To Tie Up a Loose End
Nearly every part of Hogwarts grew annoyingly warm as the castle crawled into the lazy heart of May. Edelweiss struggled to focus in her classes like many of her magical peers. Yet she knew their reasons were different. They looked forward to the coming of summer. She awaited something different. She thought them foolish, for the OWL examinations resided between them and the summer hols. Edelweiss knew she should be worried about her OWLs. But she did not worry nor did she truly care. And she knew it was thanks to discovering Ziost Hangar. After her last astral venture into the Department of Mysteries, she waited for a disturbance in the Force. Any sign the time was night. That Voldemort would make his move and fall for the trap she laid for him in the mind of his follower. Unlike Dumbledore, she did not plan to use drawing him into the Ministry as a way to expose him to the public.
No. She would destroy him and put an end to that farce of a dark lord.
For now, all she could do was practice her Ataru katas and develop her powers. Yet what good was it if Edelweiss could fill a chamber with Force lightning or read the feelings of the student body when she could not use her powers against Voldemort? They had to be kept secret still. And all the while, the castle edged ever closer to potential revolution. Inquisitors were attacked in the halls. The Ministry-backed rules went ignored or forgotten.
And through it all, the Weasley Twins appeared to be hoarding a small dragon's fortune. Edelweiss had not seen their stash, but she knew of its existence. Part of her wondered how the Force allowed her to know of their growing wealth. Her only guess was that she sensed the emotion poured into every knut, sickle, and galleon they earned.
And that was not all she sensed. Edelweiss knew a flash point approached. A moment when all would change. A moment that would guide her to her ascension and her final victory over Umbridge, Voldemort, and Dumbledore.
On the morning of the Nineteenth, Edelweiss awoke with a feeling in her bones. She closed her eyes, breathed in, and felt as she breathed out. That feeling in her bones grew more potent, speaking to her not in words, but with a feeling of victory.
Her eyes opened. She glanced across the room, caught her reflection in a tall mirror, and blinked at the sight of her eyes, tinged with a ring of sickly yellow. Edelweiss smiled even after the yellow vanished, before stretching languidly. She had a strange, good feeling about this day.
She hummed as she showered and dressed. She could not name the tune, but somehow it stuck despite her efforts otherwise. Edelweiss continued to hum as she descended to the common room. She spotted the Twins speaking softly with Lee Jordan across the room. They glanced her way. They waved cheerily, beaming, before returning to their secret conversation.
For a moment, she thought about joining them. But before she could act on that idea, she sensed through the Force that if she acted so, events would not play out as they should. Her involvement would impair the future she sensed before coming down. Her presence might even be enough to affect whatever was meant to come about.
Edelweiss left the common room and headed down to the Great Hall. She would be patient, despite her growing ability to use the Force and peer through the currents of time. Her power was not enough to know with certainty what would come to pass, but it did help guide her course. It was why she easily allowed the Twins to act as they pleased, though the thought of allowing events to play out without her influence did trouble her some. But after her successful plot that removed Dumbledore from Hogwarts and what she had done to successfully eliminate the Dursleys and set the stage for her final confrontation with Voldemort, being able to sit back and watch others scheme and plot was a luxury.
And she could not recall a time she was able to engage in luxuries beyond what she claimed for herself.
She came to the Great Hall and spotted Umbridge trying to sit prim and proper on the golden throne Dumbledore had left behind for his successor. Umbridge gazed upon the student body as she sipped tea, careful to mask her disgust. Edelweiss felt the growing hatred the woman had for Hogwarts and her students, especially after all that had been done, day after day, to undermine her rule. Not even her Inquisitors—whittled down to only Slytherins—could bring about the order she desired for more than a few hours. Detentions and loss of points were meaningless now.
Umbridge spotted Edelweiss as she reached the Gryffindor table. She smirked at the headmistress. The woman's face bloomed a bright red. Gossip rippled through the Great Hall. Edelweiss sat to the sound of Hogwarts questioning what she had done.
