DISCLAIMER:
See
A/N: And here we see
Harry again!
Oh, and by the way, here’s THE ORIGIN OF
JUDY ARNOLD’S NAME:
“Judy” comes
from “Judas,” and as a few people guessed correctly here, “
CHAPTER 42: TO HELL AND BACK AGAIN
Egone illum non fleam? Am I not to weep for him? -Plautus, Captivi (139)
Umbridge was searching desperately
through the
Antarctic wastes, trying to find the instructions to Dumbledore's
secret
weapon, trying to ignore the shivering cold as best she could.
Spying a black figure in the distance, she quickly rushed up to it,
trying not
to slip on the ice as she went.
Upon closer inspection, and to her disappointment, she saw that it was
an
emperor penguin, surveying the polar landscape.
"Damn," Umbridge muttered under her breath.
The penguin turned around to look at her, surveying her as it titled
its head
to one side. "Gawk?"
"What are you looking at, you
stupid little bird? I am Dolores Jane
Umbridge, former Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, worthy
and
humble servant of the Dark Lord himself-"
She was cut off as the penguin got angry and screeched, "Gawk
gawk gawk gawk gawk!"
The whole flock of penguins it belonged to suddenly popped out of
nowhere,
pelting her with snowball and icicles. One of them grabbed and stepped
on her
wand, thereby snapping it. The rest of them picked her up and carried
her away.
"NO! Unhand me, you flightless
turkeys! You can't do this to me! I am superior to you! You have
connections to
those damned centaurs, don't you! There's a conspiracy here, I know it! Nooo..."
Suddenly, the penguins' footsteps began to resemble a clip- clopping
noise,
like that of something with hooves... (1)
~*~*~*~
Umbridge awoke with a start, and sat bolt upright in her bed while
sweating a
lot. It took her a few moments to realize that she was not
in
Her head fell back and hit the pillows, as she enjoyed the sanctuary of
her own
room, especially being in her favorite fluffy pink nightgown.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she asked sweetly.
"A message to you from the Dark Lord," said a young man's voice from
outside.
After putting on a dressing robe and her slippers, she walked over to
the door.
Upon opening it, she saw a young man, panting slightly; evidently, he
ran as
fast as he could to deliver this message, which may have been the
reason for
the centaur-like footsteps in her dream.
"Yes?" she asked.
"You told me that you wanted to know when we had captured Potter,"
the young man said.
Umbridge blinked. "Go on."
"We captured Potter," he finished.
A wide, toad-like smile extended across her face. "Oh good," she said
excitedly, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Thank you for your
service."
The young man bowed dutifully and rushed back. Umbridge flinched and
shook a
little at the sound of his footsteps mimicking the sounds of a
centaur's, but
she quickly shook it off, eager to get down to business with that
Potter brat.
~*~*~*~
Almost an entire day before, Harry was about to receive a meager lunch
from the
dementors when the unthinkable happened; Voldemort had taken him.
All he remembered was the dementors flying aside, an evil, high-
pitched
cackle, and the same voice saying, "Stupefy!"
Now he was in the worst shape of his life, after having been tortured
for
several hours and getting only a few hours of sleep. Part of that was
due to
the fact that he was hanging from the ceiling by his chained wrists and
he had
a black blindfold over his eyes. (2)
His glasses had been stepped on and destroyed, although by sheer luck,
it had been
the spare pair without the extra functions on them.
He had been dragged across the floor, blinded with some serpent's
poison,
lacerated all over his body by knives and other sharp objects, had part
of his
hair set on fire before being put out, kicked, punched, beaten,
suffocated in
water, stabbed a little here and there... and worst of all was the
Cruciatus
Curse, which had been applied countless times. His memory lapsed a lot,
and the
whole demented experience seemed to blur into an endless frenzy of
sick,
psychotic torture.
And now, Harry was swaying back and forth a little some travesty of
pendulum,
covered in bruises, blood, and tattered robes, wondering what would
happen
next.
The door opened, and a familiar and unwelcome voice spoke. "Well well,
Mr.
Potter, we meet yet again."
"You," he literally spat, sending some blood and saliva onto the
ground. "What's your name again? The dementors seem to have something
to
do with that... Dumbrige? Umbitch? Dumb bitch?" (3)
"Manners, Mr. Potter," she chimed in her disgustingly sweet voice.
"I have a few questions to ask you. Given that you're the wild little
miscreant you are, I can see you'll be unwilling to volunteer. So... STUPEFY!"
~*~*~*~
When Harry came to again, he felt like he was in a strange sort of
trance. He
tried to move or say something, but his muscles wouldn't budge.
"Well, Mr. Potter," Umbridge's voice said smugly. "Thanks to our
dear friend, Joseph Cornwall, we'll interrogate you the same way we did
with
your idiotic godfather. Seven drops might just damage you for life, yet
at the
rate you're going, you won't live for much longer, now will you?"
There was insane laughter from a few different voices, which Harry
recognized
as those of Umbridge,
As he tried to block it out, he suddenly felt his mind sliding away...
Suddenly, he found himself walking through the halls of Hogwarts to
breakfast.
He was striding tall and determined, coming up from the Slytherin
dungeons with
black robes swishing about him. However, he felt more as though he was
a
spectator, simply watching the scene without actually being in control
of it.
'What the hell?' Harry thought.
The Bloody Baron then drifted through a wall and said, "Good morning,
Severus."
"Good morning, you Bloodiness, sir," Snape's voice said.
'WHAT THE HELL!?' Harry thought again, only with much more surprise
this time.
Then it occurred to him; somehow, due to the overdose of Veritaserum,
she
somehow linked into Snape's mind.
Well, it was worth a try...
Professor Snape! he mentally said.
Who is that? Snape's voice said in return.
Harry.
Why can I hear you in my head?
I'll make this as quick as possible: Voldemort took me out of
Azkaban,
tortured me, and Umbridge just used seven drops of Veritaserum on me.
Voldemort, Umbridge, Cornwall, and Lucius Malfoy are all in the room; I
was
trying to block out their awful laughter when somehow I ended up as a
sort of
bystander in your mind.
I'm no expert on this sort of thing, Potter, but it's a possibility
that
when you signed the blood magic over to me, the overdose of Veritaserum
somehow
linked you to me like this.
There's more I need to tell you... With that, he basically took
his whole
memory of his encounter with
Well, that felt that rather strange, Snape said sarcastically, Having
a memory simply given to you like that.
Nowhere as bad as this, Harry responded. With that, he
transferred his
entire memories of the torture to Snape.
