Time Skip: 3 Months
When the fall season slowly morphed into the cold winter season, there was a new form of restlessness in Hogwarts. Unlike anything before, students felt drained of all school spirit and fun. Umbridge had taken control and had changed a lot of the rules in order to transform Hogwarts into a new kind of prison. The new educational decrees were designed to break the students and staff down under the boot of a mock dictatorship rule. A child's version of Azkaban was the only way it could be described.
Harry, however, was smart and cautious enough to know the game she was playing. He was tactical enough to never take the bait, knowing it would expose him in some way and put him under a higher level of scrutiny.
Growing up with the Dursely's prepared him for this, but it aided his sanity to fantasize about what he would do the second this situation turned. His vow of revenge against Umbridge was internal, but no less serious than how far he was willing to go to get justice.
Umbridge was, of course, doing all of these very evil things because of him, and it was painfully obvious. Harry continued to not say anything around the woman while playing the part of an apathetic student. Someone who was only there to not get in trouble for skipping the useless class. Frankly, it drove Umbridge ballistic, trying to catch him breaking a rule with the hope she could punish him.
Harry didn't take the bait even after she banned him from playing quidditch with the dumbest of excuses. Harry was smart enough to not fight the ban because it would have made no difference. Instead, he took it on the chin, much to the chagrin of his teammates.
The only thing that took the sting out of the punishment was Harry knowing her time would eventually come. It was probably going to come sooner rather than later when Harry learned of her true cruelty. In the last few months, Umbridge has been openly and gleefully torturing students whom she viewed as against her or the Ministry.
If Harry had any reservations about eventually putting a permanent end to Umbridge, they were gone, seeing a first-year cradling a bloody hand. When that happened, Harry felt a rage and the urge to throw caution to the wind. He was soon fantasizing about sneaking through the castle and doing the deed in the dead of night like a ghost.
He knew how to do it in theory but found he couldn't because, when he was scouting it out, he found out Umbridge had very strong protections around her office and private room. Said wards and protections were well above his magical skill level. The other problem was that the castle was full of witnesses in the form of sentient pictures, ghosts, and student patrols. Invisible cloak or not, a lot could go very wrong, which could land him in Azkaban.
While Harry was going through his own struggles to keep his rage about the situation under control, Hermione secretly had enough. This culminated in her suggesting they start a secret study group led by Harry to teach them how to fight.
Harry had been against the idea because he didn't know how to duel like a wizard anymore. He had overwritten all of his magical dueling training with assassin training. It was a dark place in his mind where he treated everything like it was a fight to the death. Fairness and sportsmanship went out the window because, in the reality of the cold and gritty real world, the truth was that it was always you or them.
John had respect and honor for some, if not most, assassins. Though the truth was, he taught Harry that he couldn't have any of that when going against someone like Voldemort or his crew of wankers. When faced with true evil, you don't honor or respect them; you can only take their lives in an attempt to make the world a better place.
So because of all of Harry's hangups, it took time and a lot of nagging for Hermione to eventually convince Harry to take the meeting. Landing him in the back room of a bar during Hogsmeade. What he thought would be a few friends were over twenty people wanting to learn from someone like him. Feeling flustered and somewhat embarrassed, Harry didn't expect to have so many people look up to him. He didn't think of himself as a leader or someone admirable. He viewed himself as a lucky survivor who was fighting a one-man war to kill the monster who had wanted to kill him since the moment he was born.
Unbeknownst to Umbridge, she had started a movement, and it was suddenly bigger than just him.
His hesitancy didn't matter in the end, because everyone had signed up anyway. It forced Harry's hand to take control of this ragtag group of students trying to better themselves. The new goal wasn't only learning spells; he was going to try and turn them into wolves instead of sheep. Harry's days of being a doormat were over, and this new assassin mindset was the only way he knew how to live now. He was a proud killer, and while his students may not have had to kill, if the case arose, he wanted them to be ready if it ever came down to it.
Having nowhere to practice, it was a miracle when Neville found a secret room Umbridge didn't know about. The biggest issue after finding a location was trying to be covert and pull off secret lessons under Umbridge's nose. The woman tried to have her nose everywhere to catch every rule break in hopes it would get her closer to taking down Dumbledore or Harry.
The first meeting of Dumbledore's Army, a name Hermione came up with, consisted of many students with a wide range of abilities. Name aside, Harry let her run the administrative side of the club while he focused on turning these students into formidable warriors.
The first couple lessons were Harry trying to level everyone out by helping the younger students or kids who were struggling. He needed to get everyone up to speed or close to the same level so they could break into groups to practice dueling and spells.
The act of dueling wasn't different from fighting, except Harry sprinkled in lessons about not treating Death Eaters as they would another student in a classroom. In the real world, you would have to be ruthless and do whatever it takes to live. Which meant duels could get a little boisterous, to say the least.
Understanding the renewed passion, for someone like Harry, it was beyond difficult to fight and to hold back, only using his wand in duels. It was a big secret, knowing he always had something more lethal up his sleeve. Still dressed in his trademark suits, Harry simply refused the calls to give them up. The suits served an important purpose of concealing Harry's secret, otherwise known as a trusty muggle pistol. As well as being comfortable for Harry to fight in with the Italian style suit being perfectly tailored to his body.
During the school year, there were arguments about his new signature suits and whether they fit all the requirements for a uniform. Using logic and Hermione's knowledge of the rules, she helped his argument stick. In other words, his suits under his outer wizard robe fell within the uniform requirements. They were
also more formal, which was the biggest reason he was allowed to continue wearing them with the Headmaster's reluctant blessing.
Though none of the other noise mattered or stopped Harry from doing what he wanted to do, including trying to teach magic lessons, During which he was secretly sprinkling in the same gems of knowledge bestowed upon him by John over the summer.