"You're in a good mood," said Neville Longbottom. He met her gaze easily. No longer was he cowed by others, nor did the Sith markings on her face trouble him. She appreciated the change. He had been like many and struggled to deal with her following that fateful night. But that was months ago, and Neville Longbottom had grown up.
"I am," Edelweiss agreed easily. "I noticed something interesting before I came down from the common room. I have a feeling something… momentous may occur today."
Neville nodded, though she sensed he was left perplexed by her. She did not fear those who suspected her hand in the dissolution of Dumbledore's Army, as they continued to call it, but he was not one of them. Edelweiss knew that between her attention earlier in the year and their encounter at Saint Mungo's, she had earned his loyalty strongly enough he dismissed conspiracies about Edelweiss. Yet he did not take her word as law, as she would like. Her followers should be obedient, unwilling to question her. Perhaps she would be merciful enough to allow one to question her—but only in private, away from prying eyes and ears.
"What do you know?" asked Neville, drawing Edelweiss away from her thoughts.
"Keep an eye on the Twins. Whatever they have planned will come to fulfillment sometime today. Around lunch or shortly after. I'm certain they will act then."
"Should I tell the others?"
"No. I don't want the Inquisitors catching wind something is amiss today." Edelweiss plated eggs and sausage for herself. "Go about your day like normal. I have no plan to interfere in whatever they have in mind."
Neville nodded, though there was a confused look on his face. After a few seconds, he asked, "But why tell me?"
Edelweiss blinked. She then speared a carved chunk of sausage. "Because you noticed I was in a good mood. I had no reason to not tell you." She smiled widely. "I can trust you, Neville Longbottom. I hope you will trust me in turn."
"Of course, Edie. You've been a good friend to me."
She nodded thoughtfully, turning to focus on her breakfast. Her. A good friend. Edelweiss could not recall when she had been a good friend, though she guessed her work to uplift Neville and make something of him counted. If he had the attitude required to be a Sith, she might have considered him for a pupil. Lovegood was out; the girl was too odd for the dark side, despite possessing some Force-sensitivity.
Maybe she should stop considering Earth as where she would find her apprentice. She knew a day would come when she as Darth Gladiolus would step out into the galaxy beyond Earth's meager system. Though perhaps she would develop Earth into a spacefaring world. She could even prepare her homeworld for the inevitable day some alien traced her course through the cosmos back to this small blue gem in a sea of nothingness.
Hermione and Ron joined them shortly after. Edelweiss listened for any hint they were aware Fred and George planned anything for this day. When nothing concerning them came up, she tuned them out and continued to eat. Increasingly she suspected she would not even sit her OWLs. She had grown beyond them. A Sith Lord stood above simple witches and wizards. Their concerns were beneath her. She did not need to prove herself to them.
They attended History of Magic that morning, burning away ninety minutes. While Hermione and Ron went to separate electives, Edelweiss snuck away to Ziost Hanger. She had time to indulge in training before the Twins acted.
Actually, I will skip their little act, Edelweiss decided. Let them act without my implicit approval. I will hear of what they have done when I return to the castle.
Her pulse thrummed as she came to the Chamber of Secrets. She paused and looked around the chamber. Blackened marks covered a wall where she poured too much power into a blast of Force lightning. She could almost taste the harsh influence of the dark side.
"I will miss this place," she whispered. Her voice echoed up and down the chamber. Edelweiss eventually found a dry spot on the floor. After a moment of consideration, she sat and curled her legs under her body. She shifted to get comfortable, and only then did she close her eyes. She centered herself in her passions: her need to be greater, her diminishing fears of failure, and the hatred she held for the men she would slay.
Once gathered, she reached out slowly with the dark side as her guide. She sensed Slytherins in their common room and the second years Snape berated.
They all froze.
She sensed the Hufflepuffs and the students in the lower levels. She reached out further and further, careful to mask her true self as her Force influence infused throughout the castle.
She reached further and further, sensing the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors in their towers. And she even sensed the professors.