Snape then swore colorfully enough to match Lupin's worst profanities;
Harry
caught phrases like "Oh Merlin," and "Bloody hell." If the
situation hadn't been so serious, Harry just might have found it
somewhat
amusing.
Please help me, Severus.
Hang in there, Harry. Hang in there...
Suddenly, Snape found himself sliding back to reality as he heard his
own mouth
say in a monotone voice, "...and neither can live while the other
sruvives."
Voldemort cackled evilly while someone shoved the antidote to
Veritaserum down
his mouth.
"So, that's the prophecy, is it? The way I've so often tried to kill
you,
it all seems worthless to know it now."
Harry said nothing and simply hung there. He was screwed. It was all
over. The
wizarding world was doomed, and some of the more foolish Hogwarts
students had
delivered him right into Voldemort's hands.
'Thanks, guys,' he thought sarcastically.
"Well, Dolores," Voldemort was saying, "Since you have helped so
much, go ahead."
"Thank you, my Lord," she breathed in a demented way. "I've
wanted to do this for such a long
time..."
As Harry realized exactly what she was talking about, he thought, 'Oh, shit no...'
"CRUCIO!"
~*~*~*~
Draco was getting up early to take a casual walk. Actually, he had
gotten up
early to go see Dumbledore, since his headmaster couldn't be found the
previous
night. After going to the nearest boy's bathroom and shutting the
stall, he
vanished from there.
The sunlight bathed the Headmaster's office in a golden glow which
seemed to
heighten the power and beauty of the place. Gryffindor's sword
reflected a bar
of light onto Fawkes, who was sleeping peacefully on his perch with a
wing over
his head.
"Good morning, Fawkes," he said quietly. Fawkes was instantly awake
without showing any signs of fatigue whatsoever. The immortal bird
chirped
politely as if to say, "Why are you
here?"
"I need to see Dumbledore," Draco said, "I just figured
something out."
Fawkes nodded and vanished in a burst of flames. Draco sat down in
front of the
desk, his head nodding off from early morning fatigue. His mind was now
half-conscious and he was just about ready to slip off into sleep again
when he
heard someone.
"You have important information, Mr. Serpenfils?"
Draco's head jerked up, and after blinking and yawning, he said,
"'Morning, Headmaster."
Dumbledore was dressed in sky-blue night robes and had a sleeping cap
which had
a Snitch hanging off the end of it. Draco tried not to snigger at his
headmaster's sense of fashion.
"Anyway, yes," Draco said, tearing his eyes off of Dumbledore's kinky
attire. "I was just wondering if Harry could be a possible descendant
of
Godric Gryffindor himself."
Dumbledore now wore the expression of a deer caught in the headlights
of a car.
Quickly collecting himself, he asked, "What makes you wonder such a
thing,
Mr. Serpenfils?"
Draco shrugged. "He finds a dress robe during Christmas with red and
gold
lions, he's a lion-phoenix Polyanimagus, he finds Gryffindor's sword...
notice
a pattern here?"
Dumbledore's expression somehow seemed to say "Checkmate."
"Well, Mr. Serpenfils, I think now that you have found out too much, I
might as well let you in on a few things."
Draco blinked. Somehow, he had expected Dumbledore to Obliviate him.
"Why
the trust?"
"For the same reason you and Mr. Potter managed to resolve their
differences," Dumbledore said with a grin. "Something called
maturity."
Draco laughed lightly in spite of himself.
Dumbledore's grin faded as he recounted the original prophecy made by
Professor
Trelawny. Draco's eyes nearly bulged at the thought of what Harry had
to go
through, with the weight of having to bring down Voldemort like that.
"That's intense," he commented after Dumbledore had finished reciting
it.
Dumbledore nodded as he told of both prophecies referring to the Heir
of
Gryffindor. Reflecting upon both of them, Draco said, "I guess Harry's
the
Heir, then." With a distinctly Slytherin grin, he then added,
"Somehow, I'm not surprised."
"Even in spite of his transfer more than a month ago," Dumbledore
continued, "He's still a fitting Gryffindor. He was brave and noble
enough
to try to bring down barriers of prejudice and strive for some kind of
piece,
even if those goals weren't achieved overnight."
"Anything else about him being the Heir of Gryffindor?" (4)
Dumbledore related to him the contents of the other two
prophecies. Draco
could only whistle with surprise.
"I'm still contemplating the symbolism with the animals..."
Dumbledore said, his voice trailing off as he thought about it.
"Well," Draco said slowly, "the 'swan' might refer to Cho, the
'tiger' would refer to Ginny, and I guess the 'serpent' would relate
to...
well, me."
"And the raven?"
Draco shrugged. "I honestly don't know, sir."
"Hm," Dumbledore said in agreement.
Something then occurred to Draco. "By the way, where is
Harry? I kind of figured that he'd be back by now."
Dumbledore suddenly looked grave. "I'm afraid that I can say nothing on
the matter. Please, I've said enough anyway."
Draco got up and nodded respectfully. "Oh, and by the way, if you ever
do
need my help-" he took out his amulet and shook it a little "- feel
free to ask."
Dumbledore nodded. Draco activated the amulet and disappeared back to
the
bathroom. Thankfully, no one was in that same stall; otherwise, there
would
have been a lot of funny questions to answer to.
As he walked back, Draco's mind was buzzing with this new knowledge. He
was
Slytherin's descendant, Harry was Gryffindor's descendant. 'No wonder
we fought
so much,' he inwardly laughed.
Just then, another thought occurred to him. Harry was the Heir of
Gryffindor.
Some students from Gryffindor House (as well as some from Hufflepuff
and
Ravenclaw, in fact) threw Harry out. That meant...
'Ooh, think of the scandal!' he thought delightfully. Then he
remembered how
Dumbledore trusted him to keep it a secret, which he would do. As his
inner
delight faded, he thought to himself, 'Bugger, and I had some catchy
things I
could have said, too.'
~*~*~*~
Ginny woke up, tired and exhausted. She had mainly cried herself to
sleep the
previous night, with some comforting from Pansy, Nora and Daphne. Pansy
tried
to cheer her up by braiding the Gryffindor's red hair; Ginny obliged,
just to
have something to do with the time.
According to the clock, it was about 8:00 now. With nothing else to do,
Ginny
yawned, stretched, and got dressed. After packing her things again, she
spent
another hour or two in the Slytherin common room, reclining on a couch
and
waiting for the other Slytherins to wake up.
