Chapter 33 – The Many Eyes of Dolores Umbridge
"…you're all going to want to listen carefully to this," Mr Flamel said as he paced at the front of the alchemical lab, "because if you get this step wrong you're going to have to start again. And that means coming in at lunchtimes and other breaks to get it done—we won't have time in lessons."
Harry looked up from his alchemical apparatus. With all the constraints on his time, that sounded like the last thing he wanted to do.
"Add the tincture promptly or you'll muck up the whole thing," Flamel continued. "And I do mean promptly—as soon as the solvent is clear, add the tincture. Potter and Granger—you're nearly there already. Dragonsfoot, keep stirring and for God's sake don't let the liquid get cold. I did that once and I was picking the aftermath of boils off my skin for weeks…"
As interested in Harry was about Flamel's anecdotes, he valued his time more. Just about. So instead of listening with half an ear to Flamel's story, Harry concentrated on his solvent. The liquid had almost gone completely clear although it did still have a few cloudy particles in it, and he wanted to time his addition of the tincture just right.
That particular solvent was to be used in his next practical project.
"About five seconds," Harry muttered to himself. He reached for his tincture and got it ready to add, holding it poised above the funnel while stirring the solvent with his free hand. "Four… three… two…"
Harry added the tincture and, for a few brief moments, worried he'd added it too soon – the heavier liquid sat atop the solvent like a murky puddle. But it soon disappeared into the mixture and Harry couldn't tell he'd even added anything.
"Nice one," Harry said to himself. That meant the only thing he had left to do for that lesson was—
The laboratory door slammed open, knocked aside by Inquisitor Arlecchino. Arlecchino was accompanied by two other Inquisitors – Inquistors Vipera and Wyrdmoor, a wizard Harry hadn't had much to do with before. From what Harry remembered Daphne saying, he'd been sat in a lot of the Art Club meetings.
"By the order of the Ministry of Magic through the office of the High Inquisitor," Arlecchino said, "we have come to conduct a search of this classroom for illegal and seditious materials."
"Ignore them and focus on your solvents," said Flamel immediately. "Most of you are just about to hit the crucial stage and we wouldn't want you to ruin it because these idiots are—"
"We will conduct the search now, Flamel," Arlecchino said. "You are required to unlock your desk and to present yourself for a thorough search in accordance with Educational Decree Number—"
"Look through the desk all you like," Flamel said, turning to look at Arlecchino and the other Inquisitors for the first time, "but you can think again if you think you're getting a look in my pockets. That is an imposition too far and I shan't be allowing it." He turned to look at the class again. "You know, class, there was once a time that the Ministry cared about personal liberties and bodily autonomy. Alas, I fear that time has gone and may be some time getting back. But do not worry: I shall deal with our dear Inquisitors while you attend to your solvents."
Harry had progressed past the crucial point in his solvent and had little actual work left to do, so he did it while watching Flamel with Arlecchino.
The pale Inquisitor had – probably wisely – decided not to push Flamel on the matter of searching his pockets. Harry assumed the ancient wizard had nothing at all in them and really did care about the principle of the thing, although for a brief moment Harry did consider that perhaps he walked around with the Philospher's Stone in his pocket and didn't want anyone to know. But that seemed an absurd thought, as everything he'd heard of Flamel said he was a very careful man and given the situation in the castle, taking the Stone anywhere seemed a bad idea.
Harry would have had the Stone carefully concealed in a highly secure location known only to him, and Harry didn't think he was cleverer than Flamel was.
Instead, the Inquisitors opened various drawers and cabinets, even looked inside Flamel's desk itself.
"It's clean, sir," Inquisitor Vipera said to Arlecchino after completing her search. "Not a scrap of seditious material here."
"I found nothing unusual," said Wyrdmoor. He sounded disappointed.
"And you're quite sure you won't submit to a proper search?" Arlecchino asked Flamel. "You understand that failure to comply will be seen as evidence of wrongdoing? And may, of course, be reported to the Ministry for the relevant powers to review and investigate as is appropriate?"