And once Edelweiss had sensed them all, she focused on their reactions. Some reacted positively. They, she suspected, would align with the Sith were they Force-sensitive. Others reacted negatively. They would side with the Jedi. They would be her enemies, the ones she should destroy. Even those she considered her friends. Those traitors—
Her eyes blew open as she breathed heavily. Ron and Hermione had been among those who withdrew from her touch instead of embracing the burning passion of the dark side. Edelweiss sighed and hung her head. At least she had the control to prevent them from recognizing her in the dark side.
Edelweiss sighed and shifted her legs to kneel on the stone floor. She closed her eyes once more and slipped into a meditative state.
"Peace is a lie. There is only power," she began, chanting. "Through power, I gain strength…"
Hours later, Edelweiss emerged from the Chamber of Secrets, refreshed and renewed. She reached out, once more cloaking her Force signature, and took in the mood and attitude of the school. Something had happened while she was meditating. Something almost seismic in impact and influence. Enough that without the Force, she would have noticed. She sensed a singularity of life upon which everyone's attention was focused. It was potent. Not as potent as her Force touch across the school body, but near enough to be almost comparable.
I need to know what it is.
Edelweiss chased after the singularity. People passed her by, but she did not recognize them. She took no notice of them. They were phantoms in her periphery as she pressed forward. She nearly bowled over Draco Malfoy as she came to the corner nearest to what she sensed. He started away from her, drawing his wand. He caught her gaze and blinked. His hand clenched tightly around his wand.
"You!" Malfoy hissed, raising his wand into her face. "Where have you been?"
"Wherever I wish," Edelweiss said. She ignored the wand in her face, instead glancing at Malfoy's companions. Parkinson and Zabini watched on. He, unlike the other two, did not wear an Inquisitor badge. "Zabini. Curious to see you here."
He smiled weakly. "Trying to get on Malfoy's good side. Or that's what I've been telling myself."
Malfoy glared at Zabini while Parkinson rolled her eyes.
"Answer Draco's question before we drag you to the Headmistress, Potter."
She glanced at Parkinson and then to Malfoy. After a few seconds, Edelweiss sighed. There was no stopping her ascension. She could let her mask slip a hair or two. "I've been using the Chamber of Secrets as a little hideaway when I don't wish to deal with others. It was very useful last year when I was preparing for the Triwizard Tournament."
Their faces went pale. The look was humorous on Zabini, for his darker complexion left him looking like a statue dug out of the ground. Edelweiss went to step past them. Malfoy stopped her before she could get past him.
"I want you to show me," Malfoy demanded. "The Chamber of Secrets."
She glanced at his hand on her shoulder and then back to his grey eyes. "No. Take your hand off me before I remove it."
Edelweiss easily implanted images of crimson fire slicing away his hand, leaving the wound cauterized. She left it blurry enough that Malfoy would think she used a fire whip hex instead of the lightsaber sitting heavily in her pocket.
He recoiled from her, and she stepped past him. Edelweiss ignored Parkinson's attempt to stop her, along with Zabini as he watched on. She pressed forward and finally went around the corner. Her gaze fell upon the singularity, expecting something interesting or fascinating, only to find the corridor before her flooded by a murky swamp. She paused for only a second before continuing forward with slow, small steps. Tall grasses arose here and there while bubbling bogs coated a great deal of the floor. Croaking and buzzing filled the air. They weren't loud, and yet their presence was great enough that she could not deny their presence. Edelweiss felt the swamp with the Force; felt the totality of life set before her.
It was astonishing.
Jealousy coiled low in her belly. This was what the Weasley Twins had planned. Edelweiss almost regretted having not learned of what they plotted before, even as she stared upon their work with admiration and envy for their handicraft. So many had talked down—even ridiculed—their magical ability. What must those people think now that two "underachieving" boys had crafted a work of magic worthy of being called great?
"Potter!" bellowed Malfoy, coming up from behind her.
She sensed his hand reaching out to grab her. Her efforts to compel him to live in fear of her had failed. A shame. She turned, wand in hand, and cast mindlessly. Wrath and fury flowed through phoenix feather and holly. There was a loud bang followed by a metallic smell. Edelweiss raised a hand before her face as she waved away a cloud of smoke and dust. A flash of pain came from her hand. She glanced down and found that her wand had fractured from the power poured through it.