Lesson number one is that if someone is trying to kill you, you can't stop until they aren't breathing or, at the very least, aren't getting up again. There was also an allusion to crippling said enemy, thus taking them out of the fight for good. It was a controversial lesson, some viewed as extreme, but was backed up by Neville, who talked about his nemesis in the monstrous form of Bellatrix Lestrange. For someone as dangerous as Bellatrix, you had to put her down permanently so she couldn't get back up. Because if she did get back up, she would make you pay a price no one should be happy to pay.
Hermione didn't like the serious tone of Harry's lessons because she pushed to form this group so they could pass their O.W.L.S. It didn't make a difference in the end because Harry didn't seem to care about some silly test. Whether they liked it or not, there was a war happening around them, meaning they had to be ready for everything. That included learning the factual, grounded reality of the cruelty of war. A setting where you couldn't afford to be careless.
With some small, rough patches in the lessons, Harry was able to teach the way he wanted to for another few uninterrupted months. By then, most of his students were light on their feet, dodging while performing devastating combos and counters. He was doing his best to literally train an army should the future keep moving towards a full out in the open war with Voldemort.
However, that all came to a screeching halt when someone eventually betrayed their secret group. Harry wanted to think he could train everyone to be as mentally strong as John taught him to be, but some people were incapable of that kind of strength.
During their last lesson, they were in the middle of learning the patronus charm when the walls started to shake. It wasn't a normal shake like an earthquake, which was rare for Scotland as a whole.
Harry was instantly on alert, knowing they had been found out. "Everyone, get behind me now!" Harry put everyone behind him as he undid the button on his suit jacket. It was a learned but automatic response to danger. Harry had no clue if he would be forced to draw his gun or not, but he wasn't willing to take the risk of not being ready. This could be the excuse Umbridge needed to get him arrested or tortured. In other words, there was a zero percent chance Harry was going to let that happen.
During the year, Harry had prepared a possible escape plan in case things went down…violently. His Firebolt and emergency bag were ready to go on a moment's notice. He already had a fake passport and plenty of Continental currency to easily flee the country undetected by the Ministry. If push came to shove, he could quickly make it to America without getting caught.
The New York City Continental was a place where he would be home-free because not even American wizards dared meddle with the infamous Continental. The United States government also wouldn't dare to allow the British Ministry to meddle and risk starting a possible war with the deadliest faction of killers in the world.
In the present, Umbridge was in the process of huffing and puffing to blow the stone wall down with a dozen blasting curses. The fact it took her so long was an indictment on her weak magical ability. Something that would have made Harry laugh if the situation wasn't so seriously dire.
When the pink toad finally stepped into the room, she had her wand in her hand, looking a little jumpy. Harry was focused on her, but she had backup in the form of her little student group of Slytherin rats. Alone, he was outnumbered, but he did have twenty students behind him, ready to fight back should things kick off. He could tell that while some students behind him were scared, some had their wands in their hands, ready to fight.
Umbridge was smiling victoriously, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? This looks like a secret group…and those are against the rules."
Harry didn't talk back and kept glaring in response. He was trying to show no fear and stare the woman down. The truth was, Harry wasn't afraid of anything Umbridge was capable of. She was the one who should be scared, but she was living in a bubble of blissful ignorance he could pop at any second.
Umbridge could see Potter had everyone under his thumb because no one spoke in their own defense. It wouldn't matter, but she almost expected excuses. "A little birdie told us you were building an army for Dumbledore. That is enough evidence to see you charged with treason against the Ministry."
Harry wanted to laugh and chose to speak because of how ridiculous that sounded. "Treason? This is just a study group for the O.W.L.S. Are you telling me the Ministry is so weak it could be overthrown by a few children? If that is the case, it is a sad indictment of how weak your Minister is if he is shaking in his boots because of some schoolchildren."
Umbridge gained a darker shade of red on her cheeks, seeing the flaw in her logic. "It doesn't matter; you and Dumbledore have been planning to kick Cornelius out of office by any means necessary."
Harry never let his guard down, but this woman's psychotic paranoia made her that much more dangerous. "You are mad; I don't give a shit about the Ministry or who is running it. I will give you an olive branch; let's just call this what it is a rule break. Give us detention and let us go our separate ways. I don't want either of us to regret what happens next."
Harry's calm demeanor wasn't what anyone was expecting, but it only served to anger Umbridge. "No, no, no, I am going to get the Minister over here to take you and Dumbledore to Azkaban."
The subtle movements of the Inquisitorial Squad moving deeper into the room to flank the group in a half-moon formation made Harry's trigger finger itch. Everyone standing across from him was a bigot and the worst type of trash. It made the urge to put an end to them all the stronger, but Harry chose to let it play out normally. He refused to fight back until he was completely out of moves. Surrendering now was the best option to make them think that they had won.
"I don't want a fight. I never have. I wanted to be left alone and to be a normal student. You are the one who wanted this fight from the beginning. I want to warn you now to be careful what you wish for." Harry held out his wand for Umbridge to take. To a magic user, a wand was their only weapon, and if he gave it up, he wouldn't be searched for the other weapons he had on him.
Umbridge wanted, or more likely, expected, a fight, but Potter surrendered and signaled for all his friends to put away their wands. They followed Potter's lead by giving up because they knew they were beaten. Umbridge might have had a smaller group, but they were purebloods, and Potter's group had half-bloods and mudbloods. "That's right, it's very smart to know when you are beaten. Hee-hee."
Harry glared at Umbridge, slightly offended; she didn't have any idea what he was capable of. He was never beaten, and to imply so was almost an insult to himself and his mentor. "Be careful, the game isn't over yet." Those were his last words as he was marched away.
