Untitled Part 27
"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now,don't you, Hermione?" asked Parvati, smirking.
It was breakfast time a few days after the sacking ofProfessor Trelawney, and Parvati was curling her eyelashesaround her wand and examining the effect in the back ofher spoon. They were to have their first lesson with Firenzethat morning.
"Not really," said Hermione indifferently, who was readingthe Daily Prophet. "I've never really liked horses."
She turned a page of the newspaper, scanning itscolumns.
"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" said Lavender,sounding shocked.
"A gorgeous centaur ..." sighed Parvati.
"Either way, he's still got four legs," said Hermione coolly."Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawneyhad gone?"
"We are!" Lavender assured her. "We went up to heroffice to see her, we took her some daffodils — not thehonking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones. ..."
"How is she?" asked Harry.
"Not very good, poor thing," said Lavendersympathetically. "She was crying and saying she'd ratherleave the castle forever than stay here if Umbridge is stillhere, and I don't blame her. Umbridge was horrible to her,wasn't she?"
"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started beinghorrible," said Hermione darkly.
"Impossible," said Ron, who was tucking into a large plateof eggs and bacon. "She can't get any worse than she'sbeen already."
"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge onDumbledore for appointing a new teacher withoutconsulting her," said Hermione, closing the newspaper."Especially another part-human. You saw the look on herface when she saw Firenze. ..."
After breakfast Hermione departed for her Arithmancyclass and Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender intothe entrance hall, heading for Divination.
"Aren't we going up to North Tower?" asked Ron, lookingpuzzled, as Parvati bypassed the marble staircase.
Parvati looked scornfully over her shoulder at him.
"How d'you expect Firenze to climb that ladder? We're inclassroom eleven now, it was on the notice boardyesterday."
Classroom eleven was situated in the ground-floorcorridor leading off the entrance hall on the opposite sideto the Great Hall. Harry knew it to be one of thoseclassrooms that were never used regularly, and that ittherefore had the slightly neglected feeling of a cupboardor storeroom. When he entered it right behind Ron, andfound himself right in the middle of a forest clearing, hewas therefore momentarily stunned.
"What the — ?"
The classroom floor had become springily mossy andtrees were growing out of it; their leafy branches fannedacross the ceiling and windows, so that the room was full ofslanting shafts of soft, dappled, green light. The studentswho had already arrived were sitting on the earthy floorwith their backs resting against tree trunks or boulders,arms wrapped around their knees or folded tightly acrosstheir chests, looking rather nervous. In the middle of theroom, where there were no trees, stood Firenze.
"Harry Potter," he said, holding out a hand when Harryentered.
"Er — hi," said Harry, shaking hands with the centaur,who surveyed him unblinkingly through those astonishinglyblue eyes but did not smile. "Er — good to see you ..."
"And you," said the centaur, inclining his white-blondhead. "It was foretold that we would meet again."
Harry noticed that there was the shadow of a hoof-shapedbruise on Firenze's chest. As he turned to join the rest ofthe class upon the floor, he saw that they were all looking athim with awe, apparently deeply impressed that he was onspeaking terms with Firenze, whom they seemed to findintimidating.
When the door was closed and the last student had satdown upon a tree stump beside the wastepaper basket,Firenze gestured around the room.
"Professor Dumbledore has kindly arranged thisclassroom for us," said Firenze, when everyone had settleddown, "in imitation of my natural habitat. I would havepreferred to teach you in the Forbidden Forest, which was— until Monday — my home ... but this is not possible."
"Please — er — sir —" said Parvati breathlessly, raisingher hand, "why not? We've been in there with Hagrid, we'renot frightened!"
"It is not a question of your bravery," said Firenze, "but ofmy position. I can no longer return to the forest. My herdhas banished me."
"Herd?" said Lavender in a confused voice, and Harryknew she was thinking of cows. "What — oh!"Comprehension dawned on her face. "There are more ofyou?" she said, stunned.
"Did Hagrid breed you, like the thestrals?" asked Deaneagerly.
Firenze turned his head very slowly to face Dean, whoseemed to realize at once that he had said something veryoffensive.
"I didn't — I meant — sorry," he finished in a hushedvoice.
"Centaurs are not the servants or playthings of humans,"said Firenze quietly. There was a pause, then Parvati raisedher hand again.
