DISCLAIMER: See
A/N: The first version of this chapter didn't seem entirely realistic, and admittingly, I rushed through it because I REALLY WANTED TO BASH UMBRIDGE! Oh, and it's where we first see some of Harry's hidden powers, so that made it more important. ;)
CHAPTER 10: DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY VERSUS INQUISITORIAL SQUAD
Bonis quisquis
parcit
Standing there on the threshold with a smug look on her face was
Dolores
Jane Umbridge, one of Harry's most hated
people in
the world. But she wasn't alone. Standing there like bodyguards were
most of
her Inquisitorial Squad: Draco Malfoy,
Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle,
Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode,
and
"I'm afraid you're too late, Dolores," said Dumbledore with a smile
on his face as though nothing was wrong at the moment. "The innocence
of
Harry's godfather has been proven, and Pettigrew is still alive and
serving Voldemort under the alias 'Wormtail.'
And you're in trouble, so beware of Aurors,"
he
added with that twinkle in his eyes.
"How dare you, I'm Senior Undersecretary to the Minister-"
"Who's disgusted at what you've been doing, 'for his sake,'" Lupin cut across. "And I'm sure Sirius would
have torn
you apart if he found out what you did to his godson."
"What did she do?" Mrs. Weasley cut in,
with a deadly tone in her voice.
Lupin bent down to whisper in her ear. She
went from
serious to shocked to furious in a matter of seconds. "A
BLOOD QUILL!? Keeping him up 'til past midnight!? No wonder he
would
have been tired, between the time and the blood loss!"
"You act as if he's your son," Umbridge
sneered.
"He's as good as," said Mrs. Weasley
fiercely. "He's done a lot for my family. He's saved the lives of both
my
husband and daughter. He funded this joke shop, which has already been
a huge
success thus far. He's defeated Death Eaters who you've either let walk
free or
failed to capture. At least your beloved Minister has finally made the
right
choice between what's right and what's easy!"
Umbridge looked taken aback. Then she
countered,
"Oh really? Well, at least Cornelius Fudge doesn't work with Muggle-obsessed fools like your husband! And
what would YOU
know, for a stupid housewife who probably can't even use a skillet!"
Mrs. Weasley let out an ominous noise
somewhere
between a shriek and a snarl. Harry and the others immediately backed
up a few
feet. Even Dumbledore took a couple of steps backwards. Mrs. Weasley loved cooking the same way Harry loved Quidditch. How dare this demon of a woman talk
like this! Mrs.
Weasley's face was steadily becoming as red
as her
fiery hair. This toad-faced woman just didn't know when to shut up!
"Yes, of course, Potter could be part of your family, what with his dreadful
temper-"
BAM!
With surprising speed, even for her, Mrs. Weasley
had
crossed the room, and like one of her twin sons hitting a Bludger,
she swung the skillet in her hand with all her might and hit Umbridge with it over the head. The latter
staggered and
hung onto the door for support, with one hand feeling her forehead,
which now
sported a large bruise.
Mrs. Weasley smirked, looking triumphant.
"Who
says I can't use a skillet?" There were several snickers and a few
laughs.
(1)
Umbridge, however, looked ready to kill.
She then had
that horrible wide grin of hers as she slowly raised her wand. "When
will
you people realize? You must not support Harry Potter."
A light suddenly blossomed at the end of Umbridge's wand, and with reflexes so quick for her no one saw it coming, it then shot out at the general crowd before anyone could respond. Being the defensive person that he was, Harry divided in the way while casting a Shield Charm. As it bounced back, Harry could somehow feel how Dark the magic was, which somehow confused him, since the Shield Charm was primarily designed for minor, legal and less powerful curses.
The earsplitting shriek that ensued a minute later told Harry that
it
somehow worked; Umbridge now had ugly
boils popping
up all over her body.
Umbridge quickly muttered a spell to heal herself, and the ugly brown boils all
disappeared.
"Well, Potter," she exclaimed, "Maybe I can teach that lesson to
one of your other admirers."
Before Harry could respond, there was a loud BANG!,
and ropes shot out of her wand and towards Cho.
The
girl screamed as the thin cords wrapped themselves around her. A wave
of Umbridge's wand levitated Cho
towards her.
Harry felt like he had been electrocuted. Then, with sudden reflexes,
he chased
after them, with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna right behind
him.
Other people in the street scattered as the Boy Who Lived pursued the
Senior
Undersecretary with a look of utmost fury on his face. The Squad and
their
leader had stopped in a circular plaza, about a hundred meters in
diameter,
with some benches and a fountain in the center. The half dozen D.A.
members
chasing her stopped with their wands focused on their quarries.
Umbridge smiled. "Right
into
my trap. CIRCAMURA!" (2)
A huge electrical barrier ran the circumference of the plaza.
Dumbledore, Lupin and the other adults
were trying to break through it,
but not even Dumbledore could do so. "Try all you'd like!" she
gloated to them through the shimmering barrier. "It won't work unless I
release the spell or if something happens to me!"
Harry, meanwhile, Summoned Cho away
from
"Yes, I'm fine," Cho responded, smoothly
drawing her wand while getting up.
