Chapter 44: Chapter 44
Dolores Umbridge came back from the Ministry with high spirits. She had finally figured out a way to stop that Potter brat. Oh, how she hated that little liar! She would get him if it was the last thing she did! She had bribed a reporter into writing a horrible article about that blasted boy and soon, everything would be perfect.
That Potter boy had been the bane of her existence. Ever since that trial of Sirius Black, the Ministry had taken a beating, but pretty soon, it became worse. At that Lockhart trial, she had wanted to watch the memory as she couldn't let the chance of seeing two handsome boys naked slip between her fingers. But then that criminal Black had threatened her with a Blood feud. Those things weren't seen for centuries and would definitely wipe her out, so she had chosen to remain quiet. She had been ecstatic when all those negative news came out about Potter. She had asked Cornelius to arrest the half-blood brat, but he had refused. But pretty soon, he had killed that basilisk (she was sure that he lied about it; as if he could kill a basilisk) and was a hero again. Cornelius and Lucius had both taken a huge beating from that; Lucius had lost nearly all his influence in the Ministry because of that blasted Magical Daily paper. All attempts to find out the new owner proved to be useless; it was like he didn't even exist whoever that Frank Olive guy was. She was sure he was a mudblood. Oh, how she wished she could strangle him.
She had helped Lucius organise the Death Eater attacks at the World Cup, but that blasted paper had discovered her involvement. It was only due to a lot of bribery and blackmail had she evaded an investigation (Amelia Black had been furious about that), and she was completely broke now. But of course, Potter had become a hero again. She thought that Goblet of Fire incident would cause chaos, but nooo, it didn't. He was a hero again!
But she wouldn't stand for it. Tomorrow's paper would bring the Potter family down once and for all, just as she had always dreamed of. She walked into the small living room, but slipped on something. She screamed, but instead of falling, she felt something impact her. She the familiar pull of a portkey and she painfully landed on a cold stone floor. She groaned and got up to find that her wand was missing! She was in a dungeon of some kind, behind metal bars. She got up and tried to get out, but they wouldn't budge! They were magically fused with the stone.
"Dolores Umbridge" said a voice. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence; welcome to our ancestral home"
She couldn't see anyone as it was quite dark. "Who are you?" she asked fearfully. "Do you know who I am? I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic!" she screeched. "You better release me this instant!"
"Oh, why would I do that, my dear?" said the voice, sounding amused. "I have plenty of things to ask you. You have been a thorn in my side Dolores. And now, you try to bribe one of my reporters?"
"You!" shouted Umbridge. "You're that Frank Olive guy we have been searching for! You just wait, mudblood, Cornelius would have your head for this! I'll ensure that you receive the dementor's kiss. Soon, your paper will be in the hands of the Ministry as it should always have been!"
"Tut tut, Dolores" said the voice. "If you want to even accuse me of anything much less try to sentence me to be killed, you would be killed far before that, my dear. I wouldn't even have to raise a finger, as the public would do it themselves."
"Why don't you show your face, you filthy liar!" she shouted, rattling the bars of her cell, but she couldn't move them.
"If you insist, my dear" said the voice. The lighting charms activated, providing a dim glow. She saw who was standing in front of her. "No" she said, shaking her head. "This is impossible!"
Harry smirked. "What's impossible? That a mere fourteen-year-old boy has kidnapped you? I must say I'm disappointed in you. The wards around your house were pathetic."
"You control that stupid paper?" shouted Umbridge, anger coursing through her veins. "I'll have you killed Potter, mark my words. The Ministry will find me, and when they do, you'll be in big trouble."
Harry simply yawned. "No one would ever find you here Dolores. You're in the dungeons of one of the most heavily warded and fortified castles in the world. It has withstood sieges for more than a thousand years and I'm not about to let it fall anytime soon. As for getting me killed, who's going to believe you? I'm the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. I'm the public's golden boy and every girl's lover boy" he smirked. "When compared to me, just who the hell are you?"
