Chapter 9: Goodbye, Molly: Hello, Dolores.

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Harry didn't actually have anything planned for the next day; however, his birthday was two days later. He and Hermione and Sirius had a party with the Weasley twins. The rest of the household at Grimmauld Place was decidedly not invited.

The morning of his birthday dawned bright and early as Harry was awakened by the sound of jubilant laughter from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and quickly dressed, eager to join the festivities. As he descended the stairs, the delicious aroma of freshly baked cake and other delectable treats filled the air.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she handed him a brightly wrapped gift. It was placed on the large pile that was in the corner of the room. Harry was guided away from the pile and towards his godfather.

Sirius grinned and clapped him on the back and said, "We've got quite the celebration planned for you today!" He moved Harry to the table where Harry's favorite foods were laid out.

The Weasley twins were already setting off a series of enchanted fireworks that danced around the room in vibrant colors. "Wait till you see what we've got in store, mate!" Fred said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"We've been setting it up all morning," George stated, his eyes matching his brothers.

The small group spent the day indulging in all manner of magical games and feasting on mouth-watering food prepared by Dobby. They ate and drank and partied all day long, not once feeling bad that they had sequestered the rest of the household away for the day. This was Harry's day, and they were going to celebrate it with just the five of them.

They would have gone out, but Sirius was still stared at everywhere he went, so they decided to stay here.

As the evening drew near, the party relocated to the garden where they lit a bonfire and shared stories about their adventures. The sky above twinkled with stars as Harry listened to the laughter of his friends, feeling a sense of warmth and belonging that he cherished deeply. This was a birthday to remember. He had never had one like it.

"What did you do with the others?" he finally asked Sirius. He thought about asking earlier, but didn't want to ruin his day.

He liked the fact that it was just him and his little family and closest friends. He just wished that he could have invited others here. Neville and his other roommates would have been a good start. Some of his teammates would have been nice as well. Even Oliver Wood could have come. However, they were behind the Fidelius Charm, so it was just him and his dearest. So, it was cozy. Next year though… he and Sirius would be either here and free from Voldy or elsewhere and free from the wizarding world with new friends and only these people around him now in the know.

"I sent them to the other part of the house," his godfather stated, waving his hand negligently indicating the upper floors. "I didn't want Molly fighting with anyone, so I asked Arthur to keep her and the rest of his lot upstairs today. The elves are keeping them fed and entertained," he stated, grinning like a fool. Kreacher and Dobby promised to keep Molly there using any method necessary.

"Thanks, Sirius. I don't know what to say. That is a wonderful birthday present," Harry said, smiling at his godfather. He reached out and hugged the man. Sirius was doing his best to make up for what the man conceived as his failing. Harry didn't see it that way, but he couldn't get Sirius to see that.

"That's not all I got you," Sirius said, pointing to a large pile of gifts that he had gone out and bought on his first day as a free man. He must have bought out three stores and put a dent in a few more.

"You left the house?" Harry asked, realization dawning on him. "Without me? I wanted to go with you," he whinged. He had wanted to be with the man on his first foray out in the world as a free man. He would have taken some of the burden off him.

Sirius had the sense to look embarrassed. He knew that Harry had wanted to join him but made the call to go without him. "I did, yeah. Let me tell you it was nerve-wracking. I had quite the journey into the unknown. There were a lot of stares," he said, rubbing the back of his head subconsciously. He thought he handled it well, but it had been tense. Now that he looked back on it, he really wished that he had had someone there for support.

"I'll go with you next time. I am used to the stares, and I know how to avoid them or make them stop," Harry said with a chuckle. His time as the Boy-Who-Lived had shown him that dealing with the public was something he had to do. His time in the grey space showed him how. They were going to be shocked with how he changed. No longer would he sit by and take their ridicule, they were going to get as good as they gave.

"Let's get these presents open," the dogman said, gesturing to where Hermione and the twins were waiting. There was some cake left over and some butterbeer as well.