Headmaster's Office
Calling the Minister from her personal Floo Umbridge, she had her favorite person meet her for the final stage of their plans. When the Minister arrived with his personal bodyguard, they finally made their way to the Headmaster's office. Harry had seen Kingsley at King's Cross, so Harry knew he was a possible friend. It added a layer of complexity in case he had to fight his way out of this situation.
Almost bursting into the Headmaster's office, there was a frenzy of finger-pointing. The Minister and Umbridge started pointing their fingers at Dumbledore, thinking he was trying to lead a coup. Harry was just there, watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. Right now, they seemed angry at Dumbledore while not giving him a chance to say his part of the story.
When the Minister turned to Harry, hoping to get the smoking gun, Dumbledore took credit for starting the group. That chess move was a stupid move to make in Harry's eyes.
In the end, Harry was soon forced to watch the Headmaster flee with his phoenix Fawks in a flash of light, which left him all alone. Internally, Harry was furious because the Headmaster was also leaving the school wide open for the Ministry to sink their claws in deeper.
The Minister wasted no time before giving Umbridge complete control with the ability to tighten the noose on the students. Harry was to be punished, which he knew would include torture. Harry didn't bother fighting the Minister because the portly man was too paranoid to see reason. In turn, Harry would keep with his plan to bide his time until he could take his revenge.
The detention sessions had started right after they left the Headmaster's office. Umbridge led Harry to her office and forced him to write lines. She wanted to try and break him, but Harry didn't give her the satisfaction. Writing "I will listen to the Ministry and never break the rules again."
Harry felt the blinding pain of having this quill magically slice into his hand. Muffling the groans of pain, he solely focused on his patience. He needed all of it to stop himself from doing what he wanted to do. In his head, he thought about John, and he couldn't see John Wick of all people putting up with this.
In the midst of Harry's torture session, Umbridge stood triumphant. She had run Dumbledore off and was now acting Headmaster. The only thing that gave her pause was how Potter seemed to be taking it in stride. He showed little to no reaction to everything that had transpired. It wasn't what she expected. All because Draco had told her stories of Potter's legendary temper and stupidity. Currently, she didn't see any of that with Potter, but there was still time to try and put enough pressure on his friends to crack.
Harry was compartmentalizing his pain with the promise to himself that he would pay it back to her tenfold. This plan worked for the first fifty lines, and he would have kept going to prove a point, but
Umbridge knew to have him stop. If he didn't stop, then the blood quill would carve too deep. It could have caused him to lose a safe amount of blood, which in turn would have drawn too much attention. Umbridge usually had luck with students breaking after fifteen lines, but the hard limit was fifty. Potter survived fifty without so much as a word of protest or cry to make it stop.
With a dismissal, Umbridge sent Potter away. It was puzzling that he was still defiant and unwilling to see reason. In her mind, Umbridge told herself he could have made it stop if he was willing to give up Dumbledore or confess his loyalty to the Minister. It was so confusing to Umbridge how a student could withstand this level of pain without cracking.
Time Skip
Harry suffered many detentions without complaint for the next month until school was finally about to wrap up. So far, this year felt longer than any other year on record, and all the students were ready for it to be over. Studying for the O.W.L.S. and the N.E.W.T.S. had every student trying to keep their head down in a book. It was the easy way to mentally escape the grim reality around them.
Escapism was a great plan, but even the steel strongbox of Harry's emotions and rationality had its limits. For him, it all came crashing down during his final exam. It was in a moment of chaotic mental strain when Voldemort barged into his mind with disturbing visions.
Harry had managed to slip some of Voldemort's mental attacks by tiring himself out. It was mental strength or physical exhaustion to the point he would black out the second his head hit his pillow. Blacking out had the added benefit of skipping the dream stage of sleep in an effort to give his body a chance to recover. This was different, though; it felt very real when he saw it. Just like the one vision he couldn't stop earlier in the year when a snake had attacked Mr. Weasley.
From that point on, Dumbledore wanted Harry to take special lessons with Snape, which he refused. Harry did not want Snape going in and out of his mind, possibly coming upon the secrets of his summer. Secrecy was key, and so far he managed to keep his assassin training under wraps for the whole year despite many inquiries from every angle, including his friends and the Headmaster.
The fresh vision Harry was assaulted with was very similar to the very real one earlier this year. It was not a dream; it was a memory. This one felt more devastating as well because it showed his godfather Sirius Black. One of the people he cared about most, being detained and tortured in the Ministry. Harry didn't know why Sirius was there, but he wasn't going to stand by and let that vision play out that way.
As much as Harry hated to ask for it, he needed help because if he was going to start a war with the Ministry and Voldemort, he would need help. Though logic dictated he should try to contact the Order to confirm or inform everyone.
For that to happen, he needed help to gain access to a floo fireplace. Asking his friends for a distraction so he could use the only open floo in the castle was easy. The tricky part was that the floo was located in Umbridge's office, which added a high level of difficulty. To get past her protections alone, he needed Hermione's help because she studied advanced wards and how to break them.
With a quick plan discussed and formed, Ron was going to get some troublemakers together to lead Umbridge and her stooges on a wild goose chase. A risky act of rebellion Harry thanked him for because he didn't have any time to waste.
It took minutes until the plan was in motion, but it didn't make Harry any less uneasy. In fact, as he ran to Umbridge's office with Hermione, he felt his trigger finger itch. He hadn't drawn his guns on someone all school year, but it felt like this was by far the closest he would get.
Nothing would stop him from saving Sirius, which was a bad thing for everyone involved because Harry didn't mind getting his hands bloody. A lifetime of battles and killings has deadened him to the thought of a peaceful world without violence. When rubber hit the road, so to speak, John told him to let everything go in order to come out on top.