"Construe it whatever way you like, boy—I'm not letting you grope around in my pockets," Flamel said. "There's a limit to even my patience, and you've reached it. You can go back and tell the High Inquisitor that if she wants into my pockets she can come and ask me herself." He sighed. "Now, if you don't mind, you've already set back at least two of my students far enough that they'll be doing extra sessions for the next fortnight. And you didn't even get anything for it since I'm not up to anything illegal! Go waste someone else's time."
Flamel waved them away and turned back to the class. Arlecchino stood there looking at the back of Flamel's head for a few moments until he turned away himself.
"We should leave," Harry heard him say to the other Inquisitors.
All three of them left.
"Now, where were we?" Flamel said, not even watching the Inquisitors go. "Ah! Mr Nott, you'll have to be very quick if you want to avoid extra sessions! Miss Brocklehurst and Mr Boot—I'm afraid you'll both need to be doing some extra sessions to get back on track. Your solvents are completely ruined. Through no fault of your own of course—it's all the work of that pointless Inquisition! But there's nothing we can do, unfortunately."
"Potter and Granger," Flamel continued, "you're almost ready for bottling. Just keep an eye on the flame."
Flamel busied himself watching over the various alchemical reactions going on in the room, although Harry thought it was more to distract the students than because anyone actually needed the help. If both Brocklehurst and Boot had ruined their solvents they wouldn't be doing anything, and everyone else was past the critical point anyway. But Harry kept himself focused on his own task and got the solvent bottled up in good time.
Inquisitors continued invading random lessons after that, appearing in every single one of Harry's other subjects at various different times. Not once did an Inquisitor find anything incriminating. The closest they'd come was a strange book in Professor Babbling's desk, but even that had turned out to be something on the Ministry approved syllabus for fifth year Ancient Runes students.
And yet the inspections continued. Not a single teacher in the school was free from them, from Madame Helix to Professor Flitwick and even Madam Hooch.
Although quite what the Inquisition expected Hooch to be up to was beyond Harry, as the witch lived and breathed broomsports. He didn't think she had any spare energy for something like treason.
Early Saturday morning Blaise had disappeared from the dormitory, awake and active uncharacteristically early. Early enough that Capability hadn't yet woken up, and he always attended morning sessions for his special art lessons. By the time Harry got ready for breakfast Blaise still wasn't back, so he fell in with the girls and wandered up to breakfast with them instead.
It wasn't until right at the start of breakfast when the Great Hall doors opened that Blaise returned, emerging from the main corridor to the rest of the school with a bunch of members of the Inquisitorial Squad.
Ah, thought Harry. A meeting.
Umbridge – or Arlecchino, usually, as Umbridge was ostensibly far too busy to bother with that – often held meetings of the Inquisitorial Squad to let them know about whatever nasty bit of news she had, so it wasn't too unusual for Blaise to disappear to one of them. Although they usually weren't held at the crack of dawn.
Blaise slipped in amongst the throngs of Slytherins and leaned towards Harry.
"Big bit of news. Not supposed to say anything, but—well—fuck that," Blaise said. "I'll tell you once we've sat down."
Harry just nodded. It would have been nicer to have been told there and then, but he supposed Blaise saying it as part of the heaving mass of students as they flooded into the Great Hall wasn't the best of ideas. Too easy for someone to overhear. At least at the breakfast table it would be easier to whisper.
They took a seat in their customary section of the Slytherin table and got settled in, Blaise, Harry, and Tracey on one side, Millie and Daphne on the other. Harry helped himself to a hearty weekend breakfast and waited for Blaise to tell him about the Inquisitorial meeting.
"So," Blaise said as he poured himself some pumpkin juice, "we had a big meeting this morning. Arlecchino had us all up early but get this—Umbridge led the meeting. She hasn't done that in a while. So, anyway, to get right to the point—they're going to start searching teacher's quarters again. That's the first crazy thing. The second? They're going to start searching dorms and Common Rooms next. They're not even looking for anything specific, just… you know…"
"'Seditious material,'" quoted Tracey.