As she was nodding off, Draco walked back in.
"'Morning, Gin," he said. "Sleep well?"
She merely shrugged.
"I know, stupid idiots getting Harry in trouble..."
She buried her face in a throw pillow.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in..."
"That's okay," she whispered.
"C'mon," Draco said, "Get the invisibility cloak on; it's almost
time for breakfast."
~*~*~*~
Snape strode with a fast pace up to Dumbledore, who was enjoying some
scrambled
eggs when approached by his Potions Master.
"Headmaster," he said urgently, "There's something I need to
show you as soon as possible, and I don't think it would be best to see
while
you're eating."
Without a word, Dumbledore got up and followed Snape out of the hall.
Once they
were a floor and a few corners away, Snape explained the situation as
Harry put
it and relayed the memories via Legilimency.
Dumbledore looked positively sickened and also very angry. "Cornwall
will
have a lot to answer for," he growled, returning to the Great Hall.
Snape agreed with him fully. For once, he didn't feel like simply poisoning someone; he felt like really
physically hurting someone, namely
Cornwall.
And Umbridge.
And Lucius Malfoy.
And anyone else who dared harm Harry.
Suddenly, he remembered something. The blood he had collected after
Umbridge
shot Harry. With those manuscripts from Harry's family vault, he just
might
find a way to undo all of the spells Voldemort had used on himself in
order to
achieve immortality. (5)
Breakfast instantly forgotten, he swept down to his private labs and
got back
to work on his research.
~*~*~*~
Ron and Hermione were rather silent; so was the rest of Gryffindor
House, for
that matter. But the two sixth-year
Gryffindor prefects in particular were burdened and weighed down by all
their
stress, grief, and worry for their friend.
The hall seemed to quiet down as Dumbledore walked back in, looking
angry. The
Gryffindors stiffened, hoping he wouldn't do something to them.
"I wonder what Snape told him?" Hermione whispered to Ron.
"If only we had that Invisibility Cloak, then we'd be able to find
out," Ron whispered back. Both of them fell silent again when they
remembered exactly why they couldn't use Harry's invisibility cloak.
To comfort Hermione, Ron put his arm around her waist as a reassuring
gesture,
and Hermione hugged him in return.
~*~*~*~
Ginny didn't want to eat in the Great Hall. She would much rather eat
away from
her more idiotic classmates; plus, seeing them trip over their own
tails to
find her would be amusing to watch. She went down to the kitchens and
tickled
the pair, waiting for the painting to open.
"Hello, Ginny," said a detached voice behind her. It was Luna.
"Feeling all right?"
Ginny shrugged. "No I'm not. I can't stand them."
Luna walked up and showed her the newest copy of the Quibbler, which
screamed
of Harry's innocence. As Ginny flipped through it, Luna asked, "Care to
make a comment for us?"
"Not much else to say," Ginny shrugged. "Everyone knows I'm
angry over what they did to Harry. Besides, actions speak louder than
words, so
me throwing Percy around has got to say something."
Luna laughed, which forced a smile onto Ginny's face. "Come on,
Ginny," the blonde said, "The kitchen's open; let's eat."
~*~*~*~
Percy could be found in his office that same Sunday morning, working
while
others slept in. He felt that he had to prove that he was a good
worker. As he
then reminded himself, he was lucky that he even still had his job at
all.
After Cornwall was exposed for what he was, the Ministry had started a
purge,
interrogating its workers. A few people in various departments had been
arrested and taken away. Percy had just enough innocence to stay and
continue
to work for them.
He was just going through more reports and approving of them when he
heard
something from within his desk.
Brows furrowed, he put the documents aside and found the source: A
two-way
communication artifact that Cornwall had given him when he still
thought that
Percy was a Death Eater.
Percy smirked to himself. Funny how Cornwall could cause confusion in
the
Ministry with his false documents, yet he could forget this.
Utilizing the device, Percy saw that Cornwall was in a small castle on
the
northern coast of the British Isles, near some rocky cliffs. (6) He also used the device to find the
names of the people currently in the same room as Cornwall was.
The names then appeared in front of him. Tom Riddle. Dolores
Umbridge.
Lucius Malfoy. Joseph Cornwall. Harry Potter.
Percy's copper eyebrows shot up in surprise. He'd found Harry Potter!
Yet the strange part was, it wasn't his own personal reputation he was
concerned about. For once, he was concerned about Ginny's welfare and
happiness, which was what it all came back to in the end. The previous
night
had proven how much Harry Potter meant to her, not as a hero, but as a
person
as real as anyone. Of course, it became painfully apparent, once Ginny
had
slammed him into the table and yelled in his face.
It was like the old saying went: The road
to hell is paved with good intentions.
Well, here was the chance to abort the trip to that undesirable hell.
Taking a cloak and leaving a note on his door, he took the device and
made for
Hogwarts.
~*~*~*~
Dumbledore was at the gargoyle to his office, waiting for Snape to come
along
so they could discuss what to do next. Suddenly, a person came running
around
the corner. It was Percy.
The headmaster was already in a particularly unpleasant mood, but the
sight of
this boy seemed to make it deepen a little more.
"Professor," Percy breathed, quailing a little under Dumbledore's
look of disappointment. "I've found him."
Those three words interrupted the Headmaster's thoughts. "What?"
"I've found Potter," Percy gasped, leaning against the wall for
support. "I know where he is, I know where they're hiding!"
Somehow, Dumbledore could actually find it in his heart to
forgive Percy
at the moment. "Where?" he whispered back to his former Head Boy.
Percy looked around and said, "Is there any place more discreet where
we
can talk about this?"
Dumbledore took out a device and activated what looked like a Protean
Charm on
it. He then whispered to Percy, "The Headquarters for the Order of the
Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London."
Percy made to ask Dumbledore what he meant, but with a gesture to stop
talking,
Dumbledore took out a Portkey. After taking hold of Percy, Dumbledore
activated
the Portkey, and they both were gone.
~*~*~*~
They landed in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. As Dumbledore explained
to Percy
about the Order of the Phoenix, the other Order members came in. Each
of them
surveyed Percy with varying degrees of curiosity and suspicion on their
faces.
Once everyone sat down, Dumbledore explained why Percy was there.
"So he figured out where Harry is," Snape said silkily. "About
time he did some good."
Percy kept silent, and replied only with a look of remorse and apology.
After Percy used the device to show where Harry was, everyone was
relieved
until Moody pointed out something highly
important. Just because Voldemort kept Harry alive, that didn't mean
Harry
would have been unharmed.