It was a perfect birthday, filled with love, laughter, and the magic of friendship. Harry couldn't have asked for anything more. As the fire crackled and the night wore on, he realized just how fortunate he was to have such incredible people in his life.

The celebration continued late into the night, with the group finally retiring to their rooms, exhausted yet content. Harry lay in bed, a smile on his face, knowing that no matter what challenges lay ahead, he would always have the support of his friends and family. He knew gathering this group together was the right thing to do.

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To say Molly was put out about being left out of yesterday's celebration was putting it mildly. She rampaged throughout the house like a bull in a China shop. She ranted and raged until Arthur finally told her to sit down and shut up.

"Why are you even upset? It's not like you've done anything to earn the right to be there," Sirius said, looking at the woman like she was crazy. She didn't even like Harry or Sirius, so why was she so put out?

"This is my house," Molly started to say only to stop when she saw the look on Sirius's face when he stepped in front of her.

"Excuse me," Sirius said, standing and facing the woman, who had started pacing again. He had put up with much from this woman, but this was just too much.

The room had gone deathly quiet. Everyone knew Molly had gone too far. She really had overstepped her bonds this time around.

"I didn't mean," was as far as she got, fluttering her hand to her neck, like she was going to clutch a necklace there.

"No, you did mean," Sirius said, getting in her face. "Look, I've put up with your fits because they amuse me. I've let you fight like you're a shrew because it entertains me. I've let you clean the house because it's harmless. Hell, I've even let you throw away priceless treasures, knowing that the house elves would just retrieve them. However, not once did I give you ownership of this house," he stated, moving closer to her with each sentence.

"Sirius, I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it," Arthur said, coming up to the owner of the house and standing by his wife's side. "It was just a slip of the tongue."

"I'm done, Arthur. I am tired of her attitude. She needs to stop. I was entertained by her before, but now I'm not. She has gone too far. This is not her house, Harry is not her son, I am not one of her children. She needs to understand that she is not in control. Either get her under control or get Bill to ward your house and go home," Sirius said, then he turned and left the room. There would be no argument.

Arthur didn't even have to think about it. He was already on the floo with Bill before Sirius had made it to his room. He too was done with the fighting. He had been thinking about this for weeks now. He and his son were at the Burrow that very afternoon warding the house for the Weasley family to return home.

Bill was more than happy to comply. He was a curse breaker and knew some nasty wards. Not only did he know the Fidelius Charm, but he also knew some other charms that would protect the house.

"Sirius," Fred said later that afternoon, "can me and George stay here? It's easier for us to get to Diagon Alley from here. That and we don't have to worry about Mum destroying our product here." There was a grimace on his face with that last sentence.

"She's still doing that?" Harry asked anger in his tone. "Even though she knows you're making money on it?"

"She still thinks it's a pipe dream," George stated, slumping in the chair he was sitting in.

They were in one of the larger studies. It had six chairs around a table that looked like it was set up to hold meetings. Sirius and Harry were going over Sirius's accounts. They were using the table to hold the ledgers and parchments that held his numbers and records. There was a pitcher of water and six glasses on the table. Only two of the glasses held water at this time.

Fred reached over and poured himself some water and took a drink. He offered some to George, but his brother turned him down.

"Haven't you shown her your ledger?" Harry asked, knowing that they had a business account with Gringotts. He had put money in it.

"We tried, but she won't play nice. Dad is proud of us though. Bill thinks it's great, and Fleur wants to buy in," Fred said, puffing his chest in pride. He took another sip of water and placed the glass on the table.

George looked to Harry and said, "We couldn't have come this far without your start up capital, so thanks, mate." He clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Like I said when I gave it to you, the world could do with a few laughs right now," Harry said, solemnly. Then he grinned and nudged them. "I'm sure Sirius has no issue with you two staying here, do you Sirius?"

"Nah, you two can stay," Sirius said, going over one of the ledgers that was saying that Lucius was spending Black money on bribes to the Minister. Well, that was going to stop. He took up a quill and put it to parchment and wrote a letter to his manager, Ripthroat. In it he stated that Malfoy no longer had access to the Black accounts. At all, not even a little. If the man was to show up at the bank to inquire about it, he was to be referred to Sirius.