"Please, sir ... why have the other centaurs banishedyou?"
"Because I have agreed to work for ProfessorDumbledore," said Firenze. "They see this as a betrayal ofour kind."
Harry remembered how, nearly four years ago, thecentaur Bane had shouted at Firenze for allowing Harry toride to safety upon his back, calling him a "common mule."He wondered whether it had been Bane who had kickedFirenze in the chest.
"Let us begin," said Firenze. He swished his longpalomino tail, raised his hand toward the leafy canopyoverhead then lowered it slowly, and as he did so, the lightin the room dimmed, so that they now seemed to be sittingin a forest clearing by twilight, and stars emerged upon theceiling. There were oohs and gasps, and Ron said audibly,"Blimey!"
"Lie back upon the floor," said Firenze in his calm voice,"and observe the heavens. Here is written, for those whocan see, the fortune of our races."
Harry stretched out on his back and gazed upward at theceiling. A twinkling red star winked at him from overhead.
"I know that you have learned the names of the planetsand their moons in Astronomy," said Firenze's calm voice,"and that you have mapped the stars' progress through theheavens. Centaurs have unraveled the mysteries of thesemovements over centuries. Our findings teach us that thefuture may be glimpsed in the sky above us. ..."
"Professor Trelawney did Astrology with us!" said Parvatiexcitedly, raising her hand in front of her so that it stuck upin the air as she lay on her back. "Mars causes accidentsand burns and things like that, and when it makes an angleto Saturn, like now" — she drew a right angle in the airabove her — "that means that people need to be extracareful when handling hot things —"
"That," said Firenze calmly, "is human nonsense."
Parvati's hand fell limply to her side.
"Trivial hurts, tiny human accidents," said Firenze, as hishooves thudded over the mossy floor. "These are of no moresignificance than the scurryings of ants to the wideuniverse, and are unaffected by planetary movements."
"Professor Trelawney —" began Parvati, in a hurt andindignant voice.
"— is a human," said Firenze simply. "And is thereforeblinkered and fettered by the limitations of your kind."
Harry turned his head very slightly to look at Parvati. Shelooked very offended, as did several of the peoplesurrounding her.
"Sibyll Trelawney may have Seen, I do not know,"continued Firenze, and Harry heard the swishing of his tailagain as he walked up and down before them, "but shewastes her time, in the main, on the self-flattering nonsensehumans call fortune-telling. I, however, am here to explainthe wisdom of centaurs, which is impersonal and impartial.We watch the skies for the great tides of evil or change thatare sometimes marked there. It may take ten years to besure of what we are seeing."
Firenze pointed to the red star directly above Harry.
"In the past decade, the indications have been thatWizard-kind is living through nothing more than a briefcalm between two wars. Mars, bringer of battle, shinesbrightly above us, suggesting that the fight must break outagain soon. How soon, centaurs may attempt to divine bythe burning of certain herbs and leaves, by the observationof fume and flame. ..."
It was the most unusual lesson Harry had ever attended.They did indeed burn sage and mallowsweet there on theclassroom floor, and Firenze told them to look for certainshapes and symbols in the pungent fumes, but he seemedperfectly unconcerned that not one of them could see any ofthe signs he described, telling them that humans werehardly ever good at this, that it took centaurs years andyears to become competent, and finished by telling themthat it was foolish to put too much faith in such thingsanyway, because even centaurs sometimes read themwrongly. He was nothing like any human teacher Harry hadever had. His priority did not seem to be to teach themwhat he knew, but rather to impress upon them thatnothing, not even centaurs' knowledge, was foolproof.
"He's not very definite on anything, is he?" said Ron in alow voice, as they put out their mallowsweet fire. "I mean, Icould do with a few more details about this war we're aboutto have, couldn't you?"
The bell rang right outside the classroom door andeveryone jumped; Harry had completely forgotten that theywere still inside the castle, quite convinced that he wasreally in the forest. The class filed out, looking slightlyperplexed; Harry and Ron were on the point of followingthem when Firenze called, "Harry Potter, a word, please."
Harry turned. The centaur advanced a little toward him.Ron hesitated.
"You may stay," Firenze told him. "But close the door,please."
Ron hastened to obey.
"Harry Potter, you are a friend of Hagrid's, are you not?"said the centaur.
"Yes," said Harry.
"Then give him a warning from me. His attempt is notworking. He would do better to abandon it."