A chill settled over everyone as their worst fears took form, making
them
cringe at the thought of what could have happened.
"We must brace ourselves for the worst," Dumbledore said, "And
we must get him back, no matter what
the cost."
"And when do we try to rescue him?" Tonks asked.
There was a glint of determination in Dumbledore's eyes which seemed to
embolden everyone. "Right now."
As everyone was getting their things ready to launch an attack on the
castle,
Dumbledore pulled Percy aside for one moment. "I'm glad that you see
what's been going on, but can I ask exactly what brought this all on?"
Percy sighed and shrugged. "Because I wanted to do what I've always
tried
to do; to help out and make things work." He then bowed his head and
frowned. "I held the key to our survival in one hand, but not only did
I
not see what was happening right in front of me, I also forgot that I
held the
key to Ginny's happiness in the other."
Dumbledore could almost see Percy shedding his appearance as an
aspiring
Ministry official, and for a brief moment, the headmaster could see the
striving young man who had been Head Boy a few years ago.
"Don't forget this, Percy," Dumbledore said, "You might
sometimes hurt the ones you love, but if you want to help them, you'll
be able
to if you know how."
~*~*~*~
Cornwall was in one of the towers of the castle, in a comfortable and
furnished
room, drinking some brandy and enjoying the afternoon when he suddenly
saw
smoke coming up from under the window.
Smoke?
Cornwall was just getting out his wand when a relatively small
explosion rocked
the room. However, it was still powerful enough to shake the room and
through
him back, making a mess. He was thrown back a few feet and toppled onto
his
side, groaning from the pain.
As the smoke cleared, he saw a tall, dark and menacing figure stand
near the
edge of the now half-demolished chamber.
"Who are you?" Cornwall demanded, getting himself up. "I can
call for help, you know!"
"Don't bother," drawled the voice from under the hood. "I've
taken the liberty of placing Silencing Charms all over the tower. The
only
reason I didn't place them on you was
because I want to hear you suffer."
"Snape!?" he exclaimed disbelievingly, rage crossing his silvery
features. "I can't believe this! I knew you had something against the
Dark
Lord! I'm-"
"About to enter a world of pain," Snape growled, raising his wand.
~*~*~*~
The explosion could be heard in the main hall, which Voldemort had
turned into
his "throne room."
"What was that?" Lucius asked, looking up.
"Attackers," Voldemort hissed angrily. Scooping up Nagini, he headed
for the dungeons when the main doors to the hall flew open.
Dumbledore stood on the threshold, surrounded by Order members.
"Oh look," Voldemort drawled, "We're being invaded."
"It's over, Tom," he said calmly, stepping forward without a fear in
the world. He radiated power and authority and righteousness. "Hand
Harry
over."
"It's over, is it?" Voldemort sneered. "Far from it, old man. I
know the entire prophecy now, and believe me, I plan on living a very long time."
Dumbledore raised his wand, but Voldemort had other ideas. After
releasing
clouds of noxious fumes, he and Malfoy disappeared while everyone else
tried to
repel the fumes, coughing a little.
"I'll go after Tom," Dumbledore declared, repelling the fumes fully.
"The rest of you, find Harry! I don't care what it takes, so long as we
bring him back alive!"
Everyone could hear the determination in the Headmaster's voice. The
gentle,
ancient, powerful wizard, known for his kindness and benevolence
towards all
wizards, was now saying that he condoned the killing of the enemy if it
meant
bringing back his apprentice.
Of course, no members of the Order objected to this; after weeks of
being
helpless against the political madness, they were thirsting for justice
themselves.
The fighting spread all over the castle. Curses flew, sparks jumped,
screaming
and yelling echoed all over the place as the building itself suffered
major
damage. So far, there were craters, fires, and all other kinds of
messes.
The duel between Snape and Cornwall was isolated from the others. After
five
minutes, it became less of a duel and more of an excuse for Snape to
literally
throw Cornwall around for what the traitor did to Harry. So far, Snape
managed
in slamming him against the wall, causing fire to leap out of the
fireplace and
burn him partially, and with unthinkable strength, picked up a heavy
chair and
hit Cornwall right in the face with it, nearly making the chair itself
break
into pieces.
With each hit, Snape could feel his anger crashing like tidal waves
against a
cliff. 'My son was right,' Snape thought with relish, 'It is
bad luck to attack Harry Potter.'
Cornwall was sprawled on the floor, trying to get up. Pain exploded all
over
his bruised and battered body as he tried to get up. How did you-?"
"Strengthening Solution," Snape said grimly, a chilling smirk on his
face.
"CRUCIO!" Cornwall yelled, suddenly grasping his wand and
pointing it at Snape. The Potions Master screamed with pain as Cornwall
got
himself up.
Snape, on the other hand, wasn't about to let this bastard get away. "Incarcerous!"
Cornwall was bound in thick, tight and unbreakable robes. "I'll deal
with
you more later," Snape hissed, sending him to his dungeons at Hogwarts
via
Portkey.
'Now where's Harry?' Snape thought, looking around. Suddenly, he saw
something
through the window.
On the edge of a cliff at the coast, Voldemort was holding a limp
figure, and
the Order members were slowly trying to get towards him.
'Time to fly again,' Snape thought.
The previous summer, he read Harry's book on Animagi, and the section
about
ravens appealed to him. Ever since he was a small child, he liked them
and
often thought about becoming a raven Animagus. Unfortunately, his
crooked
father squashed his dreams, one way or another.
In a way, having civil conversations with Harry Potter actually helped
relieve
some suppressed stress he carried. He never would have thought that
coming to
terms with the son of his rival would actually do him some good. A year
ago, he
would have scoffed and sneered at the very idea.
In an instant, he had changed. A black raven stood in his place, his
black
feathers sleek. As his wings stretched out, he soared out the window
and took
flight.
~*~*~*~
Voldemort stood at the cliff, holding Harry by the scruff of his ruined
robes.
There was a gap of at least ten feet between him and those who were
part of the
Order of the Phoenix. No one dared make a move as each member looked
for a
chance to get Harry back.
"So, you want your precious apprentice, do you, Dumbledore?"
Voldemort sneered. "Even if you were to say 'yes,' I doubt that would
be
true. Especially after how you let it all come to this, I doubt that
you
honestly have what it takes to stop me or protect those you claim to
care about
so much. As the old adage goes, you always hurt the ones you love."