"So, you think you know more than me, Pothead?" Umbridge
simpered. Her goons chuckled.
"More than you, since I had to teach defense to my fellow students
because
you refused to do so, Dumbridge," Harry
shot
back. His friends and the gathering spectators laughed.
Umbridge looked truly murderous now. "Get
him," she growled to her minions. (3)
Like two opposing waves, her Squad clashed with Harry's group. He and Malfoy automatically sought each other out and
fought like
tigers. Malfoy sent several Stunners at
Harry, who
easily dodged them. Malfoy went to one
side to get a
better shot when Harry, all in the space of about 5 seconds, hit him
with a
Trip Jinx and blew a crater in the ground, which Malfoy
then fell into with a groan.
"I owed you that," Harry said as he ran to help out his friends. (4)
The battle ranged on within 10 minutes. Spells flew as the crowd
watched in
amazement. Umbridge, on the other hand,
watched in
horror as her cronies fell, one after another. Ron and Ginny produced a
Bat
Bogey Hex so dense that Crabbe and Goyle were punching each other in confusion.
Hermione
succeeded in giving Pany the face of a pug
and
watched with a distinct pleasure as the latter barked but was unable to
articulate a single spell. Neville successfully stunned Nott, and was
helping
Luna do the same to Bulstrode. Just then,
"Thanks," he said weakly as his attacker fell to the ground.
Cho was about to respond when Umbridge
screamed, "EXPELLIARMUS!"
Harry was lifted off his feet and sent backwards into the barrier. He
felt the
electric charges surge throughout his body. He fell to his knees,
doubled up
with pain, breathing raggedly.
"Give up yet, Potter?" Umbridge simpered
teasingly.
Sudden rage shot throughout Harry, replacing the pain. As he got up, he
saw the
Squad quickly form a counterattack against his friends. He also saw Malfoy strangle Cho.
She was
screaming in pain.
At this sight, Harry's mind seemed to slip away. All heads turned
towards him
as he got up.
Harry responded as though he had expected this. "EXPELLIARMUS!"
The sloth-faced brute yelled as he went flying through the air as
though he had
been shot from a catapult. He then turned his attention towards the
others.
Predictably, Crabbe and Goyle
lunged at him. "WINGUARDIAM LEVIOSA!" The stone
Harry moved like the wind, using his Quidditch-raised
reflexes, avoiding spells and fists alike, all that time with that calm
yet
determined look on his face. He systematically blocked their attacks
before he
went at them. His friends gaped at his sudden fighting skills, except
for Cho, who used this opportunity to go
after Umbridge herself.
After dodging Nott's attack, he sent a strong Stinging Hex, which hit
the weedy
Slytherin in the arm. There was a hissing
sound, like
acid eating through fabric, and Nott howled in pain, cradling his arm.
Bulstrode charged at Harry next. Harry got
her with a
Conjunctivitus Curse. She shrieked in pain
while
clutching at her eyes, and tripped over an unconscious Crabbe.
Pansy screamed, "Take this, Potter! STUPEFY!"
"PROTEGO!" Harry blocked the Stunner. "No thank
you, but why don't you? STUPEFY!" Pansy was actually lifted off
her
feet and landed a couple of meters away, completely knocked out.
This left him and Malfoy. Before his
adversary could
even do anything, Harry roared "SERPENSORTIA!" An enormous
snake the size of an anaconda shot out of his wand. He commanded it in Parseltongue, "Get him! Don't let him get away!"
The snake obeyed, and wrapped itself around a terrified Malfoy,
hissing furiously.
Cho and Umbridge
were still
dueling. "You don't know the pain I felt, after losing Cedric, and you
just denied what happened to him!"
Umbridge simpered, "Oh, you'll feel pain
in a moment, my dear! CRU-"
But in the couple of seconds between the emphasis on the word "pain"
and the beginning of the Cruciatus Curse,
Harry felt
a sudden warm wind surround him, and a fiery righteous fury swelled
inside of
him. He knew what Umbridge was going to
do. With a
sudden red-gold glow in his eyes, he dropped his wand, raised his hand,
and
roared "NO!!!"
A gigantic fireball that vaguely resembled a lion's head shot from him
towards Umbridge. She screamed as it
engulfed her, after Cho jumped to the
side. Before he fainted from the combined
shock and exhaustion, the last thing he saw was the barrier fading, the
muttering of the crowd, and Cho rushing
forward to
help him.
(End of Chapter 10.)
A/N: My first ever battle scene... sigh... Oh, the memories...
(1) This was an allusion to the movie "Chocolat."
(2) It's supposed to mean "Circular Wall." And so you remember now, it's Dark magic, and the wall doesn't go down until the caster (Umbridge, in this case) releases her control (which can also happened if the caster is knocked out or killed). Hence, the Order couldn't break in.
(3) I was watching "Matrix: Reloaded" while writing this, so I guess this was influenced by those fight scenes in the courtyard and in the Merovingian's place.
(4) Think back to OotP,
ch. 27, when Malfoy
uses one on Harry.