"His attempt is not working?" Harry repeated blankly.
"And he would do better to abandon it," said Firenze,nodding. "I would warn Hagrid myself, but I am banished —it would be unwise for me to go too near the forest now —Hagrid has troubles enough, without a centaurs' battle."
"But — what's Hagrid attempting to do?" said Harrynervously.
Firenze looked at Harry impassively.
"Hagrid has recently rendered me a great service," saidFirenze, "and he has long since earned my respect for thecare he shows all living creatures. I shall not betray hissecret. But he must be brought to his senses. The attempt isnot working. Tell him, Harry Potter. Good day to you."
The happiness Harry had felt in the aftermath of TheQuibbler interview had long since evaporated. As a dullMarch blurred into a squally April, his life seemed to havebecome one long series of worries and problems again.
Umbridge had continued attending all Care of MagicalCreatures lessons, so it had been very difficult to deliverFirenze's warning to Hagrid. At last Harry had managed itby pretending he had lost his copy of Fantastic Beasts andWhere to Find Them and doubling back after class one day.When he passed on Firenze's message, Hagrid gazed athim for a moment through his puffy, blackened eyes,apparently taken aback. Then he seemed to pull himselftogether.
"Nice bloke, Firenze," he said gruffly, "but he don' knowwhat he's talkin' abou' on this. The attemp's comin' on fine."
"Hagrid, what're you up to?" asked Harry seriously."Because you've got to be careful, Umbridge has alreadysacked Trelawney and if you ask me, she's on a roll. Ifyou're doing anything you shouldn't be —"
"There's things more importan' than keepin' a job," saidHagrid, though his hands shook slightly as he said this anda basin full of knarl droppings crashed to the floor. "Don'worry abou' me, Harry, jus' get along now, there's a goodlad. ..."
Harry had no choice but to leave Hagrid mopping up thedung all over his floor, but he felt thoroughly dispirited ashe trudged back up to the castle.
Meanwhile, as the teachers and Hermione persisted inreminding them, the O.W.L.s were drawing ever nearer. Allthe fifth years were suffering from stress to some degree,but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a CalmingDraught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tearsduring Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid totake exams and wanted to leave school now.
If it had not been for the D.A. lessons, Harry thought hewould have been extremely unhappy. He sometimes felt thathe was living for the hours he spent in the Room ofRequirement, working hard but thoroughly enjoying himselfat the same time, swelling with pride as he looked aroundat his fellow D.A. members and saw how far they had come.Indeed, Harry sometimes wondered how Umbridge wasgoing to react when all the members of the D.A. received"Outstanding" in their Defense Against the Dark ArtsO.W.L.s.
They had finally started work on Patronuses, whicheverybody had been very keen to practice, though as Harrykept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle ofa brightly lit classroom when they were not under threatwas very different to producing it when confronted bysomething like a dementor
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho brightly, watchingher silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room ofRequirement during their last lesson before Easter."They're so pretty!"
"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed toprotect you," said Harry patiently. "What we really need is aboggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjurea Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be adementor —"
"But that would be really scary!" said Lavender, who wasshooting puffs of silver vapor out of the end of her wand."And I still — can't — do it!" she added angrily.
Neville was having trouble too. His face was screwed upin concentration, but only feeble wisps of silver smokeissued from his wand tip.
"You've got to think of something happy," Harry remindedhim.
"I'm trying," said Neville miserably, who was trying sohard his round face was actually shining with sweat.
"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" yelled Seamus, who had beenbrought along to his first ever D.A. meeting by Dean. "Look— ah — it's gone. ... But it was definitely something hairy,Harry!"
Hermione's Patronus, a shining silver otter, wasgamboling around her.
"They are sort of nice, aren't they?" she said, looking at itfondly.
The door of the Room of Requirement opened and thenclosed again; Harry looked around to see who had entered,but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a fewmoments before he realized that the people close to thedoor had fallen silent. Next thing he knew, something wastugging at his robes somewhere near the knee. He lookeddown and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby thehouse-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eighthats.
"Hi, Dobby!" he said. "What are you — what's wrong?"
For the elf's eyes were wide with terror and he wasshaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry hadfallen silent now: Everybody in the room was watchingDobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjurefaded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking muchdarker than before.