"But enough chit chat" said Harry. "I'm here to find out your secrets, so let's begin. Are you going to talk or should I make you?" he asked smirking.
"Go to hell, brat!" shouted Umbridge. "I'll never tell you anything! You're nothing but an uppity half-blood bastard born to a mudblood whore!"
Suddenly, Umbridge screamed as several painful cuts erupted all over her body. She was tossed around the walls of the dungeon and came to rest at Harry's feet whimpering. "Never insult my mother in front of me" said Harry in a low, dangerous voice. "And never use that disgusting word either. I will never tolerate the insult of four women I greatly admire and look up to – my mother, Lily Potter; my honorary aunt, Amelia Black; my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Greengrass; and of course, my fiancée, Daphne. Insult any one of them again, and you'll feel my wrath."
Harry then chuckled darkly. He pointed his thunderbird feather wand at her and petrified her. With a wave of his wand, the metal doors of the cell opened. "I knew you would never answer my questions, so I'll have to do this the underhanded way" he purred, looking into her terrified eyes. "I'll make this as painless as possible. After all, we want you to suffer later, don't we? Legilimens!"
Fifteen minutes later, Harry removed himself from her mind. The smile was gone from his face, but now, only hate and anger remained. "You bitch" he snarled. His hair turned white and lightning bolts appeared all over his body. "How many lives have you ruined because of your quest for power?" he asked, kicking her face.
"So, you're the one who escaped the clutches of William Potter" he said quietly, enjoying the terrified expression on her face. "Your ancestor was the one who tried to seize Potter Castle and murdered various members of the Potter family in the process. Every one of the attackers was killed, but one woman had escaped the wrath of my great-great-grandfather, and you are her descendant. Your family was responsible for the Potter massacre. And now, you're trying your best to end the line with me" he said dangerously. "You should know that I'm very protective of my family. You messed with the wrong wizard, Dolores."
"Not only that" he said, moving around her, circling like a tiger would its prey "you also kidnapped several boys and girls, children, and started a prostitution ring to serve your sick desires and that of your clients. That was the reason you wanted to watch that memory so badly at my trial; you wanted to use me for your underhanded business. That's how you made money and rose through the ranks at the Ministry; bribery and blackmail. I can't believe that there are such witches and wizards who would do something like that. It is a violation against Old Magic, and they will be punished. Lockhart might have been put in Azkaban, but had he actually gone through with the act, nothing could have prevented him from certain death."
Umbridge was shivering from head to toe. How had he found out so quickly? She had to do something, but she was bound.
"You know, I promised myself that I would never use the Cruciatus curse after what happened to my godmother and her husband" whispered Harry, his face inches from hers. "But lucky for me, I have a better method I could use."
With that, Harry let out several bolts of non-lethal lightning from the fingertips of his right hand, his left still gripping his wand. He could use the lightning to kill as well, but he didn't want her to die this soon. He hated child abuse and thought it was non-existent in the magical world; looks like he was wrong. He would make them all pay! He was not surprised to note that all her clients were former Death Eaters.
After several bursts of lightning over the interval of several minutes, he stopped. Umbridge was twitching on the ground, very weak. The lightning was more painful that she had ever experienced, and she had even experienced the Cruciatus curse once! Just how powerful was he? Fear gripped her, as she remembered the Hogwarts motto 'Never tickle a sleeping dragon'
"Very good dear" said Harry, reading her mind. "But your realization comes a little late. It is never a good idea to mess with me, or the Potter family in general. Now, we have dessert. We need to make you pay for all that you have done to those poor children, don't we? Dobby!" he called.
"It is ready, Master Hadrian" said Dobby.
"Do you remember this elf, Dolores?" said Harry, sneering darkly at the twitching woman. "The elf you loved to torture so frequently when you visited Malfoy Manor? Well, dear Dobby has a surprise for you. Show her Dobby."
Dobby snapped his fingers and a snake and horse appeared. Umbridge shrieked when she saw the animals.
