Chapter 112 & 113 - His Visit

Hermione hopped along, saying the password, and the fat lady opened the way. She went inside, still overjoyed for her meet and greet today, but the mood inside the common room was the opposite. She felt the atmosphere of the common room to be crushing.

She raised her eyes, "Umbridge?"

"Hermione…where were you?" Harry asked, looking up with anger in his eyes, though not on her.

"Uh…I had something to do in the Room of Requirement, and I thought this was the best time, and so…anyway, what happened here?"

"Umbridge banned us."

"Banned? Us?"

"Me, George…Fred. From Quidditch."

"Why?" Hermione raised her voice in shock and looked at Fred and Geroge, sitting alongside the whole Quidditch team and Aerith.

"Malfoy provoked us…he said things about Aunt Molly…and my mother…Fred didn't even raise his hand!" Harry gritted his teeth in anger.

"I would have if the three of them hadn't been holding me!"

"But Ban, that's too much!" Hermione sat down, "Where's Ron...and Tifa?"

Angelina looked dull, "Tifa went to talk with Umbridge and Ron? I don't know. He must be moping around."

"Anyone would after that song," Harry dully defended Ron, even though Ron's performance was nowhere near good.

Hermione glanced over to Aerith, who put the finger on her lips and gave a strained smile, and she nodded. She understood, she ran in between the game, and she wasn't even there, so as much as she wanted to criticize them for taking the bait, she kept her quiet, waiting with them for Tifa.

It took a while before Tifa walked into the room, and even before she said anything, they could tell the news wasn't good.

"I am…just going to go sleep," Angelina lifelessly got on her feet, "I have to search for new players."

After a day like that, Angelina wasn't the only one that was tired, one after the other, even Tifa and Aerith went to their dorm room and slept that night. The next day wasn't any better, everyone in Gryffindor was still seething, and everyone in Slytherin was teasing them or enjoying their misery.

Though, for some reason, the Great Hall started to become quieter and quieter until there was pin drop silence, enough to hear the sound of a fork falling on the table and the sounds of scared, panicked breathing, the sounds of gulping.

Umbridge, who stopped her fork, jumped on her feet, taking her wand, and she rushed up to the aisle, pointing her wand at the person who walked in. She stuttered, seemingly just as scared, "Y-y-you!! You finally show yourself! Surrender yourself to the Ministry!"

"Why?" The voice, the person, seemed confused as to why they would place them under arrest.

"WHY?! Because you are a Dark Wizard!"

"Cloud?" Tifa was about to stand up when Aerith pulled her down, shaking her head, whispering.

"That's not Cloud. I mean, it's him…but it's not."

Tifa narrowed her eyes since Aerith's words answered her confusion, and she looked at Cloud, wearing a black jacket and turtleneck over black pants. His hands were covered in black gloves embedded with silver studs, much like the one on his earlobe. She knew it was one of his favorite outfits, but which one of them was he now?

"Surely, you have proof."

"Proof? You were the one that kidnapped Harry Potter and messed with that poor boy's mind! He would support you, but we know you are the Dark Wizard!" Umbridge vehemently shouted in her high-pitched voice.

"NO ONE MESSED WITH MY MIND!!" Harry shouted the anger from yesterday's ban, from her unfairness burst out.

Cloud ignored him, much like Umbridge did, after giving him a quick look, "If so. Then I recently met with the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America and the Australian President. They can come and see for themselves if the boy has been subjected to any Dark Magic. With Minister of Magic, there would be three. I am sure we'd be able to conclude."

Umbridge tightened her jaw, widening her eyes in shock, and then she thought he was bluffing and watched him with disgust, "As if someone like you can be in contact with such esteemed people! Stupefy!"

Even if she said that, she wasn't sure if he could arrange it, and so she thought she'd knock him out, a decision that made nearly all of Gryffindor and many of the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw and more than a few of Slytherin put their hands on their wands. Still, beyond all expectations, the spell hit him and disappeared. It didn't even make him budge, let alone damage him.

They weren't the only ones shocked; even Umbridge was stunned for a moment. Her hand holding the wand trembled, and she used the spell multiple times, "Stupefy! Expelliarmus!!"

Again, it struck him and turned into light particles, disappearing when she used the strongest spell, "Bombarda!!"

There was a small blast, and this time others could see; Cloud was like a boulder; the spell hit him, the blast hit, the blast and smoke kept going forward from around him. He was like a boulder in the river, diving the magic into two.

"Bombarda Maxima!!!!!" Umbridge panicked, taking a step back, using a deadly spell that moved towards Cloud, hitting his chest and blasting out.