"Harry Potter, sir ..." squeaked the elf, trembling fromhead to foot, "Harry Potter, sir ... Dobby has come to warnyou ... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell ..."
He ran headfirst at the wall: Harry, who had someexperience of Dobby's habits of self-punishment, made toseize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone,cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of theother girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.
"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing theelf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything withwhich he might seek to hurt himself.
"Harry Potter ... she ... she ..."
Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist:Harry seized that too.
"Who's 'she,' Dobby?"
But he thought he knew — surely only one "she" couldinduce such fear in Dobby? The elf looked up at him, slightlycross-eyed, and mouthed wordlessly.
"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.
Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head off Harry'sknees; Harry held him at bay.
"What about her? Dobby — she hasn't found out aboutthis — about us — about the D.A.?"
He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His handsheld fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to thefloor.
"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.
Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feethard on the floor. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"
Harry straightened up and looked around at themotionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed."RUN!"
They all pelted toward the exit at once, forming a scrumat the door, then people burst through; Harry could hearthem sprinting along the corridors and hoped they had thesense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories.It was only ten to nine, if they just took refuge in the libraryor the Owlery, which were both nearer —
"Harry, come on!" shrieked Hermione from the center ofthe knot of people now fighting to get out.
He scooped up Dobby, who was still attempting to dohimself serious injury, and ran with the elf in his arms tojoin the back of the queue.
"Dobby — this is an order — get back down to the kitchenwith the other elves, and if she asks you whether youwarned me, lie and say no!" said Harry. "And I forbid you tohurt yourself!" he added, dropping the elf as he made itover the threshold at last and slamming the door behindhim.
"Thank you, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby, and hestreaked off. Harry glanced left and right, the others wereall moving so fast that he caught only glimpses of flyingheels at either end of the corridor before they vanished. Hestarted to run right; there was a boys' bathroom up ahead,he could pretend he'd been in there all the time if he couldjust reach it —
"AAARGH!"
Something caught him around the ankles and he fellspectacularly, skidding along on his front for six feet beforecoming to a halt. Someone behind him was laughing. Herolled over onto his back and saw Malfoy concealed in aniche beneath an ugly dragon-shaped vase.
"Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor —PROFESSOR! I've got one!"
Umbridge came bustling around the far corner,breathless but wearing a delighted smile.
"It's him!" she said jubilantly at the sight of Harry on thefloor. "Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good — fiftypoints to Slytherin! I'll take him from here. ... Stand up,Potter!"
Harry got to his feet, glaring at the pair of them. He hadnever seen Umbridge looking so happy. She seized his armin a vicelike grip and turned, beaming broadly, to Malfoy."You hop along and see if you can round up anymore ofthem, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library— anybody out of breath — check the bathrooms, MissParkinson can do the girls' ones — off you go — and you,"she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Malfoywalked away. "You can come with me to the headmaster'soffice, Potter."
They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. Harrywondered how many of the others had been caught. Hethought of Ron — Mrs. Weasley would kill him — and of howHermione would feel if she was expelled before she couldtake her O.W.L.s. And it had been Seamus's very firstmeeting ... and Neville had been getting so good. ...
"Fizzing Whizbee," sang Umbridge, and the stonegargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and theyascended the moving stone staircase. They reached thepolished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge didnot bother to knock, she strode straight inside, still holdingtight to Harry.
The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sittingbehind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his longfingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly besidehim, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister ofMagic, was rocking backward and forward on his toesbeside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with thesituation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizardHarry did not recognize with very short, wiry hair werepositioned on either side of the door like guards, and thefreckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hoveredexcitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll ofparchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.
The portraits of old headmasters and mistresses were notshamming sleep tonight. All of them were watching whatwas happening below, alert and serious. As Harry entered,a few flitted into neighboring frames and whisperedurgently into their neighbors' ears.
Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp as the doorswung shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring athim with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face.
"Well," he said. "Well, well, well ..."
Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. Hisheart drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddlycool and clear.
"He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower," saidUmbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice,the same callous pleasure Harry had heard as she watchedProfessor Trelawney dissolving with misery in the entrancehall. "The Malfoy boy cornered him."
"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I mustremember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter ... I expect you knowwhy you are here?"