"It's time for you to be the victim Dolores. You hate children and magical creatures, don't you? You've done your best to make their existence as miserable as possible" said Harry, hate dripping in his words. "Let's see how you like being repeatedly fucked by a horse and a snake."
Harry watched with an evil smirk on his face as the animals began its torture of Umbridge as she screamed in fear. Too bad the woman wouldn't be sent to Azkaban. Those dementors would sure help her remember this incident very well.
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The morning three days later, Harry smirked when he saw Hedwig deliver the paper as usual. He gave the bird some bacon and opened it.
SENIOR UNDERSECRETARY DOLORES UMBRIDGE ARRESTED FOR MULTIPLE COUNTS OF BRIBERY AND BLACKMAIL
UMBRIDGE KIDNAPPED MAGICAL CHILDREN TO USE THEM FOR HER PROSTITUTION RING
WIZENGAMOT CALLS FOR EMERGENCY SESSION
Harry immediately sent a message to Sirius on his mirror.
"Not going to miss this session, huh?" asked Daphne, reading the article.
"Of course not" said Harry, with dark humour in his voice. "As you said before, Umbridge is personal."
Daphne smirked.
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The Wizengamot members shuffled into the room at ten thirty that morning. Cornelius Fudge looked ashen-faced as he took his seat, trying to remain as unnoticed as possible. His term as Minister had been horrible; nothing like he had foreseen. How was he going to survive this?
Harry calmly entered the chamber with Sirius by his side and went to the chairs reserved for guests. He saw reporters from the Magical Daily, as well as a crystal suspend in the air. He smirked. He had made a huge killing from the sales of Miller's Magical Mirrors as he owned forty-nine percent of the business. Serena had taken Harry's advice and had adopted two children who were magical who were in muggle orphanages. He had checked up on them, and they were awed by magic and were clearly very happy in their new home.
Chief Witch Lady Acton finally sat down. "This is the emergency session of the Wizengamot held on the 28th of February, 1995, for the trial of one Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."
"Ahm" said Fudge nervously.
"Yes Minister?" asked Lady Acton coldly.
"There are the papers for the revocation of Dolores Umbridge's job as my Senior Undersecretary" he said shakily.
"Very good" said Acton, looking at the papers. "It has been noted that Dolores Umbridge is the former Senior Undersecretary. Bring her in."
Two Aurors, with hate clearly on their faces, brought a much tussled and still twitching Umbridge into the room. They harshly threw her on the chair and stood on either side of her as the chains snapped into place, binding her.
"Gently, Aurors" said Lady Acton, with amusement in her voice. It was very well known how much the Auror office and DMLE hated Umbridge.
"Sorry, ma'am" said one of them.
"Oh, it's quite alright" said Acton. "Let's begin, shall we? Lady Black, are you ready?"
Amelia removed a file from the many that had mysteriously appeared on her desk a few days ago. She didn't know how they had appeared there, but she had checked them and the evidence given was unquestionable. In her attempt at trying to blackmail others, Umbridge had landed herself in trouble as well.
"Ready, ma'am."
"Dolores Jane Umbridge" boomed Lady Acton. "You are here today due to multiple counts of corruption, bribery, and blackmail. You have also been running a prostitution ring involving orphaned teenage children, who are witches and wizards and making them serve the fantasies of your sick clients. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty of all charges" screeched Umbridge. "I'm innocent, I tell you! It was all my fault!"
The Wizengamot was silent. "Can you repeat that Madam Umbridge?" asked Acton lightly.
"It was entirely my fault! I'm responsible for it all! You must punish me!" she shouted again. No one saw Harry smirking faintly. He had used Legilimency and subconscious compulsions to make her tell that it was her fault when she tried to implicate Harry in anything. Merlin, he loved mind magic. Slowly, but surely, he would weed out the corruption that was prevalent in the Ministry of Magic.
"Well, I can't believe that you would do this and confess, but then again, no one can understand what goes on in that twisted mind of yours either" said Lady Acton disgustedly. "Since the accused has already admitted to her being guilty, we can vote for her conviction, but I will let Lady Black read out what her crimes are so that we all know how far we have fallen."
