Chapter 6
The Inquisition Begins
(Opening song. Danger Danger by FZMZ feat. icy.)
(Gryffindor Common Room)
"Bloody Hell…she just… lost it!" Ron said his eyes wide.
"Yeah, accused me of saying something and started screaming and scrambling on the floor looking up at the ceiling," Harry said, leaning back into his chair in the Gryffindor common room. His detention with Umbridge was cut short today because of her episode.
"And guess who happened to be there right after she ran out of the office," Harry said.
"Yuno," both Hermoine and Ron said in unison, their voice holding a bit of disdain for the boy.
"What's he gain for trying to drive Umbrige mad?" Ron asked shaking his head. Hermoine looked at Ron, closing the book she was reading.
"Knowing him from what I've seen, he's doing it just for the hell of it."
"So he's just doing it cause he thinks it's fun"
"What other reason is there,"
"He did say something about trying to convince her to let him back into Defense Against The Dark Arts, but why is what I'm wondering," Harry said.
"Probably just to keep an eye on us like he told those two other blokes. Either way, I wish I could have been there to see the look on her face" Ron laughed.
"It was pretty satisfying to see," Harry chuckled getting up from his chair. Ron turned back to Harry as he headed up to bed.
"I'm guessing she's not letting you move detention to another day so you can play on Friday"
"Nope, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. No excuses" Harry said subtly touching his hand where the quill had dug in.
"Damn that old hag," Ron said. "Alright I'll talk to you two in the morning"
"Same here," Harry and Hermoine said as the trio went to their cots.
(Meanwhile in the Restricted Section of the Libary)
Yuno leaned against one of the bookshelves recounting his day to his two friends. His friend's laughter came from the inky black void.
"Oh man, bro, I wish I could have been there with a camera!"
"Don't worry Galin, once you get here, you'll have plenty of time to torment Umbridge" Yuno chuckled "Your more direct approach might cause her to have a brain aneurysm"
"Don't even get me started Yuno, Gal and I already got into a fight yesterday about his pranks" The girl on the other end said.
"What'd he do this time Arianna?" Yuno sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"All I did was make your ice cream!" Galin yelled his voice defensively.
Yuno couldn't help but smirk when Galin said that.
"And you used your protein powder to make it didn't you" Yuno said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Well yeah, she always complains about carbs and ow- Ari!" Galin was about to finish when a smack was heard in the background.
"You know that stuff… disagrees with my body. I told you about 15 times now!" Arianna yelled as she continued to smack Galin. "Hey!- Damn it Ari!- Why do always have to be hard coverbooks with you!" Galin yelled. Yuno heard the sound of running around on the hardwood floor, with occasional smack heard here and there.
Yuno laughed as he heard Galin trying to run away from Arianna
"Anyway, got anything to report or you just bored," Arianna asked.
Yuno looked down for a second and sighed. "I saw Faulin today."
"You mean.."
"Yeah, she seems happy, but this version of her lost someone close to her last year to Riddle."
There was a long pause before Arianna broke the silence.
"So she's trying to hide the pain by putting up a cheerful front so others don't worry about her. Sounds like her to a tea" she said, a sad tone in her voice.
"I gave her the coin to contact the boss. If she uses it up for debate, probably thinks I'm crazy." Yuno sighed plopping down on the ground, twirling his hand on the floor.
"Well you are a bit crazy, and a cocky brat" Arianna chuckled.
"Oh, why thank you, your highness," Yuno said sarcastically.
Both of them chuckled and fell silent for another moment.
"Yuno…Faulin doesn't remember her old life. None of us did until we awakened. When this is done, we'll have our people back" Arianna said.
"I know…I just hate seeing her in pain is all." Yuno sighed.
"Well from what you told us earlier Lucki's at least having the time of his life" Galin chimes in
"Yeah, not even death can keep that man from pulling pranks on people" Yuno chuckled standing up from the floor. "I better get going before Snape starts counting heads."
"Alright get some sleep Yuno," Arianna says
"Yeah, night pipsqueak" Galin added
"Night guys," Yuno says as he closes the portal. Yuno then chants his spell and steps through appearing in the Slytherin private bathroom in the common rooms. He heard a loud knock powerful enough to break the door down.
"Oi, Lovecraft! What the bloody hell are you doing in there!" Theodore Nott yelled,
Yuno opened the door his eyes narrowed with an umamused look of annoyance on his face.
"You're setting yourself up for a mom joke there Theo, but I don't feel like getting detention again"
Theodore sneered at him. "Think you're so funny you little shite," he said pushing Yuno out of the way.