"No more mind games, Tom," Dumbledore said, unfazed by Voldemort's
verbal attempts to weaken everyone and make them cave in.
"Oh, but you let those idiots take your precious Harry away, and bring
him
to me," he said with relish. His blood red eyes then focused on the
Weasleys, who shuddered under his gaze. "Speaking of which..."
Percy suddenly flew forward, summoned by magic. He floated helplessly
in front
of Voldemort, at eye level with the Dark wizard. "You did such
a good job helping me out in the
end. You mainly lied and pretended to be in my side, but I saw through
your
tricks using Legilimency. I only kept you alive so you could do all the
work
for me. You helped me out in the end, just as I knew you would. Here,
let me
reward you..."
Percy tried to scream, but his voice was somehow caught in his throat.
He
backed up several feet, and raising his wand, Voldemort performed a
deadly
spell on him.
A bright purple light shot out of his wand, and with a sinister
vibrating
sound, it shot right through Percy's chest, entering his ribcage and
coming out
his back. (7) The Order members
screamed as the purple light went over their heads, but none more so
than
Percy's parents.
As Voldemort laughed his high, chilling laugh, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley
took Percy
to St. Mungo's, via Portkey.
"Anything else you want to say to your little prince?" Voldemort
asked Dumbledore, evil mirth still ringing in his voice.
Dumbledore remained silent, but the hatred in his eyes spoke for
themselves.
The clear blue now looked so hot, his glare could have killed a
basilisk.
Voldemort was now holding Harry up like a limp rag doll. Dumbledore's
stomach
turned at the sight of the cuts and bruises all over his face. Harry
also had a
blindfold on, but Dumbledore could see some blood streaking down his
face as
though they were tears. Harry was either unconscious or weak from all
of the
pain, and he didn't even seem to notice the position he was in.
"I've already put an Exploding Curse on him," Voldemort said, tossing
Harry off of the cliff.
Time seemed to slow down as Harry vanished from sight, Dumbledore
rushed
forward, but Voldemort magically threw him and the other Order members
back.
A couple of moments later, a deafening explosion rocked the ground as
flames
and bits of rubble got tossed up in front of them.
Dumbledore's heart could have stopped beating that moment. As Voldemort
laughed
insanely, Dumbledore rushed over to the edge of the cliff and looked
down. The
rubble was falling against the craggy, jagged rocks beneath, a couple
of
hundred feet down.
Dumbledore had been through many things. He had endured all kinds of
tragic
events, but this one cut at his heart more than anything ever before.
Eventually, he was drawn back to Voldemort's high-pitched cackling. "And Harry Potter finally dies! Oh, thank
you so much, Dumbledore, I knew you
wouldn't let me down in the
end..."
Rage filled Dumbledore's heart. In general, Dumbledore was a calm,
wise, and
patient man, but that cut at him too deeply.
The anger he was carrying came off in waves. The ground shook and
cracked, and
realizing what was about to happen, the other Order members quickly
left.
Voldemort stopped laughing. The only man that he ever feared was about
to
become even more fearsome.
If anyone had stayed behind to witness Dumbledore's fury, they would
have seen
Dumbledore launch a deadly curse of blinding white light which could
have been
seen miles away.
~*~*~*~
Ginny could feel something wrong in her bones. What had happened?
She was still in the sanctuary of the Slytherin common room, being
comforted by
some other Slytherin girls who had accepted her as one of their own.
Ginny's
personality showed some distinctly Slytherin traits, which made her
welcome
among the House that prized those traits.
Suddenly, she felt something glow warm in her pocket. Taking a leaf out
of
Hermione's book, Snape had conjured square pieces of iron and put a
Protean
Charm on them, and had given each one to a student who had been part of
"the investigative team," which had helped bring along Harry's
innocence.
Speaking of which, Ginny and the others were being held with great
acclaim by
the press. Ginny was shown as a victim for this situation, and she
talked about
how she had oppressed by her classmates who didn’t trust Harry and/or
were
working for Voldemort, and she also was known for the following quote
from the
Quibbler: "In light of new traitors like Peter Pettigrew and Judy
Arnold,
among other students, it has become obvious that evil isn't exclusive
to
Slytherin alone. For once, there are students which the ambitious House
of
Hogwarts can be proud of. It's nice being a Gryffindor, but it's even
better to
be working with the other Houses instead of against them."
Neville, Blaise and others also gave interviews, and the press praised
them for
showing resisting the prejudice and injustices they suffered. Once
again,
Neville's popularity had taken another big leap. He was quoted as
saying,
"I have nothing against Gryffindor, and I enjoy being part of it, but I
can't stand what my former classmates have been doing."
In the beginning of the year, Harry had tried to bridge the gaps
between the
different Houses. His intentions were among the best, even if his goal
couldn't
be achieved overnight.
Speaking of Harry, where was he? That
was what had been bugging her, and that was what she had been hoping to
find
out. Hopefully, Snape's summons with the Protean Charmed square of iron
would
put a rest to all that.
With the other Slytherins part of the team, she made her way.
~*~*~*~
Snape had been able to save Harry's life yet again. Everyone's
attention was so
focused on the stand-off at the cliff that no one noticed a sleek black
raven
slinking down against the cliff that Harry was about to be dropped off
of.
After hearing about the Exploding Curse, Snape knew he had to work
fast.
Leaning against the underside of the cliff, he put the same kind of
curse on a
rock next to his foot.
Looking up, he saw the limp bundle that was Harry falling over the
edge.
Quickly undoing the exploding curse on the boy, he leapt off the edge
and
caught him with one hand, and with the other hand, took out a Portkey
and
activated it.
The timing was perfect. Everyone thought Harry was blown up, and now
Snape and
Harry were on their way back to Snape Manor.
However, Snape's triumph quickly turned to disgust once he had to heal
the boy.
Harry was currently in a coma, and after placing the boy on a medical
table and
stripping him down to his boxers, Snape saw the full extent of Harry's
unspeakable ordeal in Voldemort's clutches. (8)
Blindness caused by snake venom, cracked ribs, torn muscles and
ligaments,
fluid in one lung, excessive bleeding, trouble breathing, bruises and
cuts all
over his body, several lacerations and abrasions, frayed tissue
throughout his
body, a few broken bones, singed hair, an overdose of Veritaserum, and
prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse.
And that was only the short list.
Actually, the exposure to the Cruciatus Curse didn't cause him to lose
his
mind, like with the Longbottoms, although it still caused a lot of
damage
nonetheless.