What followed was a gruelling thirty minutes, as Amelia read out the evidence against Umbridge, and many of the so-called 'Imperiused Death Eaters'. Harry wished that he could have gotten them as well, but he couldn't. Many of them were prominent members, with either Wizengamot seats or Ministry jobs, so it was better if the Wizengamot handled it. But he knew that it would be very difficult to arrest them. Judging by few of the empty seats, those people knew what would happen and had not turned up. They were probably already on the run, even before the DMLE could acquire arrest warrants.
Once she was done, Lady Acton began. "Dolores Jane Umbridge, due to your own admission and all the evidence submitted to this august body, I hereby sentence you to the Dementor's kiss. All those in favour?" she asked.
Nearly all of them lit their wands, the ones not voting in favour being Dumbledore and his very few band of supporters.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge, you are hereby sentenced to the Dementor's kiss. Take her away!"
"No! I'm the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister; Cornelius help me!" she said, as the Aurors dragged her away.
"As my position as Chief Witch, I also issue arrest warrants against Lords Nott, Malfoy and Selwyn, along with Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Avery, Gibbon, Crabbe, Goyle, Jugson, Pyrites, Borgin, Burke, Parkinson, Walden Macnair and Yaxley" she declared, while many of the Wizengamot members applauded. "They have committed a violation against Old Magic and have broken National and International Magical Law, and thus are answerable to the Wizengamot. I also order Wizarding Children Services to investigate the teenage children and ensure that their names never come out in public. They will receive new names and Lords Potter and Black have generously agreed to take care of any financial support needed for their living and education, and Lady Longbottom, Lord Greengrass and others have agreed to foot the medical bill for their healing and later sessions with a mind healer. This session hereby comes to a close" she said and banged her gravel as many stood up and applauded for justice being served at last.
Cornelius Fudge shrunk in his seat as he looked at the heated glares sent his way. It was his Undersecretary and many of them accused in this were his personal friends, whom he had vouched for. A vote of no confidence could very well be imminent. He wanted to cry. His rosy career and life seemed to be in pieces.
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Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office fuming. How in Merlin's name had such a complex network come down so rapidly? Dolores Umbridge, while a very weak and talentless witch, was quite cunning. How did she get caught? Not only that, she managed to bring down nearly the entire group of Voldemort's inner circle with her as well!
How was he supposed to redeem the Death Eaters if the DMLE arrested them and put them in Azkaban? This was not good at all! And there were signs that Tom was in the process of regaining his body. How would Tom take over the Ministry peacefully if all his minions are in prison? Then he would resort to violence, and he didn't want Tom to tread that path again. What to do? He would have to contact more of his sources to find more information.
His power block was near non-existent now. That blasted paper had seen to that. He was literally politically powerless! Dumbledore let out a primal scream of rage. More than fifty years of hard work destroyed because of one man – Frank Olive. Oh, how he hated that man. Oh well, he would need another bottle of firewhisky for tonight.
An hour later, Albus had passed out on his table, drunk; again.
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Draco Malfoy couldn't believe what he was reading. His mother had sent him a letter saying that his father was on the run from the DMLE. What was going on? He thought that his father was all powerful, but if that were the case, couldn't he bribe his way out? He put the newspaper down. Why did life have to be so complicated over the last two years? He wished everything was like how it had been; his father ruled the Ministry with bribes and blackmail, and he was the prince. But now, he was a son of a criminal.
He knew who was responsible for this of course. It was Potter's fault. It was always Potter's fault. And he would make him pay for what he did to his family. It had all started because of him, and he would get his family honour back if it was the last thing he did!
Poor Draco; he didn't know who he was dealing with.