Umbridge's Office
When Hermione did break the protections, they ran in, and Harry went to the Floo to try and message Sirius at Grimmauld. He tried and tried, but when he did get through, it was only Mundungus Fletcher and not Sirius or Remus. Harry rapidly tried to explain everything, but the man didn't care or didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.
Just as Harry was about to tell the buffoon on the other side to call in every Order member to meet him at the Ministry, the Floo shut off. Harry thought the connection died out and they needed more Floo powder, but the voice behind them was soul-crushing. "I knew you were plotting against the Ministry."
The pair kneeling in front of the fireplace saw Ron being held by the collar by Draco and his goons. The ginger gave his friends an apologetic look for being caught, but it was his fault for getting trapped in a one-way hallway.
Harry knew they were in trouble, and this put a huge wrinkle in his plan. "That isn't what this is."
Umbridge didn't listen, "TELL ME WHERE DUMBLEDORE IS HIDING!" Spittle was flying from her mouth as she demanded Potter turn the old Headmaster into the Ministry.
Harry could see there was no getting around genuine stupidity. This line of questioning was unimportant, as the life of his godfather was on the line. Standing up off his knees at the foot of the fireplace, every wand out in the room was pointed at him. Draco was smirking as he told his rival to surrender his wand.
Harry felt his pistol heavy on his hip, ready to be let out to play, but he kept it concealed for now while complying with the order. "I am not working with or for Dumbledore. This is bigger than that, and this is your one warning to let me go while you can."
"Incarcerous!" Umbridge verbally cast it while she pointed the wand at Harry.
Harry flew back with ropes attaching him to a nearby chair. The ropes were tight and restricted his movements and hands. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't reach his hip-holstered pistol. Harry loudly groaned in frustration as he fought the bindings. "You are making a big mistake."
Umbridge didn't waste time and kept her wand trained on Potter. "My mistake was not pumping you full of Veritaserum and forcing you to tell me what I want to know." Turning to her student kiss-ass squad, Umbridge commanded someone to bring her Professor Snape.
While Harry was tied to a chair, he tried to figure out a way to break out, and at best he was stuck waiting until an opening appeared. While John taught him there was a way out of everything, with his hands tied to the arm rests, he couldn't reach anything, including his back-up combat knife.
Minutes passed slowly before Snape soon appeared with some excuse as to why he couldn't comply with Umbridge's request. Harry then remembered that his friends told him Snape was a part of the order, so in desperation, he pleaded, "They have Padfoot in the place where it is hidden."
Umbridge snapped, "Padfoot, what is this? What does that mean?"
Snape played dumb, but the slight nod let Harry know that the message was received. "I have no idea."
Umbridge waited for the dungeon bat to stall away before she realized she was out of options. Potter rebuffed all of her tricks. "Well, if you don't want to tell me what I want to know, there are other ways to make you talk. I wonder if the Cruciatus will loosen your tongue."
Hermione cried out, "That is illegal. You can't do this."
Umbridge flipped a picture frame on her desk to face down. "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him."
Harry braced himself, hoping his hatred for this woman would give him the strength not to crack. Just as the evil, pink-dressed witch pointed her wand at Harry, Hermione was the first to crack. "Just tell her Harry."
Umbridge snapped her head towards the mudblood. "What is she talking about? What are you hiding?"
Harry didn't speak, still bracing himself for the torture. He would take it all because it meant keeping Sirius safe. In the same way, he hoped Hermione wouldn't be stupid enough to sell Sirius out.
Hermione let her mind work and searched for ways out of this situation. She was required to think of it like chess, and as it stood, they were outnumbered and surrounded. To split them up to even the odds, she would have to get creative. "Dumbledore's weapon. Dumbledore has a secret weapon, and we were going to bring it to meet up with Dumbledore."
Umbridge actually let out a happy burst of giggly noises. This was her vindication, and she was falling for Hermione's trap hook line and sinker.
Harry tilted his head in confusion while Hermione gave him a look and silently told him to go with it because she had a plan. "Hermione, don't; we promised Dumbledore." Harry said it with a fake, concerned tone.
Hermione went on to "spill the beans." She said the weapon was hidden in the Forbidden Forest which made a lot of sense to Umbridge, who wasn't expecting any more deception. Before Hermione was done speaking, Umbridge undid Harry's bindings and grabbed him by the back of the lapel of his suit to pull him to his feet. Thinking these two were useless without their wands, she thought she was well-versed enough to escort them into the forest alone. "Well, let's go see this weapon. Cornelius will be pleased with your change of heart."
Harry almost wanted to smirk and give the game away because Hermione had gotten him out of his restraints. That wasn't the only genius part of this plan because they were also being led to the secluded and off-limits part of Hogwarts grounds. 'Hermione, you might not know it yet, but I definitely owe you one for this.'
Deep within in the Forbidden Forest
A ten-minute walk deep into the forest had the small group of three completely isolated. Hermione was leading them to Hagrid's brother while also not having another part of her plan. With her secret looks at Harry, he didn't seem as worried as she was. Harry, seemed at ease, which helped put her at ease. Harry clearly had a plan, which she was going to let unfold. She would jump in if she could, but she imagined Harry was going to push Umbridge towards Grawp so he could get Umbridge out of their way.
Hermione had no idea Harry's plan was much darker and had been culminating in the frankly unacceptable year they have had. Umbridge wasn't only a bad teacher; she broke the law to torture students. Hermione wanted to think this woman would get what was coming to her, but corrupt government officials rarely did.
In the same moment, Umbridge was brimming with joy at getting the answers she wanted about Dumbledore's secret weapon. Fudge would be so proud of her and might even award her an Order of Merlin when this was all over. Harry Potter and Dumbledore would soon be sent to Azkaban for plotting against the Ministry, and she would be greatly rewarded.