"Exactly," said Blaise.
"Shit," said Harry, who had more than one piece of questionable property lurking inside his school trunk. The Invisibility Cloak would be a very bad thing to get caught with even though it was perfectly legal to own one, and Harry wasn't at all sure that the mirrors he'd been given by Sirius were safe to own. Legal, perhaps, but given the context Umbridge might argue that Harry was using them to contact Dumbledore…
Which, indirectly,he was.
"Personally speaking, I've got nothing to worry about," Blaise said, "since she implied the Inquisitorial Squad wouldn't be getting searched in exchange for helping 'maintain order' in the Common Rooms during the searches. But still, it's all a bit much."
"When are they going to start searching students' things?" Tracey asked. "Did she say?"
"Not exactly," Blaise said. "Next week, I think. I'm not sure the Ministry's signed off on that yet—she was a bit vague about it. But the teachers' quarters? Today. After breakfast, actually."
"Thanks for the warning," Harry said. "I've, er, got some things I might want to move around, then. I suppose I'll have to put them in the you-know-where…"
"Might be a good idea," agreed Blaise. "I'll let the others know, too—or you can, if you see them first. No sense any of us getting caught out is there?"
"Definitely not," agreed Harry. He'd go and get that sorted as soon as possible, since he didn't want to risk Umbridge starting sooner and finding anything Harry didn't want her to find. At least there was the Chamber, which would be a decent enough hiding spot for anything too sensitive to be kept in the dorms – even if it was a bit inconvenient. And Umbridge's plans scuppered Harry's own nascent plans to bring some of the books from Slytherin's study up to the rest of the castle to peruse in more comfortable environs, but that was the least of Harry's worries, he supposed.
"I can't believe she's waited this long after Dumbledore was kicked out to start searching again, personally," Blaise said. "I'd have thought she'd have been right back at it as soon as he'd left, but it's been ages."
"Didn't Dumbledore say it was unconstitutional or something like that?" Tracey said. "I bet they've gone back, looked at everything, and found a way of doing it all legally just so no one can bring a claim. Mam said something about a legal challenge over Christmas but I forgot what it was… sorry. I didn't think it was important!"
Harry shrugged.
"I mean, you've got more of an idea than either of us do," Harry said, "so no need for sorries. But if it's starting again just after breakfast, fancy having a look? We'll have to be sneaky about it so Blaise doesn't get found out for telling us, but I reckon we can manage that."
"Honestly," Blaise said, "I don't know if it will matter. I bet that by the time they start searching the first rooms, the entire castle will know about it. Just like last time. I sort of think maybe Umbridge wanted the students to know about it, just so we can go watch. I mean, why make a big production of it if you don't want anyone to see? But the Common Rooms and the dorms? That's an actual secret—she said if that leaks there'll be investigations and snapped wands. So… er… be careful with who you tell. I don't much fancy moving to Italy to finish school."
"Oh, neither of us is going to say anything to anyone," Tracey said. "Except for—well—who you already planned to tell anyway. Right?"
"Right," Harry said, nodding absently. He probably could have told the Weasley twins, as they no doubt had all sorts of contraband hidden away, but with Umbridge's threat of snapped wands didn't want to risk it. Harry glanced up at the High Table where Umbridge sat eating her breakfast, an uncharacteristically smug look on her face.
Gone was her false smile, replaced by one which Harry thought was real, although it was no more pleasant. It certainly did nothing to help her features.
"Listen, I'm going to go and move some stuff to the place," Harry said quietly. At the weekend people left breakfast at all sorts of times, so it wouldn't look so unusual for him to get up and go before the end. As early as it was, he'd still had time to eat breakfast, and given that there were clubs set for not too long after the end, it was almost expected for students to leave early.
"Then when I'm back we can go to the teachers' quarters? I bet by then it'll have started anyway. Do either of you have anything you want to hide?"
"Nothing at all," Tracey said.
"Nope," said Blaise. "Nothing the Inquisition won't like, anyway."