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Harry spent increasing amount of time in the Room of Requirement, training heavily. He used the Diadem of Ravenclaw to learn from Tom Riddle's memories and studied from many books he got from the Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin libraries. Daphne and Aquila ensured that he didn't burn himself out, so he went frequently flying with the thunderbird and he had more intense make-out sessions with Daphne. They never took it to the point of no return, but they did enjoy what they were doing. They had also stopped sleeping in their dorms, choosing instead sleep in the Room every night, tangled in each other's arms.
"I think I want to do this" said Harry, pointing to the book he was reading. It was a book he had picked up from Salazar Slytherin's library and was pouring over many of the body enhancing rituals and others designed for speed and agility. From Riddle's memories, he knew that the older man had performed some horrific rituals, but he didn't want that. He wanted something effective, which didn't require him to make sacrifices on his body. He shuddered when he thought of what exactly Riddle had sacrificed to become the big, bad Dark Lord Voldemort. No man would want to do that.
"What is it?" asked Daphne, who was studying a book on Potions.
"It's a ritual in parseltongue, which Salazar found and used it on his body. Apparently, it would enhance my strength so that even if I am injured, I can continue fighting. Hmm, Re'em blood, I'll have to get it in the black market. I also need a drop of Vampire blood, which would greatly enhance my reflexes. Voldemort used something much, much worse, but this has no side effects. That will be difficult to procure. I'll first check if the ingredients I need are in Potter Castle. Hmm, quick healing is mentioned as well. I need phoenix tears, which I know I have at Potter Castle. What do you think?" he asked, not looking up from the book.
"I say go for it" said Daphne. "You'll need every advantage you can get, and if you are sure there are no side effects, use it. How long does it last?"
"Several years" said Harry, looking at the shocked face of Daphne. "I know. Riddle didn't know about this and used some horrible rituals to enhance his body. Parseltongue ensures that your biochemistry isn't altered, that it is long lasting, and that there are no side effects. That's why it is considered a sacred language; well, outside Europe anyway. I'm glad I was able to remove the stigma associated with the language."
"Will it affect our children?" asked Daphne, with narrowed eyes, thinking about it.
"No" said Harry after a minute, flipping through it. "I checked that as well, and I performed another parseltongue ritual on myself so that the basilisk venom doesn't get transferred to our children or to you during sex . . . wait . . . phoenix tears! I already have phoenix tears in my blood stream! I can perform that part of the ritual directly without procuring more."
"Good" said Daphne and breathed a sigh of relief. "Then do it well before the third task so that you can get accustomed to your body's new strength and agility. Speaking of which, what did Bagman want last night? I forgot to ask you about it."
"Oh, nothing much" said Harry idly. "We already knew the third task was going to be a maze, and he just confirmed it. That's all. There are going to be several creatures, wards, and spells to bypass; basically one hell of a challenge."
"I hope they don't overdo it" growled Daphne. "I'll snap their necks if they bring a Manticore or a Chimaera."
Harry chuckled and went over to give her a deep kiss. "Stay calm, tigress. Whatever it is, I'll handle it. Though I'm pretty sure there will be Class XXXX and Class XXXXX creatures, I doubt it would be anything that deadly and dangerous. The ICW wouldn't permit it, and neither would the public."
"You're right" said Daphne. She put her book down and moved to sit on his lap. "Enough studying for today" she growled and kissed him hard and passionately.
"Oh, you're in a feisty mood today" said Harry grinning. "I sure am going to enjoy myself."
Daphne only smirked as she pushed him down on the couch, pinning him with her hands. "You are" she said as she sat down on him, feeling his penis grow erect under her bum as she looking into his eyes. "You sure are"
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Harry took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. As much as he would have liked to practice on his own, he needed a teacher for better results. After all, the Death Eaters or Voldemort wouldn't be easy to beat if he ever met them. Powerful he may be, but he was still human, not to mention inexperienced. That's why he needed help from the best, which was why he was currently standing in front of the door of the Defence office. The door opened, and Alastor Moody looked at Harry.
"Ah, Potter" said Moody gruffly. "Come in."
Harry smiled faintly as he saw the various instruments and dark detectors. "I wondered why you didn't question me or attack me when I came in" he said, looking at the newly installed Foe glass.