The only part she didn't know was why this great weapon was being stored in the Forbidden Forest. It didn't make sense to a small part of her, but she was in control and too far gone to stop now. Even if this was a wild goose chase, she would still use Crucio on them until they finally broke down to tell her what she wanted to know anyway. Nevertheless, she was still supposedly being led to her biggest achievement by Dumbledore's golden boy and his pet mudblood.
Hermione and Harry were being led by wand point out to the dark deserted woods, and unbeknownst to everyone else in the forest, it was all going according to Harry's plan. With the training he was given thanks to Winston and his mentor, John Wick, Harry knew it was better to isolate your target instead of trying to fight everyone at once. Harry might have been outgunned when Umbridge had the backing of her Inquisition Squad. Now, though, it was one-on-one, but he didn't consider Hermione a factor without her wand. He had to be the one to fight Umbridge.
This changed Harry's odds of victory by a lot, thanks to Hermione leading this miserable witch out in the woods. A place where there were no witnesses but an innocent Hermione. Viewed as a mudblood and non-threat by Umbridge, this was the first of many tactical mistakes the pink frog made.
Harry was smartly taking what he could get. There was a chance he couldn't manage a full-on fight with a dozen students and teachers. Harry also had doubts that McGonagall would stand by if he lethally finished the fight with these mini-Death Eaters. In other words, this was the best outcome that required thoughtful strategy taught to him by the Baba Yaga.
Being led to a clearing in the Forbidden Forest, Umbridge didn't see anything. They were a good distance of a hundred meters or so deep into the forest. There were no signs anyone had been out here except for beastly animals, given the number of bones around. "Where is it? What are we here for? Where is this weapon? Tell me!" The pink toad was screaming her question, furious that these two were playing games
when this was a matter of Ministry security. It was said that this weapon could lead to Dumbledore bringing down Cornelius. That meant it was the biggest threat to her as well, and she wasn't going to let that stand.
Harry let the witch rage for a second, letting her froth at the mouth. Her rage made her sloppy because she didn't know how to use her rage to her advantage.
All was going according to plan while Harry moved his hands ever so slightly. He kept them in line and ready for the next part of his plan. It was best to be subtle and not telegraph what was about to happen. Just about anything could still happen, especially when there were no witnesses or backup out here. Being calm, he just waited many precious seconds to not seem too eager or jumpy. That would have, for sure, given his game away.
True, there was still a threat of death and torture by Umbridge, but Harry was still calm, feeling he had the upper hand. Harry eventually calmly answered, "It's behind that tree and over the hill. Look, you can see it from here." Harry pointed with his non-dominant left hand, leaving his right free for Umbridge's just desserts.
Hermione didn't understand what Harry was doing. She wanted to ask, but it was evident he had a plan, and she didn't want to ruin it. They were heading in the opposite direction of Hagrid's brother, or anything else, for that matter. Harry had forced them to take a turn off the path to Grawp. She didn't say anything at the time, but Harry was being sly and devious by making this change. The path they took was close to the spider nest, but if his plan was for the spiders to attack, that was a risky plan that could get them all killed. They didn't have wands of their own, and the spiders were beyond dangerous without magic.
Coming out to the forest, Harry had led Umbridge and Hermione away from civilization. Confused, Hermione looked at Harry, trying to gauge what he had planned. It was now when Hermione was noticing something was off; Harry's eyes seemed to almost change. His eyes in particular had changed from a soft green to a dead-cold, serious-cold emerald color. They seemed to be devoid of kindness, which was a change she had only noticed recently. Harry had flashes of calming but cold, calculating anger that scared her for anyone he directed it at.
Not knowing what was going on was uncomfortable because Hermione was unable to think of responses and possible lies. But instead of lying, Hermione watched something very different unfold. The second Umbridge turned to look where Harry pointed, and the toad stupidly pointed her wand away from them. Umbridge was acting like she expected someone to jump out of the fog, but no one was there. With an opening, Umbridge made a fatal error by finally giving them a moment of safety. With no wand trained on her captives, it meant she was defenseless for a few crucial seconds.
In turn, it gave Harry the opportunity to make his move, but because Umbridge had his wand, not even Hermione knew what Harry had up his sleeve. It was common knowledge that without a wand, wizards were helpless, but Harry was anything but helpless. He moved quick and fast, pushing the right side of his suit back, revealing a gun cradled in a holster on his hip. For a second, Hermione thought it could have been mistaken or looked as if he had a second wand or a knife hidden inside his clothes. That wasn't the case; instead, it was a shape Hermione instantly recognized, having grown up in the muggle world.
That sudden move made Hermione's shock all the more real when Harry pulled a muggle gun seemingly out of nowhere. She didn't know how no one noticed he had something like that hidden under his suit. Harry had a tailored suit, but it was impossible to tell he was hiding anything under it. In turn, Hermione's
blood ran cold, knowing what it was and how a gun only had one purpose, and that was to kill. Before she could scream, the sound of two very loud, piercing gunshots rang out.
BANG! BANG!
Harry was skilled enough to make sure the first bullet went through the center of her head before she fell to the ground. When her body thumped against the cold ground, he double-tapped her to make sure she was gone for good. Two forty five caliber rounds to the head were unfixable even to the medical genius that was Madam Pomfrey.
Hermione didn't hear anything besides the ringing in her ears as the sound of the loud gunshots caught her off guard. The forest was dead quiet, but those gunshots were, by contrast, quite deafening.
The killing was so unexpected, but not nearly as much as it was for Umbridge. Saving grace was for the wretched witch, she probably didn't feel anything before it all went black. If the afterlife was only the eternal darkness of death, it would be a relief because if hell were real, then this witch would have a first-class ticket. In other words, the toad didn't have time to react or even hear Hermione's screams before her brains exploded out of the front of her skull.