Harry nodded.
"Right. Be back in a bit."
Harry got up and left breakfast. As far as he could tell no one was interested in him leaving anyway. He made his way back to the dungeons and slipped inside the Slytherin Common Room before going right to his dormitory to collect his Invisibility Cloak, the two-way mirror, and anything else he thought might pique the interests of the Inquisition.
Which, to be fair, wasn't very much at all – with the exception of a library book that touched upon the Mind Arts only briefly, Harry didn't actually have any contraband. He'd never felt the need to purchase Dungbombs or Fanged Frisbees, and although the list of banned items had grown substantially since the Inquisition had arrived, nothing Harry owned was on it.
And even the library book wasn't banned. It was just a bit unwise to be seen with given the current climate.
Although the Invisibility Cloak seemed far too dangerous an item to let the Inquisition know about, especially as the only reason they weren't banned was because of their rarity. So Harry bundled it up and shoved it under his robes and stuck the mirror in his pocket. The library book could be returned another day.
Then Harry headed for the Chamber of Secrets. As it was just him travelling alone he wasn't too worried about being seen, as a Slytherin in the dungeons was hardly something remarkable, and there was a shortcut to the upper levels near the concealed entrance to the Chamber.
Harry dropped off his sensitive items in Slytherin's private quarters and then headed back to breakfast. He'd stopped to speak with the basilisk briefly, but even then he didn't think breakfast would be quite over.
When he returned to the Great Hall it had emptied somewhat, although breakfast was still on-going. The Slytherin table had many more gaps in it, but Blaise and Tracey were still sat where Harry had left them, and so were Daphne and Millie. Harry rejoined the table and grabbed himself a piece of toast just so he looked normal.
"All done," Harry said once he'd settled back in. "No announcements?"
Tracey shook her head.
"Nope. Nothing." She glanced up at the High Table where many of the teachers and other staff members were still sat, including Umbridge. "She hasn't moved yet."
"She'll make her move as soon as breakfast's over, I reckon," Blaise said. "She'll get up and go right to the teachers' quarters, but I'll bet you ten galleons the Inquisitors are ready now. Wouldn't be surprised if they're already at it, honestly, although maybe not if Umbridge wants to make a scene."
"I bet she wants to be seen giving the order," Harry murmured. "Seems like her." He glanced over at Daphne and Millicent on the opposite side of the table. "Has anyone told them?"
"Not yet," Blaise said. "I know they're only on the other side of the table but it's a bit far to whisper, isn't it? So… not yet."
"I'll do it now," Tracey said. "Hang on." She ducked underneath the table and crossed over to the other side.
"That's one way of doing it…" Blaise said.
It wasn't what Harry would have done, but then, Tracey was much smaller than either Harry or Blaise, and with them being sat near the middle of the long Slytherin House table, it was probably faster to just go under instead of all the way around and back up. And with many more spots open at the table there were far fewer students left to complain, so Harry supposed it was fine.
Tracey stayed on the other side of the table until the official end of breakfast, leaving Harry and Blaise to chat about more normal, everyday things.
As soon as the clock ticked the end of breakfast Umbridge stood up and left the Great Hall, trailed by most of the other teachers and a fair few of the students. Harry and Blaise got up, waited for the girls to join them from the other side of the table, and followed after Umbridge and the trickle of teachers slowly.
"Don't want to look like we're following," Harry muttered to his friends as they walked on. Many of the teachers didn't head towards the Teachers' Wing, instead veering off towards their offices or to wherever the clubs they oversaw were held, but a good portion of them did.
Hooch was nowhere to be seen, having probably headed straight for the broom sheds to collect what she needed for Flight Club. But both Flamels had returned from breakfast together, along with Lockhart and a handful of others including Flitwick.
Harry wasn't too worried about missing Flight Club even if the search of the teachers' quarters went overlong, He could afford to miss a session or two, and Hooch hadn't had anything particularly interesting planned anyway – just a hazard course that was less intense than even the first Aerobaticum qualifier. There was almost no point in Harry tackling it.
