wanted Buffy to go into the forest with him, but she wouldn't leave since it was Dawn's last match. Neither would Ginny and Willow. So, Hermione and I had no choice, you know how he gets… Anyway…"
The story was told in five minutes, they learned that Hagrid had a half-brother named Grawp, who was hidden in the forest.
"He brought one back and hid it in the forest?" Ron said incredulously
"Yep," said Harry grimly.
"No," said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue. "No, he can't have…"
"Well, he has," said Hermione firmly. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me," she snorted, "as Hermy."
Willow laughed. "Hagrid's idea?" she asked as Hermione nodded. "Probably said I should be known as Willy or something like that."
"Not Willy," Buffy objected. "After all I have a history with Willy, remember, Will?"
"Right," Willow said as she leaned over and kissed Buffy.
"Anyways Hagrid wants us to…?" Ron asked.
"Teach him English, yeah," said Harry.
"He's lost his mind," said Ron in an almost awed voice.
"Yes," said Hermione irritably. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made Harry and me promise."
"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all," said Ron firmly. "I mean, come on… We've got exams and we're about that far," he held up his hand to show thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart, "from being chucked out as it is. And anyway… remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"
"Ron," Buffy said. "As long as Harry and Hermione introduce me. I think I can do it for the rest of the term. Its not likely I will have too many counseling sessions as everyone will be too busy with exams. And my classes are done for the term since they're not required. Plus, I understand why Hagrid did it. I did the same thing."
"You did the same thing?" Ron asked confused.
"With Harry," Buffy said. "Or did you forget what I did when I met Harry?"
"Oh," Ron said realizing what Buffy was talking about. Hagrid had gotten Grawp away as he was being bullied by other giants. Buffy had gotten Harry away from the Dursleys for similar reasons. "Right."
Author's Note: In canon James and Lily didn't start dating till seventh year. The change on when they started dating was made to line up to when Lily gave birth to Buffy. Since it was established in this story that they were sixteen at the time of Buffy's birth, that meant at least a year before her birth they had to have already been dating. That's why I put that they started dating in fifth year instead of seventh.