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEE!" Hermione screamed louder than she ever had in her life. Screaming louder than when Harry came back with Cedric's body after the third task. For the first time, she was scared and more scared of Harry than she had ever been before. He brutally killed a Ministry official, which was highly illegal. This would certainly send him to Azkaban for the rest of his life or possibly get him an immediate Dementor's kiss.
Harry was cold and detached when the two bullets went through his target. Harry had been trained to shoot the bullets as if he were shooting at a paper target. He couldn't hesitate and think of anything other than hitting the target and moving onto the next one.
In truth, it was a fact that some people didn't deserve decency or respect. Umbridge was one of those people, and the world would be a better place without her. After all, she was a confirmed, hateful bigot who enjoyed torturing children. No question, this was an outcome that wouldn't keep Harry up at night.
In the world of assassins, honor and respect were big and earned. Harry tried to carry himself like his mentor, John Wick. Harry had stomached Umbridge's disrespect and cruelty all year. It was quite a feat, because odds are, if John were here, he would have shot her dead many months ago.
There was no sympathy or tears shed from Harry, and if he had to, he would do it a million times over. Umbridge and Voldemort were different in scale but the same in the league of evil. Therefore, Harry planned to put a bullet through both of them. This kind of evil needed to be stamped out as swiftly as possible. Trap or not, tonight might be Harry's only chance to also stamp out Voldemort.
Harry would be lying if he said it didn't feel good. Killing someone with a tar-black soul felt amazing, but he needed to put that small pleasure away. He needed to remember that he was on a mission. Harry still had to save Sirius by getting to the Ministry as soon as possible. To do that, he had to forcibly and permanently eliminate the troublesome obstacle named Umbridge.
Harry needed to be methodical, like John taught him during their many hours together. The teachings were supposed to have Harry keep his emotions in check and be the cold assassin who got what he
wanted; he wouldn't take no for an answer, even if it was said by fate itself. It was a double edged sword because if Harry was too emotional, he would be put in a position to lose the advantages he had, which could get himself or others killed.
Upon deep reflection over the summer, it's where Harry had gone wrong in every dangerous encounter in the past. He was too emotional, so he was playing the game handicapped. Harry could feel emotion constantly bubble up, but he had to try and keep a lid on it until it was finally safe to let the pressure out.
Yes, this kill was personal, but it served a bigger purpose. The personal part he could celebrate later, but the bigger picture was that Harry now had a chance to save lives by eliminating this threat to the world at large. "Let's get going." Harry said it simply, with no outward emotion one would expect from someone who just killed someone. He only swapped in a fresh mag of bullets into his gun before holstering the loud metal beast.
Hermione had just screamed the last of her breath away, and she couldn't believe Harry said they had to leave. "What are you talking about? You just killed a teacher. You…you…you shot her in the head. You pulled a gun and shot her like a common muggle criminal."
Harry stepped with purpose, crouching down to gather their wands from Umbridge's robe pockets. He looted her not only for their wands but also to see if she had anything to help him on his quest inside the Ministry. When Harry found nothing, he used a levitation charm followed by a banishing charm to send the dead, limp body flying deeper into the spider-infested side of the forest.
Sending the fresh meal closer to where the spiders lived. Those nasty beasts would get a good meal while unknowingly helping to dispose of the evidence for him. "Hermione, I said, let's go. I have to go save Sirius. That is my biggest priority right now. You are free to come with me if you want, but you need to be aware that I will be doing whatever it takes to win. No more stunning spells, no more kid gloves. You asked why I'm so different after summer break. It is because of this, this moment right here. The chance to end this war is why I am different. I have been up against the wall, trying to keep you and all of our loved ones alive. I didn't want this, but the world of fate, bloody fate made this my job. It has always been on me to fight back and to win the war against Voldemort. With or without you, I can tell you with certainty that I am going to win this war by any means necessary."
Hermione's jaw dropped, and still in shock, she slowly put the pieces together. Since the start of the new school year, Harry has been colder and far more thoughtful in his actions. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought he was also a stone-cold killer. "What happened to you? How have you just accepted that it's okay to kill people? This is wrong. Killing is wrong, Harry."
After holstering his dark-coated, unsilenced Kimber .45 ACP pistol, Harry was now holding the pair of wands in his other hand. "Evil people, Hermione. Do you not see the difference? Umbridge wasn't just a bad teacher. She wasn't someone we disagreed with or didn't like because she was genuinely annoying. Umbridge was a monster, plain and simple, someone who got off on torturing students. She was smiling. while she did it too. It takes a sick person to enjoy the carving of children's flesh, to leave them bleeding and crying is psychotic. I refuse to apologize for this; she was a despicable, evil bigot who got what she deserved. There was no redeeming her; she didn't want to change. That is when it falls on people like me to balance out the scales of justice. To stop more pain from happening, I need to eliminate the threat in its entirety."
Hermione was shocked to her core but held silent with her mouth gaping as Harry went on with his rational justification. "What you have to understand is that there is a balance in this world, and right now the balance is off with Voldemort coming back. It's changed everything, and it has fallen on me to do the job fate gave me. I have to set things right and fight him to the bitter end. That's what I'm going to do because it is the right and merciful thing to do. I am sorry if this offends you, Hermione, but I will do anything and everything to accomplish my goal."
Harry sounded like a machine, but he had never been more serious about anything. His summer at the Continental is where he learned what it is to sacrifice. In turn, he had to sacrifice parts of his body and his morality to pursue the greater good in order to create balance. Pain, fear, and toxic unconditional empathy meant nothing to him anymore. This is what he had to do. This was what he needed to kill a genocidal maniac. He has to kill Voldemort before he keeps his word about killing billions of innocent muggleborns and non-magical people in the endless pursuit of blood purity.