Harry fully intended to respond with a defiant "yes": Hismouth had opened and the word was half formed when hecaught sight of Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore was notlooking directly at Harry; his eyes were fixed upon a pointjust over his shoulder, but as Harry stared at him, he shookhis head a fraction of an inch to each side.
Harry changed direction mid-word.
"Yeh — no."
"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.
"No," said Harry, firmly.
"You don't know why you are here?"
"No, I don't," said Harry.
Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to ProfessorUmbridge; Harry took advantage of his momentaryinattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, whogave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of awink.
"So you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positivelysagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge hasbrought you to this office? You are not aware that you havebroken any school rules?"
"School rules?" said Harry. "No."
"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.
"Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly.
His heart was still hammering very fast. It was almostworth telling these lies to watch Fudge's blood pressurerising, but he could not see how on earth he would get awaywith them. If somebody had tipped off Umbridge about theD.A. then he, the leader, might as well be packing his trunkright now.
"So it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thickwith anger, "that an illegal student organization has beendiscovered within this school?"
"Yes, it is," said Harry, hoisting an unconvincing look ofinnocent surprise onto his face.
"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him,"we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."
"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glancedmaliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room."There's nothing like a good witness, is there,Dumbledore?"
"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely,inclining his head.
There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobodylooked at each other, then Harry heard the door openbehind him. Umbridge moved past him into the room,gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend Marietta,who was hiding her face in her hands.
"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," saidProfessor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it'squite all right, now. You have done the right thing. Theminister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling yourmother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother,Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is MadamEdgecombe from the Department of MagicalTransportation. Floo Network office — she's been helpingus police the Hogwarts fires, you know."
"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother,like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don'tbe shy, let's hear what you've got to — galloping gargoyles!"
As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backward inshock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed andstamped on the hem of his cloak, which had started tosmoke, and Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of herrobes right up to her eyes, but not before the whole roomhad seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series ofclose-set purple pustules that had spread across her noseand cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."
"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridgeimpatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouthand tell the Minister —"
But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook herhead frantically.
"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snappedUmbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back onto her faceand said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to myoffice shortly after dinner this evening and told me she hadsomething she wanted to tell me. She said that if Iproceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimesknown as the Room of Requirement, I would find outsomething to my advantage. I questioned her a little furtherand she admitted that there was to be some kind of meetingthere. Unfortunately at that point this hex," she wavedimpatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came intooperation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirrorthe girl became too distressed to tell me any more."
"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what heevidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look. "It is verybrave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge,you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me whathappened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who wasthere?"
But Marietta would not speak. She merely shook her headagain, her eyes wide and fearful.
"Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Fudge askedUmbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So shecan speak freely?"
"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admittedgrudgingly, and Harry felt a surge of pride in Hermione'sjinxing ability. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, Ican take up the story from here.
"You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a reportback in October that Potter had met a number of fellowstudents in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade —"
"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in ProfessorMcGonagall.
"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, whohappened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavilybandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired,"said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter saidand hastened straight to the school to report to me —"
"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up allthose regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall,raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into ourjustice system!"
"Blatant corruption!" roared the portrait of the corpulent,red-nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk."The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in myday, no sir, they did not!"
"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledoresoftly.
"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students,"continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them tojoin an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells andcurses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate forschool-age —"
"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," saidDumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moonspectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.
Harry stared at him. He could not see how Dumbledorewas going to talk him out of this one; if Willy Widdershinshad indeed heard every word he said in the Hog's Headthere was simply no escaping it.
"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls ofhis feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bullstory designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then,Dumbledore, go on — Willy Widdershins was lying, was he?Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day?Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversalof time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple ofinvisible dementors?"
Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh.
"Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"
Harry could have kicked him. Then he saw, to hisastonishment, that Dumbledore was smiling gently too.
"Cornelius, I do not deny — and nor, I am sure, doesHarry — that he was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that hewas trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the DarkArts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quitewrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time,illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning allstudent societies was not put into effect until two days afterHarry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking anyrules in the Hog's Head at all."
Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face bysomething very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in midbounce, his mouth hanging open.
Umbridge recovered first.
"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smilingsweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from theintroduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. Ifthe first meeting was not illegal, all those that havehappened since most certainly are."
"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with politeinterest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "theycertainly would be, if they had continued after the decreecame into effect. Do you have any evidence that thesemeetings continued?"
