A/N: Happy holidays everyone. Here's a new little chapter for you which I hope you enjoy.

I don't own either Harry Potter or Dungeons and Dragons. They belong to their respective creators. The only things that are mine are the story itself and any original characters I might come up with. Please read and review; I always appreciate feedback. Constructive criticism is welcome, however no flames please.

20) HOW TO STOP A WAR

Bahamut and Daranni were both furious when they found out about Umbridge's visit to Hogwarts and her attempt to attack both Harry and Tiamat. What made it worse was that Tiamat herself was the one who told them what had happened. Knowing as he did about her real affection for Harry Bahamut had no doubt that his sister told him the truth. Even so he and Daranni made a quick trip to Hogwarts to also hear the story from Harry, his friends, and the staff members who had been present for the encounter. The two dragons were amused by what Tiamat did to Umbridge but it didn't calm their anger very much.

"This could be labeled as an act of war" said Daranni.

"Yes" said Bahamut, "but first I want to find out what the ministry's position is on this. I'm going to send someone to have a little chat with Fudge."

He sent two someones, specifically Borkadd the Claw, the dragon of justice, and Gruemar the Voice, who was an excellent diplomat and very skilled when it came to negotiating with people. They both made their way straight to the ministry and after identifying themselves demanded to see Fudge at once. They were quickly shown into his office.

"Lord Dragons" said Fudge getting up from his chair and giving his visitors a bow of respect as he knew who they were, "I have a good idea about why you've come. You're here about Dolores Umbridge. Am I right?"

"Yes minister" said Gruemar.

"Let me start with this" said Fudge, "I'm just as angry about this matter as you are. I ordered her on more than one occasion to leave Harry Potter alone and I certainly didn't sanction what she did. She went to Hogwarts without letting me know what she was up to. If she had I would have stopped her. It was only after two of the aurors informed Director Bones about the situation that I had any inkling of what was going on. Before we could go after her Headmaster Dumbledore arrived here at the ministry with the largest toad I've ever seen in my life. When I and everyone else found out that the toad was Madame Umbridge, and also how her transformation had come about, a lot of people laughed. I don't think anyone had any sympathy for her."

"Knowing that" said Gruemar, "she must have known that she didn't have your support so why did she try to attack Prince Harry and Queen Tiamat?"

"You need to understand something about Dolores" said Fudge, "just as there are Pureblood Supremacists in our country Dolores is what I would term a 'Human Supremacist.' She thinks that any living being that isn't human is inferior to her – no matter what it is. Even beings like the dragon gods.

"Ever since Harry Potter's real parentage was revealed this past summer she's been on the warpath against him..." Minister Fudge went on to relate the whole story about Umbridge, including the various warnings he'd given her to drop her vendetta and leave Harry alone, her failed campaign in the Wizengamot, and her most recent attempt to have Harry arrested and executed – something that even the official ministry executioner of dangerous beasts had refused to be involved in.

"I'm told by two of my aurors that he expressed the hope that Harry would eat her" said Fudge with a small shudder, "I'm glad that didn't happen. Just know that no one in the ministry condones her actions. If she hadn't been turned into a giant toad she'd be sitting in a ministry holding cell right now awaiting her trial. If the spell on her is ever broken she will be officially arrested. Her actions could have started a war with you dragons. That's not something that Britain is prepared for nor is it something that we want. The question I have for you is what do your king and queen want from us?"

Both Borkadd and Gruemar were silent for a moment as they thought over what Fudge had said.

"That's a very good question" said Borkadd finally, "if Madame Umbridge were still in her normal shape I'm sure King Bahamut and Queen Daranni would be demanding that she be turned over to face their justice because of what she tried to do and they wouldn't take kindly to any opposition from you. However under the current circumstances I doubt you'll have to worry about that."

"Indeed" said Gruemar, "I find it difficult to imagine a more humiliating punishment for someone like Madame Toadbridge than what Queen Tiamat did to her. Where is Toadbridge now?" Both Borkadd and even Fudge tried to repress their snickers at Gruemar's new name for Umbridge.

"She's down in the Department of Mysteries in the hands of the Unspeakables" said Fudge, "I'm not sure exactly what they intend to do with her. I know they're going to study the magic that was used on her but I don't know how. Eventually they'll probably try to break the spell. If that happens I will inform you about it. Somehow I don't think they'll succeed though. Headmaster Dumbledore told me when he was here that Queen Tiamat told Harry that only three people could break the spell. The queen herself, her father (Harry's grandfather) the great dragon god Io, and Harry. From what Dumbledore told me Harry isn't going to do that anytime soon."