"Thanks, Sirius," the twins said, looking at the man happily. They didn't even have to go and unpack, they never packed to begin with. With magic they could have had it all packed in seconds, so they didn't bother until they knew they had to.

"You are the ones who has to tell your mother," Sirius said, still penning his letter.

"Not a problem," Fred said, apparating away, George following seconds later.

"Those two are never going to walk again," Harry said, shaking his head. Those two kept popping everywhere.

"The novelty will wear off, or they'll get fat," Sirius said, finishing his letter and blowing on the ink. "Once they start gaining weight, they'll stop," he said, shrugging his shoulder. That's what happened to him anyway.

"Well, I'm happy they're staying. What of Mr. Lupin?" the teen asked, looking at his godfather.

"Remus will be staying here too," Sirius said, not looking at his godson. "He promised that he was going to be there for you from now on," he said, trying to be supportive of his friend.

"I'll try to be friendly, for your sake, but if he fails…" Harry said, trailing off in the end.

"I get it," Sirius said, getting up and hugging Harry. "You come first, but Remus was a good friend for a long time. I can't just drop him without giving him a chance," he said, looking into the teen's eyes.

"I get it, I'd do the same for Hermione," Harry said, smiling at Sirius with understanding.

"Good, now let's go see the Weasley's off, like any good host would," the man of the house said, leaving the room and heading to the kitchen where the floo was.

They got there in time to see the family gather with their belongings. Molly was directing everyone to get their things to the floo. It was organized chaos. Ron wasn't packed correctly, and Ginny's things were in disarray. Dobby was trying to be helpful but was thwarted at every turn. Kreacher, on the other hand, was doing his very best to not be helpful. He was getting in the way and causing obstacles and tripping people.

"Kreacher, stop that," Sirius said, coming into the room, though he was trying not to laugh.

"Dobby, they don't want your help so stop trying," Harry said, going to his little friend. He glared at Molly, who was ignoring Dobby. "He was only trying to help, you ungrateful bitch," he snapped at her. "I'm glad you'll be gone from here," he stated, turning his back on her and moving away.

Before she could retaliate, Arthur grabbed her by the arm and directed her to the floo. He guided her in and sent her home. He then took over and sent the kids next and then asked Sirius if Kreacher could get their things to the Burrow.

Sirius said yes.

Finally, Grimmauld Place was quiet. Well, as quiet as a place can be with the twins in residence.

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"Are you sure you want to do this, Dolores?" Fudge asked his undersecretary. They were sitting in a meeting with some of the Heads of Departments of the Ministry. They were deciding on who to send to be the DADA teacher and spy on Dumbledore. Now that they lost their voice in the Daily Prophet, they needed to do something. They found that they could appoint a professor for the open DADA spot. Dolores Umbridge volunteered, shocking the hell out of everyone.

"Yes, Cornelius, I would be happy to teach the children just how you want them to see the ministry," she said, coyly. She really should stop that; she was bad at it. She already had many ideas on what she was going to teach the children. Wretched little things. They will soon learn that things will be different under the rule of Dolores Umbridge. Plus, she had the permission of the minister to do what she will.

Many there cringed at her attempts at being coy. It was like watching a toad flirt. It was disgusting.

"That's all well and good, but I don't think Dolores is qualified to teach," Amelia stated, getting to her feet and addressing the group. She looked at the toad of a woman and asked, "What was your DADA NEWT score?" She was years ahead of Dolores, so didn't go to school with her, but she didn't seem to be a bright student.

"What does that matter?" the woman deflected or tried to. She hadn't done well, truth be told. She had gotten an Acceptable, which is passing, but not good enough to teach. It wasn't as if what she was going to teach needed an Outstanding or Exceeded Expectations.

"It matters because you are going to be teaching the class," Bones said, glaring at the woman. She didn't like the look in the woman's eyes. She could see this going all sorts of wrong. She was going to have to warn the children she knew to watch out for the woman, if she couldn't stop this from happening.