"Let's hang back here a bit," Daphne suggested as they passed by an alcove dedicated to a gigantic portrait of a long-dead witch. "So we don't look like we're going where we're going."
"Good idea," Harry said. They ducked into the alcove and sat at the sofas and chairs strewn about, pretending to settle in for the rest of the morning. Such sights were common in the castle, which had many little areas for students to congregate even if, technically, loitering in the halls was against the rules. Nobody – the Inquisition included – seemed to count those locations as being out of bounds.
There was a slow trickle of teachers and other members of staff past them as they made their way from breakfast and back to the Teachers' Wing, so Harry didn't think they would miss anything particularly interesting. He imagined Umbridge would want as many teachers as possible to be there to see everything kick off, anyway.
"It's a pity we couldn't catch the others before they left," Tracey said quietly. "I bet they'd have enjoyed seeing this too."
"I reckon as soon as everything starts the whole school will come running," Millie said. She nodded down the corridor. "Look, there's a few stragglers already."
"I bet they were told by the other Squaddies," Blaise said. "I knew it wouldn't be just me who said."
"You did say you thought she wanted you to leak it," Harry said, "so that makes sense."
"I think that's the last of the teachers," Daphne said. "And look—those boys are off, too, so it won't look strange if we're there, too."
Everyone got up and followed at a far distance, keen to see how everything would unfold. Harry didn't think it would go in the teachers' favour – unlike last time, Dumbledore was in hiding at Grimmauld Place and couldn't intervene.
By the time Harry and his friends – along with more than a handful of other students – reached the Teachers' Wing there was already an incident ongoing.
"…you can't be serious, Dolores," McGonagall was saying exasperatedly. "This, again? Albus already pointed out the unconstitutionality of the whole thing, and you're at it again?"
Inside the Teachers' Wing nobody had gone into their quarters, and Umbridge stood flanked by a pair of Inquisitors – Arlecchino and Vipera – while half a dozen others lurked at various points around the chamber. At the edges, all making sure to be very quiet indeed, were other students.
Harry ducked into a recess showing off a statue of some long dead wizard and settled in to watch.
"High Inquisitor Umbridge, Minerva," corrected Umbridge. "Lest we forget my role and patronage here. If you would allow me to speak unhindered you would learn that the Wizengamot has seen fit to correct that particular oversight—the High Inquisition and its officers have every right to conduct a full and thorough search of teachers' and other staff members' personal quarters in addition to their professional workspaces such as classrooms and offices. The relevant Act has been passed into law yesterday evening as part of a special vote. You can, of course, view the specific wording and definitions used in the Act within the Ministry Office for—"
"I know where it is!" snapped McGonagall. "You mean to tell me that the Wizengamot voted through that Bill? The one which clearly trampled over centuries of precedent and constitutional arrangements?" She paused. "For no good reason other than to allow you to look through an old witch's drawers?"
Umbridge sniffed.
"The Inquisition is here to stamp out sedition and treason; to improve the education of every young wizard or witch in this fine country; to overhaul standards and modernise the curriculum; and most importantly to create an environment in which our youths can succeed," Umbridge said. She glanced around the room at the other members of staff.
"To do this we must first be sure that those tasked with instructing our students are not themselves contributing to the problem. It has become clear that there are those amongst the staff who are acting against the aims and objectives of the Inquisition. Let me be clear," Umbridge continued. "This is unacceptable! In your role as instructors you are supposed to serve the needs of our young people, and instead there are those among you who are contributing to the very problems which we are seeking to correct! I say to you: those of you who have done no wrong have nothing to fear! And those who do will be found out and dealt with to the fullest extent possible! And so we will be conducting a search of every member of staff's quarters today, and will do so again at an unspecified later date. This is for the good of the students, the good of the school, and the good of the country!"
Umbridge turned to Arlecchino.
"Begin."
Chaos. Teachers and other members of staff blocked the entrances to their quarters, whether they were statues or portraits or the rather more prosaic doors.