Yuno rolled his eyes as Theodore shoved him, sneering back at him while walking away, heading towards his bunk for rest.
(Wednesday)
The second detention was just as bad as the previous one. The skin on the back of Harry's hand became irritated more quickly now and was soon red and inflamed. Harry thought it unlikely that it would keep healing as effectively for long. Soon the cut would remain etched into his hand and Umbridge would, perhaps, be satisfied. He let no gasp of pain escape him, however, and from the moment of entering the room to the moment of his dismissal.
Umbridge had become paranoid and was scared to be in the room, looking around the room like a malfunctioning security camera and letting out a small yelp when she heard the castle settle. All that she said was, "sit down" and "go."
His homework situation, however, was now desperate, and when he returned to the Gryffindor's common room he did not, though exhausted, go to bed, but opened his books and began Snape's moonstone essay. It was half past two by the time he had finished it. He knew he had done a poor job, but there was no help for it; unless he had something to give in he would be in detention with Snape next.
He then dashed off answers to the questions Professor McGonagall had set them, cobbled together something on the proper handling of Bowtruckles for Professor Grubbly-Plank, and staggered up to the bed, where he fell fully clothed on top of the covers and fell asleep immediately.
(Thursday)
Thursday passed in a haze of tiredness. Ron seemed very sleepy too, though Harry could not see why he should be. Harry's third detention passed in the same way as the previous two, except that after two hours the words 'I must not tell lies' did not fade from the back of Harry's hand, but remained scratched there, oozing droplets of blood.
Umbridge hadn't noticed, still paranoid about Tuesday. She looked at the clock.
"Leave" she demanded
'Do I still have to come back tomorrow?' said Harry picking up his schoolbag with his left hand rather than his smarting right one.
"YES!," said Professor Umbridge, smiling as widely, a crazed look in her eyes. "I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work."
Harry had never before considered the possibility that there might be another teacher in the world he hated more than Snape, but as he walked back toward Gryffindor Tower he had to admit he had found a strong contender.
(Friday)
Harry knocked on Professor Umbridge's office door for what he sincerely hoped would be the final time, and was told to enter. The blank parchment lay ready for him on the lace-covered table, the pointed black quill beside it.
"You know what to do, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, smiling sweetly at him. She seemed to have calmed down over the remainder of the week
Harry picked up the quill and glanced through the window. If he just shifted his chair an inch or so to the right… on the pretext of shifting himself closer to the table, he managed it. He now had a distant view of the Gryffindor Quidditch team soaring up and down the pitch.
I must not tell lies, Harry wrote.
The cut in the back of his right hand opened and began to bleed afresh.
I must not tell lies. The cut dug deeper, stinging and smarting.
I must not tell lies. Blood trickled down his wrist.
He chanced another glance out of the window. Whoever was defending the goalposts now was doing a very poor job indeed. Hoping very much that the Keeper wasn't Ron, he dropped his eyes back to the parchment shining with blood.
I must not tell lies.
I must not tell lies.
He looked up whenever he thought he could risk it; when he could hear the scratching of Umbridges quill or the opening of a desk drawer. The sky was darkening, and Harry doubted he would be able to see the players at all.
I must not tell lies.
I must not tell lies.
The parchment was now dotted with drops of blood from the back of his hand, which was searing with pain. When he next looked up, night had fallen and the Quidditch pitch was no longer visible.
"Let's see if you've got the message yet, shall we?" said Umbridges soft voice half an hour later.
She moved towards him, stretching out her short-ringed fingers for his arm. And then, as she took hold of him to examine the words now cut into his skin, pain seared, not across the back of his hand, but across the scar on his forehead. At the same time, he had a most peculiar sensation somewhere around his midriff.
He wrenched his arm out of her grip and leapt to his feet, staring at her. She looked back at him, a smile stretching her wide, slack mouth.
"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" she said softly.
He did not answer. His heart was thumping very hard and fast. Was she talking about his hand or did she know what he had just felt in his forehead?
"Well, I think I've made my point, Mr Potter. You may go."
He caught up his schoolbag and left the room as quickly as he could.
Umbridge saw Harry leave, satisfied with the results. Before the door closed, a foot stopped it leaving it ajar. Umbridge looked up startled.
"Glad to see you're feeling better Professor!" Yuno said cheerfully as he stepped into her office.
"YOU!" Umbridge said, her face flushing red with anger. "What do you want you filthy mud-blood"
"Oh? Dropping the mask are we? It's ok Professor Umbridge I understand. I wanted to apologize for my outburst during your class. I hope you can forgive me" Yuno said with a cheerful and innocent smile.
