Mirus paced the corridors of the castle as he often did in the evening. He had just accompanied Luna to the Ravenclaw Tower after a long evening of studies.
He knew he wouldn't have time to get to the Slytherin Common Room before curfew but didn't worry about it. The two teachers who were patrolling tonight would not pose a problem. Severus wouldn't punish him and Umbridge seemed to want to gain his favor (yuck) given the way she spoke to him.
From the first Defense lesson, Mirus had hated his teacher. She had nothing going for her, neither beauty nor intelligence nor magical power nor even a pleasant personality, and yet she seemed to think she was better than everyone.
Her fake smile and the way she talked to them like they were babies got on his nerves. The worst part being that she got way too close to him when she spoke to him, batting her eyelashes. He almost asked her if she had any dust in her eye the first time she did it. Even Ginevra's childish flirting was more attractive than... that.
- Hem hem.
The blond stopped abruptly. Lost in his thoughts as he was, he had not heard the pink toad coming from the adjacent corridor.
- Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing in the corridors at this hour? The curfew started five minutes ago.
- Professor Umbridge, you scared me! I'm sincerely sorry, I think I got lost. You know I've only been at Hogwarts for two weeks as a student and the castle is so big...
The toad gave a little sweet laugh that made Mirus shudder inside. Looking at the bulging eyes of his interlocutor, he found himself imagining tearing them out with a teaspoon.
- Of course, Mr. Malfoy, that's completely understandable. So let me accompany you to your Common Room.
- Oh thank you, Professor.
Damn, he wanted to avoid this monstrosity...
Umbridge motioned for him to follow. The boy was beginning to despair when he saw that she was taking the longest route, at least for those who know the secret passages.
- I wanted to ask you, Mr. Malfoy…
- Yes, Professor?
- You are a distinguished, intelligent young man from a prestigious family and I was wondering…
Mirus waited patiently for her to find the words.
- To be completely honest with you, the question was asked of me by the Minister but I have a very personal interest in it.
The blonde's patience was beginning to run out.
- It's embarrassing to ask but…
If Mirus did not have such control over his emotions, he was sure that a nervous tic would have appeared.
- Do you have a bethrotal contract, Mr. Malfoy? I know your cousin does, but we know next to nothing about you.
Again, the toad fluttered her eyelashes and bile rose up in the blond's throat. A "very personal interest"? She wasn't implying what Mirus thought she was implying, was she? How disgusting.
- May I know why the Minister is interested in this subject? Mirus replied very calmly, pretending not to have seen the toad's ridiculous expression.
Umbridge seemed disappointed that the young man wasn't swooning over her 'charms'. She was going to have to go further if he didn't realize the honor she was doing him by showing interest in him. She deserved the best, after all, she was the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic.
- Oh, it's very political, you see. The alliances that form over generations, the parties that gain or lose members…
- I see. You can inform the Minister that I have no contract in my name. My father had decided to give me the choice to find my life partner.
Mirus was reassured to see that they had arrived at the wall concealing the entrance to his Common Room. Without giving her time to answer, he wished his teacher good night and quickly slipped in after saying the password.
When he arrived in the common room, he saw the group of fifth year Slytherins perched on the couches surrounding the fireplace. He slumped ungracefully next to Blaise who noticed right away that there was a problem.
- Mio caro, what's going on?
- Just Umbridge flirting at me.
This single sentence was enough to make half the students in the group a little green and the other half hilarious.
- Mio povero tesoro. Tell me everything.
- I was coming back after dropping Luna off and I came across the pink toad. She insisted on taking me home and, on the way, asked me if I had a bethrotal contract. Apparently, the Minister wants to know which family will be allied to ours by marriage. Politics… Except that she told me that she had a "very personal interest" in my response while looking at me like I was a piece of meat.
- Pffff, as if she could ever hope to be part of the Malfoy family, Draco mocked.
Blaise pulled Mirus until he was half lying on top of him before running his fingers through his hair. The blond sighed happily and made himself comfortable. They grew closer little by little, allowing each other more and more tender gestures.
.oOÔOo.
Once again, Mirus was walking the corridors of the castle after a long evening of revision. It was later than usual, Luna having dragged him to the Room of Requirement for some proper training. He had been more cautious and attentive since his unexpected meeting with his Defense professor.
That's why he tensed when he heard a noise coming from an alcove. He approached it silently until he realized that the sound he heard was coming from suppressed crying.
- Um… Hello?
The crying stopped abruptly.
- Is everything fine? Sorry, I was passing by and heard a noise.
A head timidly emerged from the alcove and Mirus recognized a first year student he had seen being sorted into Hufflepuff a few weeks earlier. Given the height of the head, the student was seated in the alcove.
The seventh year crouched down to appear less imposing and extended his hand towards the young child.