Harry turned to his friends.
"This looks like it's about to get ugly…" he said.
He didn't doubt some of the teachers would defend themselves from attack and given that some of the Inquisitors were known to be aggressive, Harry thought that likely to happen sooner rather than later. But at first, the Inquisitors didn't push the issue. Instead they went for the unattended staff quarters, the rooms of those staff who were presently elsewhere in the castle.
People like Hooch, who was at Flight Club, or Miss Evergloam who led Charms Club on Saturdays.
"This is outrageous!" McGonagall said. "It's one thing to look through someone's quarters while they're there, but this is beyond the pale!" McGonagall said. "At least have the stones to do it when the occupants are in!"
"I do not recall your quarters being in this part of the castle, Minerva," Umbridge said. "Indeed, we had arranged to search the Heads' quarters later this morning. May I ask why you are here?"
"Not that it's any of your business, Dolores, but I had arranged for a spot of tea with Bathsheda—who seems to be running late," said McGonagall. "And on that note, I clearly have some people to round up—rifling through someone's things without them even being there. A new low, even for this Ministry." She sniffed.
McGonagall left her post in front of Babbling's quarters and pushed past Umbridge to exit the Teachers' Wing in search of the missing members of staff.
Umbridge turned and watched her go.
All around the Teachers' Wing the Inquisitors were entering empty quarters and ransacking them seemingly without any care at all for their occupants' dignity.
"This is worse than last time," Tracey said.
As the searches went on more and more students appeared at the edges of the Teachers' Wing to watch, and the chamber grew rather crowded soon enough. But the Inquisitors didn't seem to mind. Instead of slowing down or comporting themselves a bit more professionally, they seemed to enjoy the spectators.
It felt like some of them were putting on a performance. Inquisitor Wyrdmoor commentated his own actions loudly, enunciating his every word, while Inquisitor Broadbroom relocated her victims' possessions outside their quarters with a flourish.
"I've found something!" shouted Inquisitor Weekes, coming out of a teacher's unoccupied quarters. "Looks like pro-goblin propaganda." He held an, as far as Harry could tell, totally unremarkable book.
"That's a Ministry approved treatise on the third goblin rebellion," said Professor Flamel from where she stood in front of her quarters with Mr Flamel. "Entirely appropriate reading for a History of Magic adjunct!"
"If that is the case then your colleague has nothing to be worried about," Umbridge said. "We are not seeking to punish anyone without good cause. This is about the students, about the quality of education which we are providing at this school, and the environment in which it is provided."
"And it's a complete coincidence that you timed this all to happen on a Saturday morning when the students would be able to witness it all?" asked Mr Flamel. "I ask only because it is obvious to me—even in my advanced age—that searches such as these would be best carried out when students are not present. For myriad different reasons, not least of which that it is inappropriate for them to witness such abuses of power. But from a purely utilitarian perspective it does not do to have students witness their professors' telling off—sets rather the wrong tone."
Umbridge ignored Mr Flamel.
"Hand the contraband over to me, Inquisitor Weekes, and I will ensure that is scrutinised properly," Umbridge said. Weekes gave her the book and sought out someone else's quarters to ransack. The Inquisitors continued like that, searching the quarters of teachers who were elsewhere, while their colleagues stood guard outside of their own quarters.
Professor and Mr Flamel both stood in front of the hippogriff statue that concealed their quarters, wands in hand, while Flitwick had sealed the portrait where he stood shut with conjured ice. Although Harry did wonder why Flitwick was there at all, as his rooms should have been located right next to the Ravenclaw Common Room.
Several of the Inquisitors had finished their searches and started on new rooms when a handful of the remaining teachers returned with Professor McGonagall.
The History of Magic adjunct whose book had been found had returned with them and looked upon his rooms with dismay.
"That's a first edition," he said when he noticed Umbridge holding his book. "It's on the approved syllabus!"
"It will be returned to you after we have ascertained its legitimacy," Umbridge said. "And no sooner."