Suddenly, there was a flash of fire, and Ardeavis appeared, carrying
Harry's
shrunken trunk and Nemorphus.
"Young Draco Malfoy let us stay at Grimmauld Place," Ardeavis
thought-spoke. "We have Harry's possessions, so the Ministry couldn't
seize them."
Suddenly, three snake-shrieks rent the air as the Runespoor saw what
happened
to Harry.
"Omigosh, he nearly killed
Harry!" Morpheus cried.
"That bastard!" spat Momus.
"Voldemort's lucky we can't make any
rude hand gestures," Nemesis growled.
After taking out an iron piece of metal and activating the Protean
Charm on it,
Snape turned to the phoenix. "Try to heal as much as you can with your
tears, I need to meet with Harry's friends and explain the situation to
them," he told the immortal bird. "I already have Dormiel retrieving
the medical potions."
Ardeavis trilled reassuringly, suddenly causing Harry to awaken. He
thrashed
wildly about, screaming horribly as though he was still being tortured.
Snape sighed. He conjured ropes, which kept Harry in place by his now
painfully
thin wrists, ankles and waist. Turning back to the nauseated phoenix
and
Runespoor, he said, "Help as much as you can." And with a pop, he was
gone, Harry's screams still trailing behind him.
~*~*~*~
Around lunchtime, Dumbledore walked back into the Great Hall, looking
old and
weary. The students and staff knew that this couldn't be good.
Ginny and the others who were part of "the investigative group"
decided to see what was going on. Across the hall, they saw a nod from
Snape,
which basically translated into "We can wait and see this." The
Slytherins who were with Ginny shielded her from the sight of the
Gryffindors,
so she took refuge at the Slytherin table.
Everyone was on tenterhooks to see what was going on. None of the staff
had
gone with him on that rescue mission in, because the school still
needed to be
kept in order.
Dumbledore took his place at the staff table, and standing in front of
his
school. "Students and staff," he said with disappointment and sadness
in his voice, "We are now entering very dark days indeed. I said more
than
a year ago, at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, how Voldemort
possesses an
awful gift of spreading discord and enmity. His gift has been used
immensely
this year, causing you to let old differences to blind you and turn on
each
other, which in the end, only served him. Terms like 'Gryffindor' and
'Slytherin' are no longer synonymous with 'good' and 'evil.' And now,
due to
the mistakes made, Harry Potter might be dead even as we speak."
Waves of fear and terror spread throughout the hall. Ginny gasped and
felt
ready to cry as the girls around her tried to comfort her. Across the
hall, Ron
and Hermione felt dread rattle themselves. People muttered, but
Dumbledore was
able to continue. "Less than a day ago, Joseph Cornwall, the Ministry
insider, was able to steal Mr. Potter out of Azkaban and deliver him
into the
hands of the Dark Lord. Within the past hour, I worked alongside Aurors
to
attack a castle where Voldemort was holding Mr. Potter captive. Mr.
Potter was
tortured and interrogated for information, and even now, I don't know
whether
he's dead, or by some extraordinary miracle, still alive. Since
learning of how
Peter Pettigrew faked his own death more than a decade ago, I loathe to
determine
someone's fate when his or her body can't be found. I can only hope
he's still
alive.
"In the meantime, we must continue to fight and hope. Voldemort can't
take
away hope any more than he can take away the sun or stars."
One voice at the Slytherin table suddenly burst out, "What about those
stupid students who went after Harry? If it weren't for them betraying
Harry,
none of this would have happened! They should all be expelled!"
There was some supportive muttering from certain parts of the hall (and
some
loathing looks from the “Harry-haters” themselves all over the hall) as
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, that is not the solution. I don't
condone
the actions that have been made, but even good people can do stupid
things. I
still think, deep down, every student in this hall, regardless of House
or
beliefs, can help one way or another, and are essentially good-natured.
If I
were to expel all the students of a House which has had infamous
witches or
wizards in its past, I would have to expel everyone and shut down the
entire
school. Besides, if they stay here, they can help fix some of the
mistakes
they've made."
Some people caught an underlying message here: He was punishing the
“Harry-haters,” not by expelling them, but by keeping them in the
school which
now loathed them.
"One of my spies," Dumbledore said carefully, as not to give Snape
away, "Managed to catch a glimpse of a confrontation between Joseph
Cornwall and Mr. Potter, once our student was wrongly taken to
Azkaban..."
And with that, he recounted the details of Cornwall's gloating towards
Harry,
especially in regards to Sirius Black, Crouch Sr. and Veritaserum.
Everyone was shocked at the news, and some hatred against the
corruption of
those in the Ministry deepened even more.
As Dumbledore finished, Snape used a device in his robes to transport
Cornwall
to the Great Hall, in front of everyone.
With a flash of light, the Portkey delivered Cornwall, still gagged and
bound,
to the front of the Great Hall, in full view of everyone. All the
students
gasped and muttered even more as the teachers (except Snape, of course)
wondered how the traitor got there.
Dumbledore felt his grief subside and his anger rise. Harry's
imprisonment,
torture, and possible death all took its toll on the angry Headmaster.
Walking
down between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, to the open space at
the end
of the hall where Cornwall was, he said, "Well, speak of the devil,
it's
the traitor himself."
The ropes came magically undone, and Cornwall tried to get himself up,
looking
very disheveled indeed.
"Professor Dumbledore," he gasped, trying to feign innocence.
"Finally, I'm here. You-Know-Who was using the Imperius Curse on me."
Dumbledore sardonically raised an eyebrow. The students and staff
watched with
anticipation written all over their faces. "Really?" the Headmaster
asked.
Cornwall tried to smile a little. "Indeed. I tried to resist though,
tried
to save Harry Potter's life..."
That was the final straw as Dumbledore's rare but lethal temper finally
hit the
breaking point. With a flare that could even put Mt. Vesuvius in the
shade, his
questioning features gave way to pure anger.
"YOU LIAR!" he thundered, causing everyone to jump out
of their seats. Snape and the other professors were all on the edge of
their
seats, wondering what their esteemed employer would do to the traitor.
Joseph Cornwall was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall on
the
Slytherin side of the hall. There was a small streak of blood left as
he slid
down against it. He made to go for his wand, except he had been
disarmed!
The hall was deadly silent as Dumbledore slowly advanced on the insider
for
Voldemort. Anger was written all over the Headmaster's face. All the
heat in
the room seemed to vanish, as though the infuriated wizard had become
the only
source of heat in the entire Great Hall. Dumbledore didn't charge up to
him,
but his footsteps seemed to echo like those of an elephant's thunderous
steps.