The dark side was too great for that medium. Her wand's death sat heavily upon her for a moment. And then she let go of that unnecessary weight. She understood in that second that the sacrifice of her wand helped to sever who she had been and who she would be. A wand of holly and phoenix feather belonged to Edelweiss Potter. Darth Gladiolus needed no medium to bend reality to her will. Her weapon was the Force.
"What have you done?" someone screamed.
Edelweiss blinked and looked up from her fractured wand. Malfoy had been thrown onto his back. He rolled and cradled his stomach, both hands pressed tightly. Blood welled, staining the front of his robe. She stared listlessly as he bled. The pool forming underneath him was thick enough that she could taste it. With the Force, she sensed that he still lived. Parkinson was at Malfoy's side, frightened and teary. Zabini stood back a step, his wand raised toward her.
"Take him to Pomfrey," Edelweiss commanded. When they hesitated, she barked, "Now!"
The Slytherins were swift to gather their fellow and carry him away. Zabini cast a healing spell on Malfoy as they went. Edelweiss felt how the spell helped stitch up the wound she caused, even though it did not fully undo the damage she inflicted. It had been the dark side and her magic in tandem, blended by passion and intent to maim Malfoy. After all, she wanted him to fear her. How better to compel fear than to nearly kill the fool?
She turned back to the swamp. Edelweiss stared at it for a little while longer before closing her eyes and reaching out for the Twins with the Force. She found them nowhere within Hogwarts. Their presence was distant and weak around Hogwarts, growing stronger as she focused on England, far away.
They departed Hogwarts in victory, thought Edelweiss as she opened her eyes. And soon I shall have my victory.
The morning after the Twins departed Hogwarts, the student body held their collective breath. Yet when Umbridge was absent from breakfast, many assumed the headmistress imposed upon them was in London. Perhaps they would be free of her, some suggested. Most assumed otherwise and kept their heads down as they went about their day. Regardless, all knew something would happen, especially when rumors about Malfoy began to spread.
The swamp was left in place after Flitwick, McGonagall, and Proudfoot failed to remove it. Edelweiss suspected the trio had failed in their removal because they were impressed by what the Twins had done, not because they were incapable.
Hermione confirmed Edelweiss's suspicions.
"Professor Babbling thinks they might have done something with a runic scheme," she said at lunch. "Since Lee Jordan doesn't have their plans for that swamp, nobody knows for certain. It's nice that people are interested in the swamp, since it appears to be helping them relax about their tests."
"If he wanted to, Flitwick could get rid of that swamp in a heartbeat," Edelweiss said. "They're leaving it in place for when Umbridge returns from wherever she is." She glanced around for unfriendly ears. All she saw were friendly Gryffindors. Some had even formed a shield between Edelweiss and the other houses. "Who knows what she'll do when she returns."
"It'll depend on Minister Fudge's decision," Hermione said pointedly. "Maybe they're thinking about lifting the restrictions—"
Edelweiss nearly choked on a laugh. "Lift their restrictions? They'd be mad to do that now. It'll show that they're both weak. Easily cowed by a pair of jokesters whose wands they cannot snap because they're of age. No. She'll come back and make an example of someone."
And if I'm fortunate, Voldemort will seek to move on the Hall of Prophecy that same day. It's a good thing I've always been so fortunate.
She wished there was something she could do to accelerate Voldemort's timeline. Without their connection from his essence left in her faded scar, Edelweiss was left to manipulate her enemy through other actors. Perhaps she would truly get as lucky as she thought and have him move on the very day Umbridge returned.
"Is there something you know that you're keeping secret from me?" asked Hermione. "I had thought we agreed on no secrets."
"No new ones," Edelweiss countered. She glanced about again before shrugging. "I'm the reason Malfoy got injured recently. I know the moment Umbridge is back in the castle, they'll come after me."