Moody smirked and sat down. "So, what can I do for you this time, Potter?" he asked.
Harry stared out of the window, looking at the grounds. This was not the first time he had come to Moody's office. He had come regularly throughout the year, asking the man various things relating to duelling tactics to curses, so they were quite familiar with each other. Besides, Moody was very impressed with Harry and was also thankful that Harry had saved him from being imprisoned by Crouch. Needless to say, Dumbledore was on very shaky ground with Alastor Moody right now.
"I'll come straight to the point" said Harry. "I was wondering if you could help me in my training."
Moody grinned wickedly. "I was wondering when you were going to come to me" he said gruffly.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course you did" he muttered. It was to be expected. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had, and so was the best choice to be Harry's instructor.
"Be warned, Potter" said Moody. "I won't go easy on you. In fact, considering the danger you are in and the time constraint, it will be ten times worse than what I do at the Auror Academy. It will be insanely difficult. Are you up for the challenge?" he asked.
Harry nodded confidently. "I am" he answered quietly. "I need to be prepared for the worst. I don't want to use childish spells and land up dead. I want to be quick and efficient. I'm willing to train to the utmost level."
"Good boy" muttered Moody. "Thank Merlin you don't listen to Albus. Let's get started."
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The third task was set to take place on the 24th of June. As a champion, Harry was exempt from writing the end of year exams, but to the shock of many, he wrote them just them just to ensure that he had a record of his marks; there was a reason Harry was a Ravenclaw. Harry, not wanting to take any chances, had asked Amelia to bring Aurors to Hogwarts for the task. She had agreed, as she too felt that since Harry's name had been placed in the Goblet of Fire for a reason, he would be in danger.
The training over the past three months with Alastor Moody had been gruelling. Harry wondered if the man was insane in training him as he did. Daphne certainly disapproved of the horrifying duels he and Moody had in the Room of Requirement, along with the sharp increase in Harry's physical training. The old Auror was extremely impressed (and highly suspicious) of Harry's spells. He had never met a fourteen year old boy who was so highly knowledgeable. But knowing spells and fighting were two different things, which was what Moody was teaching Harry. By the time the third task rolled in, Moody had declared that Harry could definitely hold his own against the worst of the Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange. That was definitely the highest compliment Harry could ever have hoped to get. He was also proud of himself for surviving the training, as he was sure than any other boy his age or adult for that matter, would have crumpled under the strain just a few days into Moody's program.
The third task was to take place in the evening, so as to make it more ominous for the champions. After lunch, Harry and Daphne went back to the Room of Requirement to mediate and work on their Occlumency; they didn't want their emotions to get in the way of what was going to happen. Once done, Harry looked at the outfit he would be wearing. He stripped down to his boxers and Daphne helped him wear the basilisk hide vest he had commissioned for himself. These vests were worn to help in case of cuts on his body or any other attacks. They were useless in case of very lethal curses like the Avada Kedavra, but it would protect him in case of cutting curses and such, which were crucial in case of a duel as one would not be firing only killing curses the whole time. It would also not work if someone fired a stunning spell on him, as the hide would repel it.
He also wore basilisk hide protective pads for his legs and arms, which were charmed using an array of runes to be feather light, along with his vest; otherwise it would be difficult for him to move wearing them. Charming dragon hide or basilisk hide was very difficult, as they repel any foreign magic, but he was able to find a person in Egypt who was competent in making it work. Needless to say, he had spent a small fortune on it. He then wore a leather suit over it. His thick long sleeved shirt was deep red in colour and made of leather; and so were his leather pants which were black, which were both charmed not to tear, along with cooling charms present in them. He then donned on his dragon hide boots as well. He looked at himself in the mirror. All in all, he looked like he was headed for war. He was right, as with all those former Death Eaters who were supposed to be arrested after Umbridge's trial weren't apprehended and were still out there.
His eyes flashed green. Today was the day his life would change forever.
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