- Hey how are you? It's late, what are you doing here? What's your name?
- I... I... I was in detention... with Umbridge, the boy managed to articulate between two hiccups. I'm Harvey Ainsworth.
- I'm Mirus Malfoy. It's late, you should have returned to your common room by now. Come on, I'll take you, you shouldn't be alone in the hallways this late.
When Mirus held out his hand to help him up, he noticed blood on the back of that hand.
-Lumos. "I must stay in my place." Harvey? Why are these words carved into your hand?
The boy looked Mirus in the eyes, tears overflowing again.
- It's… Professor Umbridge makes me write some lines. With a quill but without ink. Every time, it gets worse.
The blood pounded in Mirus's ears. A blood quill. This bitch used a blood quill on an eleven year old kid.
- Why this particular sentence?
- She... I... In class, I tried to help another student. She said a stupid Muggle-born like me had no business trying to correct a Pureblood.
- You know what, Harvey? She is completely wrong. Your origins does not change your skills. You know, Harry Potter's mother was a Muggle-born and she was the smartest witch of her generation. Besides that, we have Purebloods like the Flints who produce wizards who are bellow average in terms of intelligence.
- Thank you Mirus, replied the boy with a small smile.
.oOÔOo.
-Mirus.
-Mirus? What is the reason of this late call?
- Umbridge is crossing the line, Marvolo!
- What did she do again? She already irritates me because of these laws she passed. Fenrir regularly complains about the state of his wolves because of her.
- She uses a blood quill during her detentions! I came across a first year student who she punished because he was Muggle-born and had the nerve, according to her, to help one of his Pureblood classmates!
A long silence took place and Mirus began to wonder if Marvolo did not approve of the toad's actions.
- WHAT DID SHE DO?
Ah, no, it's okay, he was just speechless.
- I passed young Harvey Ainsworth with "I must stay in my place" engraved on the back of his right hand.
- This is unacceptable! Children are the future, we must take care of them, not torture them! Who does this upstart think she is?! Mirus, you will have to act. I would, but I'm tied at the moment.
- I know, but how? If she disappears, the ministry will get involved and that's bad. Either people will wonder about your so-called return given the Ministry's position on the matter or Dumbledore will be accused and he will flee. And I prefer to know where he is.
- You have to find a way to make her disappear without it being suspicious.
- Hmm… Maybe I have an idea. Do you have any contacts in the Muggle world?
-A few, why?
- So let's say…
.oOÔOo.
At breakfast a month later, Dumbledore announced that Professor Umbridge was in the hospital wing and that her classes were canceled until she recovered.
Murmurs circulated, telling how Umbridge had had memory loss in class, that she could see and hear less well.
Mirus smiled inwardly while looking affected. It was unlikely that the virus he had infected Umbridge with could be cured by Madam Pomfrey. It was a genetically modified virus that Marvolo had sent to him. Normally, it would have taken several weeks after the initial infection for the most serious symptoms to appear, but Muggle scientists liked to have fun with what could kill them. This is how Umbridge already showed advanced signs of syphilis without having shown the first signs. At the rate the virus was progressing, she wouldn't be a problem for much longer and would soon be transferred to St. Mungo's.
- Mirus, tell me, amore mio, do you have any information on what is affecting Umbridge?
- Ah-ah. Where would the fun be if I told you everything, sweetheart?
- That's enough, lover boys, you're so sweet you're giving me cavities.
Even though they hadn't gotten past the kissing stage yet, Draco was happy to see that Blaise was taking care of his little brother. He knew that Zabini's mother had begun negotiations with their father to write a marriage contract between the two boys.
.oOÔOo.
- Oh... Oh... I think I'm going to throw up.
The Slytherins near Mirus looked at him strangely. Professor McGonagall had just sat down after making her announcement.
-What is it, Mirus? Draco asked. Is it so strange that Dumbledore gets the same illness as Umbridge? I mean, at his age he must not have a great immune system anymore and he was sitting next to her a lot.
- Draco, it's not that he caught it that makes me nauseous, it's HOW he was able to catch it.
- What do you mean?
- Draco, Umbridge has an STD.
His brother's vague look reminded Mirus that wizards still lived in the Middle Ages, medically speaking.
- It's a venereal disease, Draco.
The young blond turned pale then took on a greenish tint just like the other students close enough to have heard.
- The positive side of all this is that we killed two birds with one stone. Not only will Umbridge not return, leaving Marvolo free to pass the laws in favor of the creatures as he wishes, but, in addition, Dumbledore is out of the picture without the dark side being suspect. And given the nature of his illness and who he caught it from, his reputation is beyond repair.
He looked at his brother and the man he had fallen in love with.
- I don't know about you, but I think this whole story has a happy ending.