Hermione blinked and then sighed. "Of course you are. I should have assumed it was your doing the moment rumors began to float around." She sighed again before leaning in close. "What has happened to you? The Edelweiss I know would never willingly harm someone even as foul as Draco Malfoy."
"It was an accident," Edelweiss grumbled. "I only meant to teach him a lesson. Not hospitalize him."
Her defense did not place Hermione at ease. Her stress and worry spiked, becoming thick and potent enough that it risked affecting Edelweiss. The fact nothing had been said about her not using her wand since the incident in question was the only relief she could find. Edelweiss did not wish to think about how Hermione would react to a broken, shattered wand like that which Edelweiss carried.
Then again, I've also taken to carrying my lightsaber. That would cause an even greater disturbance if that were revealed.
Were it not for the fact Edelweiss expected her ascension every morning since she woke with yellow-tinged eyes, she would leave her lightsaber somewhere safe. For now, she would try to be patient. Something lingered between her and her ascension.
"I'm heading to the library," Hermione said, rising to her feet. She threw her book bag over a shoulder as she shot Edelweiss a concerned look. "You should join me. You've fallen behind on studying for your OWLs. I know you've been using Ron to keep me distracted."
Edelweiss smiled weakly. "I appreciate the offer, but there's something I need to attend to. Something more important than OWLs."
Hermione granted her a confused, almost disturbed look. Her lips opened to speak, but they closed a moment later. She shook her head, disturbing her bushy hair, and stormed off to the library. Edelweiss watched Hermione go before finishing her lunch and rising to her feet. Her destination was the Chamber of Secrets and perhaps Ziost Hanger beyond. The moment of her ascension was nearly at hand, and she wished to speak with her Sith masters about it. One of them was bound to have useable knowledge about what she could expect from the moment.
"Sacrifice?" muttered Edelweiss thoughtfully. She tried to not rock on her knees. "What do you mean when you say 'sacrifice', Lord Salazar?"
The Sith Lord hovered before her. He had a pleased cast to his face. "Exactly what the word means, apprentice. You must sacrifice all that you are now. Edelweiss Potter and Darth Gladiolus must be separate figures. You must strip away the falsities that cling tight to you."
Edelweiss drew out her fractured wand and stared at it. "I believe I have started," she said. Her gaze returned to Lord Salazar. "But this cannot be enough. Edelweiss Potter is more than a wand."
"Good. You understand. From all you have told me, it is your reputation that restrains you most. Others perceive you not as you are, but as they believe you to be. That must be destroyed, else you be held back from your true potential. All must know the truth."
Edelweiss nodded. She still recalled how she complained of her reputation to Lady Bastila back in the days when being Darth Gladiolus was more a dream than reality. She knew the easiest way to bring everything into sync would be to tear away the mask of the savior and reveal the Sith Lord beneath. She could think of several ways to pursue that angle, though they all led to the confrontation with the two men she hated most.
She looked forward to destroying Voldemort. The way everyone flinched from his chosen name disgusted her. His servants called him 'the Dark Lord', while the frightened masses of Britain either called him 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'. It was pathetic, how unwilling they were to name the monster they all lived in fear of even after he lost his powers. She admittedly knew little of the past war, but what did it matter? His soul anchors were destroyed except for whatever shred of essence remained in his body. Once he was done away with, he would be permanently dead.
Naturally, Dumbledore would need to follow Voldemort to the grave. If she could not kill them both on the same day, then drastic action would be needed. Unlike Voldemort, Dumbledore's reputation rested on both his power and his favorability. Yes, the man had first cowed magical Britain by crossing the Channel and stopping Grindelwald, but he had also shaped the minds of nearly every mage living. Only once he was dead could she begin the work of tearing his influence out of her nation.
But what else could she sacrifice to ensure her ascension? Her friendships? The Weasleys remained useful to her, despite their loyalty to Dumbledore. Perhaps with time she could break them of that foolish tie. Hermione would be repulsed by the transformation from Edelweiss Potter to Darth Gladiolus. That she knew, and that she almost regretted. Her friend had been the one to popularize the name Dumbledore's Army among those who should be her followers. Those who should be the glorious vanguard of Darth Gladiolus.