"I don't blame him" murmured Gruemar who added in a louder voice, "we'll speak with our king and queen and tell them what you've told us. I suspect that if Toadbridge remains in her current shape you probably don't have much, if anything to worry about. Our rulers do have a sense of humor."

"I agree" said Borkadd as he and Gruemar both stood up and shook Fudge's hand, "thank you for seeing us minister. We'll let you know if the king and queen have anything else to say."

"It's been pleasure Lord Dragons" said Fudge.

"May we see Toadbridge before we go?" asked Gruemar while Borkadd tried to hide a smile. Fudge didn't hide his.

"I'll personally take you down to the Department of Mysteries" he said as he got up from his desk.

Fudge took Borkadd and Gruemar down to the ninth level of the ministry. As they were riding the lift down through the building it made a stop on the level which contained the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Macnair was waiting there and he joined them in the elevator, nodding at the minister as he did so.

"Minister" he said to Fudge who nodded back.

"Walden" said Fudge, "where are you headed to right now?"

"Down to the DOM" was the reply, "ever since I heard about what happened to Umbridge I've been wanting to go see her for myself. This is the first chance I've had to do that."

"You can go with me and my guests" said Fudge who introduced Borkadd and Gruemar to Macnair who was suitably impressed when he heard who they were.

"So you're the one who said that he hoped Prince Harry would eat Madame Umbridge?" said Borkadd.

"Yes" said Macnair with a bit of a smirk, "although I'm glad he didn't do that. She would have made him sick if he had."

Soon after that the four of them got off of the lift and Fudge led them down the hall toward the entrance door of the Department of Mysteries where he used his wand to magically knock on the door by sending a pulse through it.

"This lets them know we're here" said Fudge, "and we don't have to try to find our way through the many rooms of the department. The entrance room is especially designed to confuse unwelcome visitors."

Before either Borkadd or Gruemar could ask Fudge what he meant the door opened and an unspeakable was there to greet them.

"Good afternoon minister" said the unspeakable, "what can the Department of Mysteries do for you today?" Fudge introduced his two visitors to the unspeakable, explained who they were and said that they had asked to see Umbridge.

"I think that can be arranged" said the unspeakable with some amusement audible in his voice before he looked at Macnair and added, "him too?"

"Yes" said Fudge. The unspeakable nodded and gestured for the four of them to follow him as he led them into the DOM. The entrance room was a round, bare room with many doors all around it. None of them had any signs on them to show what they were for but the unspeakable seemed to know where he was going because he went straight to one of the doors and opened it. From there he led the group through several other rooms, each one devoted to some esoteric purpose.

The journey ended when the unspeakable brought them into a large room which was easily recognizable as a laboratory of some sort. Both Gruemar's and Borkadd's human eyebrows shot up in both surprise and amusement at what they saw.

In the middle of the room was slightly raised circular platform. Placed on that platform was a large round glass enclosure which was closed on all sides and the top except for some narrow slits to allow air to enter and leave. Sitting inside that enclosure was a very miserable looking giant toad. Attached to the toad were magical sensors which apparently were sending magical readings to four large open books of parchment set out on tables outside the enclosure at the four cardinal points of the compass. An unspeakable was standing at each book reading whatever was written in it while other unspeakables were sending spells at the toad through the openings in the enclosure. It was quite obvious that the sensors on the toad recorded whatever the spells did to it and wrote it out in the books.

One unspeakable who seemed to be in charge walked over to the minister's group.

"Minister" he said, "what brings you here today?" Fudge introduced the unspeakable to his guests and said why they were there.

"What have you found out?" Fudge asked,

"The spell on Umbridge is unlike anything any of us have ever seen before" said the unspeakable, "and so far it has proved to be completely resistant to anything we can do to it. I think Madame Umbridge is going to be stuck in that form for a very long time. But not to worry. We have many things we can try and lots of time to do it in."

"You all look as if you're enjoying yourselves" said Gruemar.

"Oh we are" was the reply before the unspeakable lowered his voice so only the minister's group could hear him, "none of us down here liked that woman anyway so we won't shed any tears if we can't turn her back – but we're going to have a lot of fun trying."

At this point Macnair couldn't help himself. He laughed. A lot. He turned around for a moment to regain control of himself but as soon as he turned back to look at Umbridge (or Toadbridge as he had heard Gruemar had call her) he laughed again. Eventually he had to leave the room to calm down.

Needless to say there was no war between the dragons and magical Britain that day.

(To Be Continued)

A/N - And that's a wrap until next time (whenever that is)