As Dumbledore spoke, Harry heard a rustle behind himand rather thought Kingsley whispered something. Hecould have sworn too that he felt something brush againsthis side, a gentle something like a draft or bird wings, butlooking down he saw nothing there.
"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible widetoadlike smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore?Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"
"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?"said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I was under theimpression that she was merely reporting a meetingtonight."
"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us howlong these meetings have been going on, dear. You cansimply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't makethe spots worse. Have they been happening regularly overthe last six months?"
Harry felt a horrible plummeting in his stomach. This wasit, they had hit a dead end of solid evidence that not evenDumbledore would be able to shift aside. ...
"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge saidcoaxingly to Marietta. "Come on, now, that won't activatethe jinx further. ..."
Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta'sface. Only her eyes were visible between the pulled uprobes and her curly fringe. Perhaps it was a trick of thefirelight, but her eyes looked oddly blank. And then — toHarry's utter amazement — Marietta shook her head.
Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge and then back atMarietta.
"I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear?I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings forthe past six months? You have, haven't you?"
Again, Marietta shook her head.
"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" saidUmbridge in a testy voice.
"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," saidProfessor McGonagall harshly. "There have been no secretmeetings for the past six months. Is that correct, MissEdgecombe?"
Marietta nodded.
"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridgefuriously. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you toldme about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter wasthe leader, was he not, Potter organized it, Potter — whyare you shaking your head, girl?"
"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," saidMcGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no.' So unless MissEdgecombe is using a form of sign language as yetunknown to humans —"
Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around toface her, and began shaking her very hard. A split secondlater Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised. Kingsleystarted forward and Umbridge leapt back from Marietta,waving her hands in the air as though they had beenburned.
"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores,"said Dumbledore, and for the first time, he looked angry.
"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," saidKingsley in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to getyourself into trouble now."
"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at thetowering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes — you're right,Shacklebolt — I — I forgot myself."
Marietta was standing exactly where Umbridge hadreleased her. She seemed neither perturbed by Umbridge'ssudden attack, nor relieved by her release. She was stillclutching her robe up to her oddly blank eyes, staringstraight ahead of her. A sudden suspicion connected toKingsley's whisper and the thing he had felt shoot past himsprang into Harry's mind.
"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settlesomething once and for all, "the meeting tonight — the onewe know definitely happened —"
"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes ...well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded atonce to the seventh floor, accompanied by certaintrustworthy students, so as to catch those in the meetingred-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of myarrival, however, because when we reached the seventhfloor they were running in every direction. It does notmatter, however. I have all their names here, MissParkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see ifthey had left anything behind. ... We needed evidence andthe room provided ..."
And to Harry's horror, she withdrew from her pocket thelist of names that had been pinned upon the Room ofRequirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.
"The moment I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew whatwe were dealing with," she said softly.
"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face."Excellent, Dolores. And ... by thunder ..."
He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standingbeside Marietta, his wand held loosely in his hand.
"See what they've named themselves?" said Fudgequietly. "Dumbledore's Army."
Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchmentfrom Fudge. He gazed at the heading scribbled byHermione months before and for a moment seemed unableto speak. Then he looked up, smiling.
"Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like awritten confession from me, Cornelius — or will a statementbefore these witnesses suffice?"
Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other.There was fear in both faces. He did not understand whatwas going on, and neither, apparently, did Fudge.
"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What — I don't — ?"
"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, stillsmiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face."Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army."
"But — but —"
Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He tooka horrified step backward, yelped, and jumped out of thefire again.
"You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smolderingcloak.
"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.
"You organized this?"
"I did," said Dumbledore.
"You recruited these students for — for your army?"
"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," saidDumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they wouldbe interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistaketo invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."
Marietta nodded. Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore,his chest swelling.
"Then you have been plotting against me!" he yelled.
"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.
"NO!" shouted
Harry.Kingsley flashed a look of warning at him, McGonagallwidened her eyes threateningly, but it had suddenlydawned upon Harry what Dumbledore was about to do, andhe could not let it happen.
"No — Professor Dumbledore!"
"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave myoffice," said Dumbledore calmly.
"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge, who was still oglingDumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. "Well, well,well — I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter andinstead —"
"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling."It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"
"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering withdelight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everythinghe's said, his confession, have you got it?"
"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nosewas splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.
"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an armyagainst the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilizeme?"