They might betray me one day, she thought. Not today. Not soon. But one day. One day they might betray me.
She would leave them alone for now. Her powers would warn her of when the time came she needed to sever those bonds.
And so her mind came to the inevitable conclusion. Edelweiss would continue down the path set before her. She would ascend through the death of one she already pledged to destroy: Dolores Umbridge.
Edelweiss smiled the moment she made her decision. She had raised the woman to her post as the Headmistress. She had always planned to strip her down from that lofty height. To do so in service of her training as a Sith was perfect. It would ensure she was Darth Gladiolus when she went to face Voldemort and hopefully Dumbledore.
Her ascension would be glorious. But she could not act immediately. She already awaited the hour of ascension. Umbridge would be unaware of her looming death until it was upon her. She would destroy the enemy within Hogwarts before leaving to destroy her enemies beyond. After all, Voldemort had to fall for the trap she laid in the mind of his agent. He needed to be drawn into one last confrontation.
She only needed to be patient, no matter how difficult she found it to be.
Edelweiss gazed upon Lord Salazar and grinned widely. "I know what I must do, Lord Salazar. After it is done, I shall be Darth Gladiolus. You will be unable to deny that."
He smiled and nodded. "Then do what must be done, apprentice, and return to me as a Sith Lord."
Edelweiss minded the Force throughout the rest of the day, searching and seeking for evidence Voldemort would finally take the bait and pursue the trap laid out for him. She knew it would come; yet all she could focus on was the apparent failure before her. Her enemy remained silent. The Force gave her nothing. It was silent to her desires, which left her on edge as she went to bed.
Umbridge failed to appear at breakfast the next morning as well. Edelweiss took that as a sign that events were proceeding as she wished, for it bought her more time. More rumors concerning Malfoy began to spread. None linked her to that incident, though she thought it was a matter of time. Their hatred for each other was too well known.
She skipped classes to focus on practicing with her lightsaber. Had any been able to access the Come-and-Go room while she occupied it, they would have witnessed Edelweiss weaving a pattern of swirls and death with her crimson blade. Something in the back of her mind told her that her ability with the lightsaber would dictate her duel with Voldemort and Dumbledore.
I shall face both soon, she thought during a moment of rest and clarity. A house elf—Dobby, most like—had delivered food and drink. Maybe my plot shall work as I desire. Both shall come for me and I will cut them down in the heart of the Ministry.
She slept well that night and woke to a grey morning. Edelweiss stretched and then froze—something boomed through the Force. It was a great disturbance, and it announced a single truth: The day is upon you. Today. Today!
TODAY!
Edelweiss took her time preparing for the day. She took a glance at her face in the mirror. The vivid emerald she had always been accustomed to had faded to a murky color halfway to a sulfuric yellow. Edges of red stretched out from the pupil, almost like a starburst coming to life. She knew enough of the dark side to recognize its influence.
She grinned down to the Great Hall. Her smile fell away, seeing that Umbridge had yet to return. As she ate, Edelweiss reached out with the Force.
Umbridge had returned, but she was elsewhere with her Inquisitors. No doubt taking stock of what happened while she was gone.
Her morning class was divination. Edelweiss attended for the first time since Trelawney's removal and almost regretted her decision. The teacher was one of the centaurs of the Forbidden Woods. He stared at her oddly, as though he knew what she was. What she was becoming.
She was grateful when she was released from class. While en route to the Great Hall, though, Edelweiss felt another, though smaller, disturbance in the Force. She smiled as a realization came over her.
Death Eaters shall await me in the Hall of Prophecy. Oh, I could thank them!
Edelweiss ate mechanically. Her conscious mind lingered on the currents of the Force, parsing out what she should expect when she went to the Ministry. Yet she knew it was too early to think that far ahead. She had yet to permanently handle Dolores Umbridge, whose death would usher in her transfiguration into Darth Gladiolus.
"…ie. Edie? Edie!"