Hermione was stunned and almost silent before her brain tried to fight the memory of the new Harry in contrast with her old memories of her friend. They were the ones where she met this sweet, innocent boy on the train during their first year. The kid who had broken glasses but joy in his eyes. The kid who was happy to just be learning magic with new friends.
Standing before her was a hardened soldier wearing a muggle suit, using every tool at his disposal to fight a war no kid should be fighting. It scared her because her sweet friend Harry shouldn't have been pushed this far. He had been radicalized and pushed to the insanity of condoning a murder of his fellow human being. Hermione almost wouldn't recognize Harry right now if there wasn't a glimmer of the old Harry still sticking out. As always, he was the one who did everything in his power to protect others. Though the question still had to be asked, "What... what are you?"
Harry let out an exhausting sigh as he handed Hermione her wand back. "I am a survivor, an orphan, and most importantly, an assassin. I can't stop, and I won't stop until I end this. To do that, I have to be willing and able to kill them all. That is the only way to end this war. I don't care if I die in the process, but I'm not going to let my friends or innocent people die because I can't make the hard choices."
Letting those words soak in, Harry let Hermione see this new side of him. "When I was training this summer, I learned a lot, which included fighting against overwhelming powers and numbers. When tonight is over, you might call me a monster, but sometimes you have to become a monster to kill another monster."
Harry's chaotic thoughts went to those of his mentor, the Baba Yaga. A man's whose legend was that of a monster, but he was respected because he did what it took to get things done. John Wick was someone Harry wanted to emulate in every way, which is why Harry had tried to adopt everything about John. Harry wanted to be the killer the Baba Yaga would have been proud of. Why it mattered so much to Harry was most likely because of his biggest flaw: he was always searching for a parental figure.
Everything Harry did over the summer was to become the best killer possible and, in the process, earn John's approval. The assassin inside Harry was always there because he was pushed by destiny to kill one person. At age eleven, he killed a version of Voldemort and, in the process, Professor Quirrel. Since then, he has been told to act with kindness and compassion, but the truth is, he still needed to kill the one wanker who started all of this. That is what it was going to take to end this war that had already taken too many innocent lives.
By some miracle, that explanation made sense to Hermione, but she still didn't feel any better about it. Harry's cold stare and dead-serious attitude made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She always felt safe with Harry, but this was like she was in the presence of someone else. "What do we do now?" Taking her wand back, still in shock, her big brain wasn't working well enough to try and navigate what to do next.
Harry had his wand back in his hand, smirking when he felt like, for the first time, he had a fighting chance. During his training, Harry had to teach himself to use his wand in his left hand to keep his shooting hand free. It was far more important for his accuracy to keep aiming with his more dominant right hand. All these skills together made him feel unstoppable.
Harry learned to like the way his guns felt in his hands, though there was a warmth to his wand that couldn't be ignored. The kicker was that he needed his guns because Voldemort seemed to outclass him with magic. Harry didn't stand a chance of taking on Voldemort with the little magic he did know. He needed more, which is where everything else he learned came in.
Slipping back into conversation, Harry carried on, "It is simple; we free the others, and if you want, you can join me on my trip to the Ministry. I have to save Sirius; there is no talking me out of it, but I could always use backup. If you think it's too dangerous, I will go alone. I can't back down; I am bringing the fight to Voldemort regardless."
Hermione panicked when Harry said they were going to save the others being held by Malfoy and his friends. "No! No, no killing other students. Harry, promise me you aren't going to shoot Draco. I know he probably deserves it, but I need you to promise." Hermione couldn't allow his brutality to spill onto the other students in the school, no matter how despicable they were.
Hermione knew the rage bubbling inside Harry when Draco was involved. She empathized because she felt the same way, but besides a single punch in her third year, she didn't act on it again. Draco's despicable actions didn't warrant a death sentence. The last thing Hermione wanted was for Harry to snap before suddenly killing Draco, someone who was dumb and their own age. Draco didn't know any better; he was lost in a system of bigotry passed down by his parents. That is what she told herself, while others would most likely disagree.
Harry didn't know he would deflate at hearing Hermione's words, but the thought of finally putting an end to Malfoy could have put a small smile on his face. "Then you go save our friends while I go get some party favors for Voldemort. I think I know the perfect thing for tonight's special occasion…something big, bold."
Hermione didn't like the sound of that, but before she could argue, Harry was swiftly moving with purpose back to the castle. "Wait for me." Hermione called back, trying to follow him out of the forest. Following behind she were multiple steps behind Harry, who was moving fast and forward with his wand at the ready. Said wand was in his left hand instead of his dominant hand, while his right hand was almost ready in case he had to pull his terrifyingly loud pistol again.
Time Skip
Splitting up Hermione went about her mission while Harry sneaked his way back to the dorms to pick up what he needed. He was vague about it, but the implication was that it was important.
Close to fifteen minutes passed when Hermione found her mission was complete on its own. Then came the waiting game after she led the group to where Harry told her so they could meet back up.
Hermione didn't know what to expect when Harry found the newly freed members of Dumbledore's Army. Apparently the DA members had freed themselves with some of the Weasley twins' sick-inducing sweets. The sweets were designed to get you out of class, but apparently they could also be used to drug someone. With the group freed, they were all meeting on the bridge, trying to plan out the next step of the trip to the Ministry to save Sirius.
Hermione was trying to get a grip on the group while keeping the fact that Umbridge was killed by Harry a secret. She tried to talk her friends up because, like it or not, Harry was going to take them on this mission. Even if they didn't want to go because it was too dangerous, she didn't want to abandon Harry to do this alone.
Soon, faced with Harry again, Hermione was taking him in. Still dressed in a suit, Harry looked like a slick professional lawyer, not a student or a fighter. She tilted her head to the side, questioning why she saw Harry with a big, long vertical bag over his shoulder. Questions aside, she was afraid to ask because she had a bad feeling about this regardless. Her stomach was turning, and she was doing flips, thinking of what Harry had planned tonight.