"I will be instructing from a book. How hard can that be?" Umbridge asked, giggling like a little girl. She already had the book in mind and the little blighters wouldn't even be performing magic. She would have them sit quietly and read the book from start to finish, and when they were done, she'd have them do it again. There would be no need for talking.

"I object to this woman teaching my niece anything," Amelia said, looking around the room to see who would back her. She could see that she had little backing. She was not popular this year. Her recent stance that the Dark Lord might be back had made her unreliable as a Head of the Department. If she wasn't so good at her job, it might be in jeopardy.

"I agree with Amelia," Arthur Weasley said, standing and placing his fist on the table. He too, was not well liked. Then again, most people thought his department was a joke. He would find little help among his peers.

"Let's take a vote," Fudge said, knowing that even if these two objected, he would persevere. He had the majority. And he was correct, the vote went his way. Dolores would be teaching DADA this year at Hogwarts.

"We need to warn the kids," Arthur told Amelia as the room emptied out. "I'll have my lot warn all they know; you do the same with your niece." He knew that the twins could get the word out far and wide. They were quite popular, but would they be taken seriously? That was the question.

"Warn them of what? That the woman is a bitch? They'll figure that out all on their own," she asked, looking at Fudge and Umbridge leave with smug looks on their faces.

"I don't trust her. She's a sadistic woman. I know she's out to get Harry. I need to warn him," Mr. Weasley said, fretting his hands. Harry had been so different since he had returned from the grey space. How would he handle this woman? The old one would have just dealt with her and moved on, this one though… Arthur had a feeling that Harry wasn't going to put up with the likes of Dolores Umbridge.

"What do you know, Arthur?" Amelia asked, looking at the very concerned man. "If you know anything you need to let me know. I can have her behind bars this night."

"No, you can't. It's only hearsay and rumor. I heard that she's killed her father just so that he didn't embarrass her. He used to work here as a janitor. Then one day, he was gone, never to be heard from again. That and she's a half-blood, but all parchmentwork to that effect has disappeared. There is no evidence for you to find. Don't you see, she's covered her tracks well," the stressed man said, still wringing his hands.

"Arthur, there is no such thing as a perfect crime," she assured him. She already thought of many ways to find out what happened to Umbridge's father and how to prove she was a half-blood.

"Be careful, Amelia, many people who go after her disappear," Arthur said, worried for his coworker.

"My middle name is 'careful'," she said, patting his arm and turning to go back to her office. She was already making plans to reinforce the wards to her house. She had thought about it after her talk with Potter, now she would if she pursued her investigation. Which she would, she could do no less.

"I'm going to go and let Harry know to watch out for this woman. I will then go home. You be careful, Amelia," Arthur said, and then he went to the lifts to do just that.

Amelia gave her goodbyes and went to her office to start her work. She started a file on Dolores, but on the sly. She made sure to keep it on her person, so that it would not be infiltrated. She called Nymphadora Tonks into her office and had her take a seat. "Tonks, we're going to be looking into the life of the Senior Undersecretary," she said, after putting up the secrecy wards that only she could erect.

"May I ask why, ma'am?" Tonks asked, fiddling with the cuff of her shirt. She didn't like the toad of a woman, but she was high up on the hierarchy in the ministry. It was going to be hard to keep looking into her life a secret. Tonks was good at subterfuge though.

"I heard that she might be responsible for the death of her father," was the response complete with a lift of an eyebrow.

"That's quite the accusation. Will we be doing this on the up-and-up? Or on the sly?" the junior Auror asked, ready to get started. This would be her big break, her first task alone, without a senior Auror shadowing her. She would be making a name for herself in the ranks.

"Off the books but keep records where they can't be found. I want there to be something that can be substantiated when all is said and done. I will throw the book at her if what I heard about her is true," Bones said, handing Tonks an empty book that she could use to record her findings in. She then taught her how to make one of her pockets a secret pocket to store the book in.