Edelweiss blinked. She returned to the present and stared at a worried Hermione. Her gaze flickered past Edelweiss. She turned, following Hermione's gaze, and found Umbridge hovering behind her, Malfoy and Parkinson with her. Malfoy flinched when their gazes met.
"Miss Potter. We need to have a serious conversation."
"What about?" she asked, already knowing the what.
And here it is. My opportunity. What I felt was indeed the call to ascend and destroy my enemies.
"I was informed of recent events concerning you and Mister Malfoy. Very concerning events." She leaned in close. "Would you prefer to discuss this in my office or publically for everyone to hear?"
Edelweiss scanned the Great Hall and saw how people were sneaking glances. None dared openly watch. But she could sense their curiosity and interest. It was annoying but unexpected. This was the nature of Hogwarts, after all.
She smiled at Umbridge, enjoying how the woman recoiled at a flash of teeth, and said, "Your office, headmistress." Edelweiss rose to her feet and strode from the Great Hall.
"…and so with great reluctance, I must suspend you, Miss Potter," Umbridge said coolly. "You must understand that a girl as disturbed and violent as you needs help. You won't be sent to Azkaban. The public would never stand for that. You are a national symbol, regardless of everything you've been so unfairly subjected to. But you cannot be allowed to remain within the walls of Hogwarts nor amongst the regular public."
Edelweiss nodded blankly. None of what she had been told would come to pass. She had just spent the better part of twenty minutes listening to Umbridge blather on and on without getting to the point. Malfoy and Parkinson had been dismissed early on, their testimony given and accepted without question. They had sneered and smirked at her as they left. Woe to them, for this day would not go as they thought.
"And so I must ask for your wand," concluded Umbridge. She held out her pudgy, grubby hand. "This is for your good."
She glanced at the open hand and then shrugged. Edelweiss retrieved her fractured, burnt-out wand from her left pocket, and tossed it to Umbridge. The woman caught it and blinked. Her eyes then bugged out as she stared at the wand for a long while. So long that Edelweiss nearly suspected something happened within Umbridge's mind to rob her of her ascension.
"What… What happen—?"
Umbridge squeaked as she was cut off. Edelweiss's right hand had risen; her fingers closed enough to prevent the woman from easily breathing but not so tight that she would immediately die. Edelweiss wanted to savor her kill. To know the moment Umbridge's eyes went blank it was her doing.
This was her sacrifice. The death of Dolores Umbridge would be the death of Edelweiss Potter. And from the ashes of their destruction, Darth Gladiolus would be born.
She watched impassively as Umbridge collapsed to her knees, struggling and gasping for air.
"I imagine you are wondering what I am doing to you," Edelweiss whispered. "Fear not, for you are not alone. Only I know completely of this power. A few have learned figments of it, but only what I have allowed." She smiled sardonically as the dark side filled her. Umbridge's wide eyes bulged. "This is a power only Salazar Slytherin himself knew, for he learned it long before he came to our world."
She relaxed the pressure on Umbridge's throat just enough for the woman to croak out, "World?"
"Indeed. Lord Salazar was a Sith Lord of Ziost, a world that spirals around a star far, far away from ours. For a year now, I have been his pupil. I have dared to tread the path of Sith Lord. The moment of my ascension is nearly upon us."
A ripple in the Force trickled through Edelweiss. She knew what it meant and grinned widely.
"Rejoice, Dolores, for your suffering is nearly at an end. You are the fortunate one who shall witness the death of Edelweiss Potter and her rebirth as Darth Gladiolus, the Dark Lord of the Sith."
"Dark lord…?" gasped Umbridge. "You?"
"Indeed. This is the path laid out before me, thanks to Lord Salazar and the wealth of knowledge he brought to this world. I am its inheritor. I am the one who shall take this world into the grasp of my palm. Soon, Voldemort and Dumbledore shall be no more. Fudge will have his chance to kneel and obey my commands… or perish alongside them." Edelweiss leaned forward. "I am merciful to those who have done me no wrong."
Umbridge's eyes bulged. She knew what Edelweiss spoke of. She knew now that she would not survive. Her death was inevitable.