Not knowing the difference, Hermione didn't notice Harry had also changed his suit. He was now wearing a darker, almost midnight black suit meant for the night. Harry had also brushed his wild mane of hair back out of his eyes. It was an odd time to do a little grooming, but Harry prepared like John would before a job. His new look could be viewed as if he were on his way into a job interview with a high-flying law firm.
"So what is the plan, Harry?" Hermione asked nervously, wondering what Harry wanted to do next. Knowing what he was capable of scared her to bits, but he was still in charge. Harry was armed with his new mission-oriented mindset, and it was clear Hermione didn't want to get in his way. She could only imagine what would happen if anyone did get in his way now.
Ron wasn't aware of what happened to Umbridge yet and didn't understand why Harry had been different all year. Harry was far too serious, and this was no different, although his friend seemed to be far more tense than usual. "Bloody hell, Harry, what is that on your back? Did you get a case for your Firebolt?"
Harry didn't want to go into that possibly lengthy answer at the moment. Nothing should slow down the process of leaving to find a way to the Ministry. "It is a surprise for Voldemort as well as anyone else who gets in my way. Now think quickly. We need to find a way to get to the Ministry and fast."
Luna curiously sensed that Harry was different this year. His aura was very different, as he suddenly had the stench of death hovering around him. He might not have killed a lot of people, but even she could feel he was primed for it. His body and mind were trained to kill in the defense of rights and justice. True Luna only got to know him well this year, but she could just tell. Reading him through his aura or energy, thanks to her natural intuition. Whatever he was now, in addition to his skills with magic, she could tell he wasn't one to be trifled with. "Thestrals. We can ride the thestrals to London." Luna popped in, hoping it would please her new friends.
Harry couldn't find anything wrong with that logic, but the fact that he had so many friends wanting to join him on this mission was a problem. True, normally, numbers would almost always be a good thing, but he
couldn't safely protect an overabundance of people. Too many would create a blind spot, and his friends weren't skilled enough to go against true killers like Voldemort and his Death Eaters. "Thank you for the next part of the plan, but this is where I have to split the group. Hermione, Ron, and Neville are coming with me. Ginny and Luna, Umbridge, is gone…really gone. I need you to gather the rest of the DA and hold Hogwarts down until we return."
Those who didn't know were shocked to hear Umbridge was dead but were relieved, to be honest. In a terrible way, they didn't even ask how or care how she met her end. But from the cold look Harry had when he told them the news, it was almost safe to assume he had a hand in it.
The only clue besides that was Hermione almost shivering in fear as she horrifically flashed back to the two gunshots. The sight of the pink toad's brain exploding from the .45 caliber round tearing through her head like a juicy watermelon was going to haunt her for a while.
With the plan set in stone, Harry felt comfortable with his team, who could literally watch his back and make sure no one got behind him. While he normally could deal with being surrounded, that was while training with all the muggles. With magic users, it would help to have these three posted in all directions. Harry was thinking five chess moves ahead, like John and Winston taught him. If life was a game of chess, then it helped to not be a pawn but the person controlling the pieces.
A jaunt to the forest later, and the group of four students ran to saddle up and ride thestrals all the way to London. In the process, Harry noticed Neville looking more and more nervous. His friend may have gained some confidence this year from their special tutoring sessions, but he seemed to be reverting in a moment of panic.
Before mounting their rides. Harry pulled Neville aside before they left. Harry had to try and talk Neville up to get his head into a fight, not flight mode. "Neville, you can't afford to be distracted. If you are scared, you lose, and if you lose, then you are putting everyone else at risk. Is it because you are scared? If it is fear, you have to push that down. You are strong, and together, we are unstoppable. Fear has no place here because tonight we are soldiers. We must push on to fight, this may be our only chance. You can't lose focus, if you hesitate, you die, and it can end up getting us all killed."
Neville was shaken up, but it was because there was a good chance Bellatrix Lestrange was going to be there. The one woman who had ruined his life. She effectively killed his parents. They were alive but brain dead in the hospital, tortured into madness. "Bellatrix will be there. I don't know how to face her; I'm scared I am not strong enough. I am scared I won't know what to do. I want to tear her apart with my bare hands, but if my parents couldn't fight her to a victory, then what chance do I have?"
Harry could relate in some way before John came along and gave him the confidence he needed. Channeling John, Harry put his hand on Neville's shoulder. "You have to be strong. Together, we have a chance, and if I have to trust, I will fill in the gaps. But if I can't, I need you to be willing to do what it takes. Even if that means using an unforgivable. You need to be ready to kill; remember, these are monsters. Irredeemable monsters. There is no reasoning or fixing them. Do you remember Moody's lesson on the unforgivables? Remember the words carefully, and if it comes down to you and her, say the words. Stay alive. Try not to feel guilty either, because these animals won't. We need to win. That's what we have to do because we have the whole world on our backs now."
With Neville getting a pep talk, the group of four mounted their winged mounts and made the trip to London. Once on the Thestrals, the cold wind hit them in the face. It has a cooling effect on their nerves for the time it took them to reach their destination, where everything was bound to change forever.
End
I cut this bigger chapter up into smaller ones, but the next one will come soon.
Umbridge finally met her end, and I hope it wasn't too anticlimactic. I felt satisfied writing it, but a reviewer did want me to have Harry kill her by jamming a blood quill into her ear and through her brain. A very John Wick kill that would have been cool but would cause too many problems for Harry.
Please tell me what you think so far. I enjoy reading reviews. The story is already written, but the fan theories are fun to read regardless.
The next chapter is the Ministry, which will hopefully be on the level of the John Wick movies.