Dumbledore was right. He was powerful. He was in charge.
Dumbledore was also as mad as hell.
"Come now, old man," Cornwall sneered, trying to relish whatever he
could. "Surely you wouldn't set such a bad example in front of your
students, would you? Even me you would grant a second chance, right?"
"Wrong," Dumbledore said,
his voice heavily laced with hatred and fury.
Cornwall's smile faltered. "Why would that be? You always do."
"Not for you, I wouldn't," Dumbledore responded, his eyes burning
brighter than the sun, and his voice not like one of this world.
The traitor's smile completely vanished from now. "And why not?"
No one present would ever forget the next few words spoken. "Because
you
endangered Harry," he said with a trace of a growl, his wand raised and
focused on its target.
A crackling sound could be heard as yellow light appeared at the end of
Dumbledore's wand. It suddenly grew to the size of a Snitch before it
shot out
at Cornwall like lightening.
People screamed and lights flashed as Dumbledore electrocuted Cornwall
with one
angry look on his face. The sporadic lights and cast shadows only added
to the
terrifying effect. Cornwall's screams of pain were only matched by
snapping
sounds of pure, harmful electricity. (9)
Despite all the pain, Cornwall was able to take something out of his
robes, and
once pressing it, he vanished in a cloud of smoke. Unfortunately, it
was also
powerful enough to throw Dumbledore across the hall towards the
Gryffindors'
side.
Everyone was muttering with excitement and fear as Dumbledore got
himself up.
Ron and Hermione got up and rushed over to help. Ron immediately asked,
"Professor Dumbledore, are you..."
His words died off as Dumbledore's eyes locked onto his. Ron could just
see Dumbledore's unhidden emotions in
those eyes. Ron shivered as he saw disappointment, dislike, and
antipathy.
Hermione could feel it too. Dumbledore was furious with one of the men
(this
one being Cornwall) who had helped in framing, abducting, and torturing
Harry.
The rest of the hall returned to forced silence as Dumbledore focused
on
Harry's former friends. A lot of people knew that sometimes, anger
could
accidentally get unleashed on bystanders, and they had all just seen
Dumbledore
electrocute one of Voldemort’s suppoerters.
Collecting himself and thinking against it, Dumbledore said, "I have to
talk to someone at the Ministry." He walked out without a word, almost
slamming the doors behind him.
~*~*~*~
As silence rolled through, Snape walked out through another exit,
unseen, with
"the investigative group" following behind him.
In Snape's office, he explained to all of them the bare essentials.
They
rejoiced when when learning that Harry was alive, but became horrified
when
being given the very short list of
injuries. They also had to keep it a secret, for safety's sake.
"Prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse!?" Neville exclaimed,
revolted. "Is he-?"
"No, Mr. Longbottom, not as horrible as what happened to your parents
or
Miss Weasley's older brothers, but still very horrible, especially when
combined with that overdose of Veritaserum," Snape said, the disgust in
his voice ill-disguised. "It is essential that we finish the cure for
the
Cruciatus Curse as soon as we can."
"Luna and I have gone through everything," Neville said, "But
we're still missing something... I just don't know what..."
Everyone was silent, apart from Cho's quiet weeping as a tear rolled
down her
face.
"That's it," Luna said suddenly.
"What?" Cho asked, confused.
"That," Luna said, pointing to the tear on Cho's face. "Tears.
Phoenix tears. I knew I was missing something..."
"But there's still a kind of plant we're missing," Neville pointed
out. An expression of discovery then crossed his face. "I just
remembered... one of my books, back in my dormitory..."
"Don't bother running," Draco-as-Roy said smoothly, taking out Seth
and taking Neville by the wrist at the same time. They vanished with a
shimmering light, and a moment later, Neville reappeared, holding his
book, Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean.
Neville opened it up and flipped it to the right page. "I got it," he
said smiling, pointing to the page where he stopped. "Stinging Seaweed.
It
causes pain to anyone who touches it by giving shocks to the nervous
system,
which can be felt dulling for hours afterward. I think that's what we
need." (10)
"Excellent points, Mr. Longbottom and Miss Lovegood," Snape said,
"Thirty points to Ravenclaw and Slytherin each. Miss Lovegood, come
with
me to Snape Manor so we can get back to work."
"Er, there's one problem," Neville pointed out, still looking at the
book. "It's getting rarer and nearly facing extinction. It's in this
region here-" he pointed at a small map, which showed a region of
Sicily
"- but I don't know if that will help."
Blaise looked over his shoulder. "I've been there before on vacation
once,
I could get it."
Snape, Ginny, Neville and Draco knew what he meant; he was a shark
Animagus in
training, if not an actual shark Animagus by now.
"I know what to do," Snape said at last. With a snap of his fingers,
Ardeavis appeared.
"Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Zabini, Miss Lovegood and myself will be returning
to
Snape Manor in order to finish the cure for the Cruciatus Curse. Mr.
Zabini
will need your help to acquire the Stinging Seaweed we need to complete
it."
Ardeavis trilled in agreement. Ginny made to come along too, but Snape
halted
her. "I promise that we'll be able to cure Mr. Potter, as well as your
older brothers, but in the meantime, you must remain patient."
Ginny could see that she could trust her professor, so she nodded, grim
and
determined.
Suddenly, Neville grinned. "Heh, sorry, but I just realized something.
Crouch Jr. gave this book to me a couple of years ago when he was
impersonating
Moody. With this book's help, we'll be able to cure people who have
been
affected by the Cruciatus Curse, which he used so much. Ironic, isn't
it?"
Everyone else could only nod in agreement, which actually lightened the
atmosphere a little.
In a flash of fire, Snape, Ardeavis, Luna, Neville and Blaise were
gone. The
rest of them went back to wherever it was they had to be, trying to
cope with
it as best as they could.
~*~*~*~
After the detour to Snape Manor, Blaise and Ardeavis fire- traveled to
Sicily.
After memorizing the map from Neville's book, Blaise knew where to look.
With a nod to Ardeavis, Blaise was dropped into the ocean. Once
submerged, he
transformed.
As a shark, he could breathe underwater, and he knew where to go. He
had to
work fast.
It was long and tedious, but after what seemed like a small while, he
found the
plant he was looking for. He simply couldn't take gillyweed and find it
there,
because Stinging Seaweed was so self- protecting, only the local
animals could
find it efficiently with their native senses.