"I am grateful you are here in the end, Dolores. I could think of none more deserving to be my sacrifice. Farewell. And if there is something beyond the grave, I hope you enjoy your suffering."
Edelweiss withdrew her lightsaber. She thumbed the ignition, heard the snap-hiss echo through the office, and she raised her terrible crimson blade. Umbridge gasped like a dying fish. The office filled with her fear and terror.
She released her grasp upon the Force as her blade came down. Umbridge had no chance to defend herself. Her head came off with a soft sound as the stump at her neck was cauterized. The head bounced once, twice, and then rolled toward the desk. The Force suddenly coalesced around Edelweiss. The dark side echoed with her ascension. Her power rippled out. Any attuned to the Force would know something had happened. Perhaps all would sense something had happened.
Edelweiss Potter breathed out, and Darth Gladiolus breathed in.
"What have you done?" asked one of the headmaster portraits.
She turned to the portraits. They flinched and recoiled, releasing hisses and curses. Darth Gladiolus shot them a bloodthirsty grin.
"What I had to," she declared. "You all sat back and allowed her to desecrate this office. None of you have the standing to pass judgment on me."
"And what if I tell your godfather of what you've done, girl?" asked one of the men.
Gladiolus stared at him for a few seconds before spotting the Black features. Her grin fell away. Her left arm rose. Indigo arcs of Force lightning flickered between her fingers as she considered whether or not to destroy this particular portrait. Yes, this was an invaluable piece of magical history. But she could not allow word of her actions to spread yet. She needed to destroy her enemies first.
That decided it. Force lightning shot forth and burned the portrait into ash. A blackened outline was left on the wall.
She turned her gaze to the others. None had fled to other frames. Good.
"None of you are to leave until I return," declared Gladiolus. "Should I learn that any of you have contacted others, I shall return and finish what I have begun." She scanned them, waiting for any protests or recriminations. None came. She smiled cruelly and cooed, "Good! I am happy we have an understanding."
And with that, Gladiolus turned and deactivated her weapon. She pocketed the lightsaber and strolled out of the office, humming the same tune she hummed days ago.
Victory was sweet.
A dark mood descended upon Hogwarts as the afternoon classes stretched on. Many suddenly felt as though they had been filled with every worst impulse that flooded through their mind. Nobody could explain it, yet they felt it. Deeply. Terribly.
Hermione Granger snatched the galleon typically used by Edelweiss and summoned the other members of Dumbledore's Army to the Come-and-Go Room the moment she stepped out of class. To her surprise—and relief—nearly everyone showed up within ten minutes. Only Zabini and the Twins were absent. A purse-lipped Greengrass explained, "Zabini happened to be with Malfoy when he had his latest run-in with Potter. He couldn't slip away with us, but he will keep our secrets."
"Any clue what happened?" asked Susan Bones, trying to act serious. "We all felt something."
Before anyone could offer a theory, Luna Lovegood took a step forward. In her whimsical voice, she announced, "Lord Gladiolus has ascended to her power."
"Who?" asked Lavender Brown. "A pretty name, but I don't know—"
"You're talking about Edelweiss, aren't you?" asked Hermione. Horror roiled in her gut. She thought of how easily her friend had gone with Umbridge. Could the temporary headmistress still be alive? "Edie is this 'Lord Gladiolus', isn't she."
Luna stared at her for a second before nodding. "She has… become more. Ascended to a power none know." Her head suddenly tilted. "I know nothing else. But she is the source of the darkness that has grasped Hogwarts."
Hermione glanced around the room, taking in uncertain expressions. She wanted to propose they go after Edelweiss—go after Lord Gladiolus, as Luna announced—but her tongue stuck to the top of her mouth. Somehow, she could not act.
She shivered and felt fear pool in her gut.
Hermione Granger tried to grapple with the reality her friend was dead. Not physically, but spiritually. Edelweiss Potter was no more, replaced with someone called Lord Gladiolus. Someone she did not know and instinctively feared.
Around her, she saw others trying to do the same. None appeared to come to terms with what they had learned before they departed, cowed and anxious.