Umbridge face twisted into a sneer.
"Wanting to get back into the class eh? Well too bad it's not going to happen" Umbridge said with a cocky smile on her face.
"Please Professor, I'm just starting as a wizard so learning defensive theory is very important for my education" Yuno pleaded. Umbridge didn't even say anything, she just looked out at her papers ignoring the student.
"Leave or I'll have you expelled"
Yuno narrowed his eyes.
"Please, Professor…. I wouldn't want to end up like those fools that died in Knockturn Alley last weekend," Yuno said forming a malicious smirk on his face.
Umbridge looked up at Yuno, her eyes wide.
"HOW-"
"I have some inside intel, let's just leave it at that" Yuno cut her off.
Umbridge face darkened a bit. She wasn't going to get any information from the boy. That said, if he knew something about the killings of Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley, she had to at least keep an eye on him.
"I'll consider it," she said breaking her gaze from Yuno. "Just get out of my office"
"Thanks, Professor!" Yuno said cheerfully turning around and giving a smug smile to Umbridge as he left.
(Gryfindor Common Room)
"Harry!" Hermoine yelled in shock as she saw blood dripping from his hand. The words "I must not tell lies" were carved into his skin someone wrote on his skiing with a scalpel.
Ron was speechless as blood ran from Harry's hand. He did his best to hide the pain from his friends. In reality, he wanted to scream.
"We're going to the hospital wing!" Hermoine grabbed Harry's other arm about to take him to get treatment.
"No," Harry said shrugging off Hermoines grip
"But Harry, this punishment is barbaric!" Hermoine said. "We're going straight to the Hosptial Wing and then to Dumbledore!"
"What good will it do, huh!? You said it yourself, Umbridge doesn't answer to Dumbledore, she answers to The Ministry and Fudge!" Harry said meeting Hermoine's gaze.
"Well given her behavior, I'd say it's a safe bet that she's definitely a double agent in league with a Death Eater," Ron said.
Harry was about to argue with Ron. but he paused and thought about everything that happened to him the past three days. It was hard to argue she wasn't with this. Spreading Ministry propaganda and restricting the use of magic at the school was one thing, but resorting to torture was something else.
"She's evil," said Harry flatly. "Twisted."
"Then Harry, you should do something. If not Dumbledore, then at least Professor McGonagall" Hermoine pleaded. Harry gave it some thought. Whether this was the full truth or not, he had to at least tell someone what Umbridge had used during his detention.
"Ok," Harry finally said after a long pause, eyes still on the ground pondering his next move.
"Um guys," Ron said as he just picked up a copy of The Daily Prophet. Ron and Hermoine stopped for a time and turned to face him. "You might want to see this"
Harry and Hermoine looked at the paper and their eyes widened in shock at the headline
MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM
DOLORES UMBR1DGE APPOINTED
FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR
"Umbridge - 'High Inquisitor'?" said Harry darkly, adjusting his glasses to see if he read the words right. "What does that mean?"
Hermione read aloud
"In a surprise move last night, the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an
unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
The trio's faces turned white after reading this. For now, they knew, that what Harry had just gone through was the type of the iceberg.
(Elsewhere)
Arianna came into the kitchen as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She and Galin had just woken up to continue their training under their mentor. As she looked through the mail she noticed that a letter had been sent by an owl and had the crest of Hogwarts on it.
"Hey Gal, you need to see this" She yelled as Galin was doing his morning routine of material arts training. He rushed down the hallway in a rashguard and fight shorts, showing off his athletic build
"Ari, what is it, I only have a few minutes til-" Galin started until he saw the letter from Hogwarts.
Arianna looked at Galin and glanced at the letter. Galin nodded signaling her to open it.
Arianna read the letter aloud.
To the guardian/s of Mr. Hellsing and Ms. Darkwood
We here at Hogwarts are here to notify you that your transfer to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been pushed up due to some academic changes. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we expect you to be here tomorrow morning/evening for your first day at Hogwarts. Please know we have already sorted into Hufflepuff and Ms. Darkwood in Gryffindor. Please pack the essentials such as a change of clothes and bathroom utilities with you. Food and uniforms will be provided to you upon your arrival.
Best of luck to you on your wizarding journey
Albus Dumbledore.
Arianna and Galin looked at each other with mischievous grins plastered on their faces.
"Well Yuno's gonna be in for a surprise," Galin said.
"I know" Arianna laughed "Now the real fun can begin"