"But if…" said the wizard. He trailed off. "My other books!" He rushed inside of his quarters, long since left alone by the Inquisitors, to see to the rest of his collection. By that point several of the Inquisitors had run out of absent staff members' rooms to search and milled about awkwardly as they tried to decide which of the teachers they wanted to tackle first.
"Dolores," McGongagall said tersely once she'd returned, "I understand that according to the new law I have no authority to resist. You need not remind me. But I say this: as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School I am duty-bound to oversee proceedings in the absence of the Headmaster, and I cannot in good conscience order the staff to submit to this… this flagrant abuse of power. So I won't. They may do as they feel right." McGonagall stood there, staring right at Umbridge as if daring her to respond.
But Umbridge said nothing. Instead, she nodded towards Arlecchino.
"Professor and Mr Flamel," Arlecchino said, stepping closer to the pair of ancient wizards, "if you'd step aside so I can search your quarters."
"Oh, no you don't, lad!" Flamel said. "I told you already, I've got nothing to hide but I still don't want you rummaging around my drawers! And that goes double for my wife's! Last time you tried I asked whether you'd prefer to be a rat or a toad; this time I'm going to turn you into a bloody worm because it's—"
"Darling, I think perhaps now is a time for compromise," Professor Flamel said, moving her free hand to his arm. She spoke loud enough that Harry was quite sure the entire hall could hear her, even though with his augmented hearing Flamel would have been able to hear the barest whisper.
"Compromise, Nelly?" said Flamel, incredulous. "Whatever for?"
Harry shared his surprise. Professor Flamel hardly seemed the sort to just give in, especially not to something as ridiculous as a search of her quarters.
"Not for us, darling, but for young Albus," Professor Flamel said. "We'll outlast the mountains, but sometimes it's good to take a more short term view of things. With Albus gone from the school us teachers should do our parts in keeping the peace." She paused. "Such as it is."
Flamel sighed.
"I'll have you know," Flamel said to Arlecchino, "that the only reason you aren't a worm right now is because my dear wife persuaded me otherwise. Think on that a while, and while you're at it consider that I've forgotten more magic than you'll ever know."
Both Flamels stepped aside and allowed Arlecchino access to their hippogriff room guardian. Harry was a little disappointed. On the one hand, he'd thought that Mr Flamel was going to show off some serious magic. But then on the other, a pitched battle was the last thing anyone needed to happen on a Saturday morning with students all around.
So… it was probably for the best. But the Flamels' acquiescence to the Inquisition's demands seemed to break the other teachers' resolutions to disobey the Inquisition, and they gradually all stepped aside, too. Including Flitwick, although Harry did notice that he left his conjured ice right where it was.
Arlecchino left the Flamels' quarters a few minutes later empty-handed.
"Nothing at all," he announced to Umbridge. "Totally free of anything even resembling subversive or seditious material." He sounded disappointed. But then, Harry didn't expect that the Flamels would be stupid enough to have anything on display anyway.
Anything they did have – assuming they did have anything – would likely be hidden beneath layers of protective spells or would simply not be kept at the castle. The Inquisitors kept at it for a while after that, although their only finds consisted of bland material that only a blind, deaf, and dumb house elf could consider in any way treasonous.
"Come on, let's slip away," Harry murmured to his friends. They'd spent long enough watching the teachers' rooms be ransacked, and the little still happening was sad rather than interesting. The staff seemed defeated, as if their only options were to live under Umbridge's rule or to quit their jobs.
And given the closure of every other school in Britain and Ireland, it wasn't likely they could find new ones either.
As the five Slytherins crept away, Harry saw Ernie and their Hufflepuff friends do the same. Many other students still watched the sorry mess taking place in the Teachers' Wing, but Harry thought most had decided to sneak away too.
"That was awful," declared Susan once the two groups had become one. "Really invasive. Do you think they'll get away with it?"
"It's the law," Ernie said. "Proper Wizengamot vote and everything. They specifically overturned the Act that made it unconstitutional. Can't get more lawful than that, unfortunately. So… I think that's it—the Inquisition has won."