"Thanks, boss," Tonks said, putting the book in the pocket and patting it. She wouldn't be telling anyone about this assignment. Not even Remus. It was top secret, and she needed to keep it hush-hush.

"You are dismissed, Tonks. You may do what you need, short of killing someone, to find out what you need to find. I want all the dirt on this woman. You have an ability that no one else here does. You can go places none of us can. Use it well. Just don't do anything stupid, and don't do anything I won't do," Bones said, giving her a hard look.

"What wouldn't you do?" Tonks asked sincerely.

"Break the law," Amelia stated, firmly. "Use sex to gain information. Money maybe, sex no." she was very clear on this point. As a woman in this job, she had clawed her way to her position, and she had never used her wiles to get where she was.

"Yes, ma'am," Tonks said, glad that that line was drawn.

"Alright, you're dismissed. Go about your business," Amelia told her as she started her own investigation.

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Meanwhile, Arthur was at Grimmauld Place telling Harry and Sirius about Dolores Umbridge. "She's a bitch of major proportion," he told them, sitting at the table in the kitchen. "She's going to be at Hogwarts stirring up trouble for you, Harry. She is nothing but a problem, mark my words."

Hermione walked in just then and sat next to Harry. She heard what Mr. Weasley said and asked, "How so?"

"She acts like a pureblood, but there are those that knows she's a half-blood, but it's like she doubles down just to prove herself. She makes things twice as hard on others to impress the 'other purebloods'. Right now, she feels that Harry is 'lying' and she's going to do her best to 'prove' that he is," the redhead explained, making the air quotes in the correct places.

"So, she's a want-to-be Hitler?" Harry said, thinking that this was going to be a fun year. It might just prove to be the year that made him leave the wizarding world. It depended on how those around him acted.

"I don't know who that is?" confessed Arthur, looking sheepish. He thought he knew more about muggle history than most wizards, but if there was someone like Umbridge in there that he didn't know of, maybe not.

"One of our biggest embarrassments," Hermione stated, thinking that most humans thought that they didn't like to think that humanity could sink so low as the nazis. Sure, there were other examples of human depravity, but this was the latest.

"Don't worry, Hermione, they have Voldemort," Harry said, knowing that old Voldy was just as bad if not worse than Hitler. If Sirius ever published Bellatrix's diary, then they would see that that woman needed to stay in prison just to keep the public safe. "As to Umbridge, if she is thinking that I'm going to sit back and take her abuse, she's got another think coming," he told Mr. Weasley. He had his magic going for him and he wasn't afraid to use it. Merlin taught him well, and he knew how to use a sword too. All those hours of practice wouldn't go to waste and Hogwarts was lousy with swords laying around. Those suits of armors all had one on them.

"And he'll have me to back him," Sirius stated, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder. "We also have a very good solicitor that will be keeping the ministry busy for the near future." They had already started the proceedings. Sirius was taking them for a quarter of a million galleons. He would have tried for more, but most of the departments were underfunded, as it was. He and Harry thought about funding the DMLE, but there was no guarantee that the funds would go there. They could, however, buy them equipment, which they planned on doing.

"I am glad to hear that. I must get home to warn my own children," Arthur said, getting up from where he had been sitting.

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. I do appreciate you coming to tell me," Harry said, getting up and holding out his hand in gratitude. "We'll tell the twins when they come home from the shop. They plan on attending their last year of school. They promise to sit at least three NEWTs each."

"You're welcome, son," Mr. Weasley said, grabbing the hand and pumping it. He was just happy that Harry wasn't holding Molly's attitude against the rest of the family. He was also glad to hear the twins were going to finish their education. He was not happy to hear they were only going to sit so few NEWTs. Oh well, he should have guessed they would blow them off.

"Please, don't call me that. Harry is fine," Harry said, cringing at being called son.

"Sorry, reflex," Arthur said, laughing a bit. "You're welcome, Harry."

"Goodbye, Arthur," Sirius said, leading him to the floo.

The other man left straight away and that left the three of them alone in the kitchen wondering what they were going to do about Dolores Umbridge.