"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notesjoyfully.
"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee."Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the DailyProphet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make themorning edition!" Percy dashed from the room, slammingthe door behind him, and Fudge turned back toDumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to theMinistry, where you will be formally charged and then sentto Azkaban to await trial!"
"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought wemight hit that little snag."
"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "Isee no snag, Dumbledore!"
"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."
"Oh really?"
"Well — it's just that you seem to be laboring under thedelusion that I am going to — what is the phrase? 'Comequietly.' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all,Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent toAzkaban. I could break out, of course — but what a waste oftime, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things Iwould rather be doing."
Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder, she lookedas though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudgestared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on hisface, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blowand could not quite believe it had happened. He made asmall choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley andthe man with short gray hair, who alone of everyone in theroom had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gaveFudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, awayfrom the wall. Harry saw his hand drift, almost casually,toward his pocket.
"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'msure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember thatyou achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if youattempt to — er — 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurtyou."The man called Dawlish blinked, looking rather foolish. Helooked toward Fudge again, but this time seemed to behoping for a clue as to what to do next.
"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend totake on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself singlehanded, do you, Dumbledore?"
"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Notunless you are foolish enough to force me to."
"He will not be single-handed!" said ProfessorMcGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.
"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply."Hogwarts needs you!"
"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his ownwand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! Take him!"
A streak of silver light flashed around the room. Therewas a bang like a gunshot, and the floor trembled. A handgrabbed the scruff of Harry's neck and forced him down onthe floor as a second silver flash went off — several of theportraits yelled, Fawkes screeched, and a cloud of dustfilled the air. Coughing in the dust, Harry saw a dark figurefall to the ground with a crash in front of him. There was ashriek and a thud and somebody cried, "No!" Then thesound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, agroan — and silence.
Harry struggled around to see who was half-stranglinghim and saw Professor McGonagall crouched beside him.She had forced both him and Marietta out of harm's way.Dust was still floating gently down through the air ontothem. Panting slightly, Harry saw a very tall figure movingtoward them.
"Are you all right?" said Dumbledore.
"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up anddragging Harry and Marietta with her.
The dust was clearing. The wreckage of the office loomedinto view: Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all ofthe spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silverinstruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley, andDawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenixsoared in wide circles above them, singing softly.
"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would havelooked very suspicious," said Dumbledore in a low voice."He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying MissEdgecombe's memory like that while everyone was lookingthe other way — thank him for me, won't you, Minerva?
"Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best ifthey do not know that we had time to communicate — youmust act as though no time has passed, as though theywere merely knocked to the ground, they will notremember —"
"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered ProfessorMcGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"
"Oh no," said Dumbledore with a grim smile. "I am notleaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd neverdislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you. ..."
"Professor Dumbledore ..." Harry began.
He did not know what to say first: how sorry he was thathe had started the D.A. in the first place and caused all thistrouble, or how terrible he felt that Dumbledore wasleaving to save him from expulsion? But Dumbledore cuthim off before he could say another word.
"Listen to me, Harry," he said urgently, "you must studyOcclumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Doeverything Professor Snape tells you and practice itparticularly every night before sleeping so that you canclose your mind to bad dreams — you will understand whysoon enough, but you must promise me —"
The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbledore seizedHarry's wrist.
"Remember — close your mind —"
But as Dumbledore's fingers closed over Harry's skin, apain shot through the scar on his forehead, and he feltagain that terrible, snakelike longing to strike Dumbledore,to bite him, to hurt him —
"— you will understand," whispered Dumbledore.
Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him.Dumbledore released Harry, raised his hand, and graspedthe phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire andthe pair of them had gone.
"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from theground. "Where is he?"
"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet."Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "Youcan't inside this school —"
"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon thedoor, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closelyby Kingsley and Umbridge. Fudge hesitated, then got to hisfeet slowly, brushing dust from his front. There was a longand painful silence.
"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his tornshirtsleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friendDumbledore."
"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagallscornfully.
Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around atthe wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; oneor two even made rude hand gestures.
"You'd better get those two off to bed," said Fudge,looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nodtoward Harry and Marietta.
She said nothing, but marched Harry and Marietta to thedoor. As it swung closed behind them, Harry heard PhineasNigellus's voice.
"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on manycounts ... but you cannot deny he's got style. ..."
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