Silence. Harry couldn't think of what to say to that, as what Ernie had said felt true. Harry still wasn't entirely sure how the wizarding government functioned, in actuality and in law, but if the Wizengamot was specifically changing things so that the Ministry could do whatever it wanted… well, that hardly seemed like a good thing. And without Dumbledore around to fight against it, Harry thought resistance was unlikely to go anywhere good.
Not if the Ministry was prepared to just change laws whenever they needed to.
"So… that's it, then?" Justin asked. "We're going to give up?" He paused. "I only ask because, well, it sounds like we're all fed up. I know the teachers must be. None of them even... I mean, they just let it happen. But we can't just quit, can we? Not now, not when things are really bad. Because then the Inquisition really will have won."
More silence as the eight of them walked back through the corridors towards the parts of the school more commonly frequented by students amongst groups of other students doing exactly the same thing.
"It's not that I think we should give up," Blaise said eventually, "it's just that… if they're willing to do that to the teachers—fully qualified wizards, right, lots of them are well respected all over the Continent—what would they be willing to do to us? We're just students."
"And they managed to get to Dumbledore," Susan said quietly. "Dumbledore! I just think that the Ministry has gone… something has gone really wrong. Even my aunt Amelia has said that—well, not explicitly but—it's just… If we're caught I just don't think it'll be a school punishment, you know? And those are bad enough now, what with the racks and Stinging Jinxes and everything else." She shook her head. "And You-Know-Who is involved! I think we've just got to be very careful about everything we do now because—"
"So, what, we're supposed to just shut up and go with it?" Millie said. "That doesn't sound fair. Or helpful."
They'd stopped walking. Harry had the distinct feeling that things were about to go in a direction he very much didn't want them to go, as the eight of them lingered beneath a portrait whose figure was elsewhere.
"Not all of us can live happily under the new regime," Justin said angrily. "Some of us have a bit more skin in the game than others. This stuff with Umbridge and the Inquisition is just the start of it—He's out there waiting. And all of this is because of him. So I really hope you didn't mean what I think you mean, Sue, because—"
"I'm sure Sue didn't mean it like that," Ernie said quickly, "but you've got to admit, she isn't wrong, is she? What if it's snapped wands and Azkaban? Are any of us really ready for that? It's not like we can do anything wandless and in prison, is it?"
"Well obviously nobody wants that," Harry started to say. "I get what we're all saying but really I think that—"
"I wouldn't put it past Umbridge to push for Azkaban," Blaise said, interrupting. "Especially when it's us she's caught. Maybe we have reached the end of what we can do—for now—so it might really be better for us to just… chill, for a while. No sense getting caught while everything's so… tense, is there?"
"And it is OWL year," Susan added. "We've all got lots to do already, and with things as they are maybe we should take some time to think about what we're doing. Properly, you know?"
"But now is the most important time for us to resist!" Tracey said. "If we give up now the Inquisition wins. And if the Inquisition wins, he wins too. And that's not what we want at all!"
"None of us want—that's just a complete misrepresentation of what—oh, this is just a stupid argument," said Ernie. "What we're saying is that even the teachers have decided to—to step back for a bit. So maybe we should as well. If we keep our heads down for a bit I'm sure that—"
"Ugh, I can't believe the three of you would just—even after everything that we've—and it's just not fair!" Daphne said, pointing at Blaise, Ernie, and Susan in turn. "The four of us could get away with doing nothing, but it's just—we can't just—sometimes you've got to take a stand even when you can get away without making one! That's when it's most important!"
"Now, steady on," Ernie was saying.
"It's not like that," Blaise said, while Susan shook her head.
"Oi!" Harry shouted. "This is pointless. You lot can argue if you want, but I'm leaving. This is just really shit. So… whatever. I'm done for today."
Harry stormed off and didn't spare a glance back at his friends. The day had taken an unfortunate turn and Harry wanted to be elsewhere doing literally anything else.
The Inquisition, its lackeys, Voldemort – even Harry's friends. They could all go eat shit.