However, after spotting it as a shark, it was easy to do. He
transformed back,
and whilst holding his breath, he took some gillyweed and carefully ate
it.
Once becoming a sort of fish-man, he used his wand to sever and collect
the
Stinging Seaweed in a special, enchanted storage bag.
That accomplished, he shot back up to the surface, where Ardeavis was
waiting
for him. With a flash of fire, they were gone.
~*~*~*~
It was tedious work, as for the next hour or so, Snape worked with
Neville and
Luna to finish the potion (Blaise returned to Hogwarts to help out with
his
prefect duties and maintain as much order as he could). Once the
phoenix tears
and Stinging Seaweed were added, it took only an hour or so for it to
settle.
Harry, in the meantime, was drugged to the gills, and with so many
potions and
such running through his veins that he probably would really need to
use the
bathroom when he was done.
Finally, it was complete. With a victorious look on his face, he said,
"It's time for it to work. If my estimates are correct, it will need an
hour or two to completely work. However, due to all the bodily damage
that Mr.
Potter has sustained, he might be out for a week or so."
Neville or Luna stayed behind in the lab, they really didn't want to
see Harry,
whatever condition he was in. Both of them had lost at least one parent
to one
thing or another, and that was one feeling they could never
get used to.
Snape, in the meantime, had walked into the room where Harry was. A
blanket had
been conjured to cover him up to his shoulders, and he seemed to be
quiet now,
but muttering about something. Most of the scars and other wounds were
erased
and gone, except for a few that would take another few days or so to
heal
entirely. A new, fresh blindfold had been put over Harry's eyes, which
Snape
had put on after applying some antidote to erase the poison and try to
return
Harry's eyes to how they were before.
'Lily's eyes,' he thought. 'Lily, I thank you for all you've done for
me, and
it's now time to return the favor to you and the life debt to your
husband.'
With a goblet of the Anti-Cruciatus Concoction (as it had been
christened),
Snape carefully poured some down Harry's throat. Surprisingly, Harry
didn't
even object, and he just accepted it.
Snape looked down at Harry, lost in his own thoughts. Harry's figure
was almost
pitiful as he simply lay there, oblivious to the world.
Harry twitched and shivered a little as the cure kicked in, but Snape
put a
hand on his shoulder, which was probably the only affectionate thing
Snape had
done to anyone in years. "Be strong, Harry," he said quietly.
Just then, he felt the burning on his left forearm from the Dark Mark.
Voldemort was calling.
Walking back to where Neville and Luna were waiting, he said, "Return
to
Hogwarts with the phoenix; I have other business to attend to."
Both teenagers nodded wordlessly, and with a flash of red and gold
feathers,
Ardeavis collected them and disappeared with them.
Maybe it was Snape's premonition, or maybe just how the Dark Mark felt,
but
something told him that Voldemort was very, very
angry at the moment.
Snape's mouth suddenly curled into a smirk. The antidotes he brewed to
undo
Voldemort's Dark magic were also complete. The blood protection that
Voldemort
stole from Harry by making his new body was about to be restored.
Actually,
Snape was
really beginning to tire of spying on Voldemort. Not many people
realized
it, but Voldemort's second reign of terror was just entering its death
throes.
His resources and power were being cut off. And things were
about to
get even worse for the Dark cause.
If Voldemort thought he was angry at the moment, he had no idea what he
was in
for.
(End of Chapter 42.)
A/N: Is it me, or is the story rather dark by this point?
(1) I originally wrote this basic scene as an outtake; either way, I’m so proud to have written this!
(2) I’m hesitant to write any torture scenes, especially when the victim is poor Harry.
(3) Creative, eh? The names that some of my readers came up with for Cornwall and Percy also amused me greatly.
If anyone wants to read any other Umbridge-bashing stories, I suggest the following:
“The Real Dolores Umbridge,” by Indigo Ziona
“Staff Room Scheming,” by BekaJWP
“Dealing with Dolores,” by Lady Whight
“The Many Many Deaths of Professor Umbridge,” by Pixael28
“Dear Dolores,” by techviper
“A Fight Between Cat and Toad,” by BryteTwilight
“A Taste of Her Own,” by GinnyPotter387
“That Umbridge Sure Has a Head On Her Shoulders,” by bluirinka
“Umbridge is Dumbridge,” by Xalain
“Frog Legs,” by TabbyKit
“Professor Umbridge and the IWEA,” by chilandra
“Insults,” by LinZE
“The Cruciatus,” by Snow Raine
“Umbridge vs McGonagall,” by Crookykanks
“McGonagall vs Umbridge: The Scene We All Missed,” by TheSerpentAndTheLion
“To Torture a Frog,” by Aurora Rezayne
“Desk Duty,” by mosylu
“Dolores Umbridge and the Mysterious Package,” by Ari-Griffin
“Invidious,” by crazyharrysfireworks1239
“The Price of Defiance,” by michelle-31a
“Here’s to me,” by Sydney Games
“Potions For Dummies,” by Prongs Rini
“Finding a Voice,” by Emmylou
“The Death of Umbridge,” by El loco uno
“Drowning in Shadows,” by Laeni
“Detention with Umbridge,” by Mirriam Q Webster
“Mistakes,” by Sarah the PokePrincess
“Crumpled Horns and Vile Toads,” by Ferocious Death-Kappa
“I Want to Start a Jokeshop,” by Jeenyus
And finally, “Career Advice” and “Why Umbridge Cannot Teach Magical Defense,” both of which I wrote myself. (Not to sound self-obsessed or anything, but hey, it counts.)
Yes, I am proud to say I am perpetually misanthropic when it comes to Umbridge. (Hee hee hee…)
(4) Yes, Harry’s the Heir of Gryffindor; basically, the point of this whole story is how he’s dealing with all these struggles while learning of his own heritage.
(5) See, there was a valid reason for having Umbridge shoot Harry back in chapter 13.
(6) I really don’t know where to put this base; just any cold, stormy place in Great Britain which has high cliffs and a small castle. Take your pick.
As for the location of New Azkaban, I had no idea where, and that’s hardly relevant.
(7) My thanks to Athenakitty for giving me this idea for Percy with her comment “Someone shoot Percy”!
And no, it’s not the same spell that Dolohov used on Hermione in OotP.
(8) This doesn’t sound too slashy, does it? “Stripping him down to his boxers”?
(9) I likened Dumbledore to Zeus in my mind, and what does Zeus do when he’s angry? He throws lightening bolts, of course!
(10) Yes, I made
up this plant, I know.