"Cloud!" Tifa worriedly stood up, shouting his name aloud, even when she knew it wasn't him. She looked at the smoke, dust, and debris that rose around him, and yet, the sound of his boots and his steps echoed in the Great Hall when he walked out of it unharmed, patting his clothes.

"You stained my clothes," Cloud used a spell to remove the dust, and he took out two parchments that he dropped in front of Umbridge, "You have no right, no basis, no crime for which you can sentence me. It's unlawful, and with me being an honorary member and wizard of MACUSA and a substitute player for the Australian Nation Quidditch Team, this is an International Incident. Only the International Confederation of Wizards can judge me if I committed a crime or not. Although, I did have a nice chat with Babajide Akingbade. I think your Minister must have gotten a letter. If not, it must be reached soon."

"Who is…Aba…." Ron whispered to Hermione, trying to take the name, when Hermione shot him a furious look, "Babajide Akingbade! Supreme Mugwump! The Leader of the International Confederation of Wizards! Headmaster Dumbledore was Supreme Mugwump till recently, but had to lose his position after Ministry Denounced him."

"So it's nothing special?"

"What do you understand? It's Supreme Mugwump's job to ensure that the International Community is at peace. They can't do that if they have internal problems with their country's government. But if they are not having any such problems, the power they hold is huge."

All blood drained from Umbridge's face, and her face turned white, she watched him come closer, and he stood face to face with her, looking down at her.

"Move."

Umbridge yelped, getting out of his way as he walked away, "You lack honor."

"Angeal!" Aerith covered her mouth, whispering under her breath. She wondered whom Cloud asked to do this play since he wasn't great at such public shows. She had been confused for a while and even pondered if it was Genesis, but now she knew who it was.

"It's him," Tifa whispered, and Aerith nodded, sure of the matter. He passed by them, lightly tapping their heads as an elder would, and walked off with a hidden smile on his lips.

Aerith covered her head, puffing her cheeks, "See, I told you."

"Yeah," Tifa awkwardly smiled and felt relieved, though she couldn't figure out how he became impervious to those attacks. From what they figured, Super Soldier Serum didn't give Magic Resistance.

While the students in the great hall had started to whisper amongst themselves, Cloud walked up to the staff's table. His eyes met Dumbledore's, who was watching with a silver smile, "That was quite an entrance."

"Dumbledore!! As the High Inquisitor, I order you! Arrest this Dark Wizard!" Umbridge had struggled, but in the end, she couldn't take it anymore. She had never been so insulted and wasn't letting this go.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and a rugged look appeared in his eyes, "One, he is not a Dark Wizard. You have no proof of it and no authority to command me."

"I-I am ordering you on behalf of Cornelius—Minister of Magic! You will heed it!"

Dumbledore screwed his eyebrows, seeing the madness on the woman's face, but his words were interrupted, "Cloud! This place is so big! Natasha got lost!"

"Liar, she was the one who got lost. I had to—" Natasha stopped in the middle of the sentence, walking into the great hall, realizing it was filled will people. She darted her eyes around and even saw Tifa and Aerith in the crowd, and Cloud was standing straight ahead. She took Velena's hand, who got nervous too, and continued walking, talking to Cloud, "I had to find her, so we were late."

Yelena wanted to argue, but she was too nervous to, and she looked down, hastening her steps. The two of them passed by Umbridge, whose eyes were so broad that they were about to come out of her sockets.

Though the moment passed by her, she raised her wand to point at them, not to attack, but to point, "How dare you to bring Muggles—"

Natasha, who was only two steps away from Umbridge, jerked back, taking her wrist, putting her leg behind Umbridge's leg, and punching right above Umbridge's elbow. It loosened her joint, allowing Natasha to turn her arm inward and push the tip of Umbridge's wand into Umbridge's throat while slamming her body down on the ground.

*Gasps*

"Natasha."

Natasha jerked her hair and headed up, "You said wands are like guns! If someone points them at you—"

"Not that. Come, I'll introduce you to my teachers," Cloud gestured for her to come over, but Yelena was the first one to get there, mouthing under her breath, "She's such a poser."

"What?" Natasha didn't hear what she said, and Yelena used that for her benefit, "That was so cool! That pose you did?"

"I…I didn't do a pose."

"You did, like this," Yelena hurled her head back, and Cloud held his forehead, whispering to Dumbledore, "I'd take that shrill woman any day over these two."

There were a few suppressed chuckles and laughter around the Staff Table, and Cloud asked, "Can we talk in private?"

"Very well, come with me," Dumbledore glanced towards Snape, "Professor, see to it that High Inquisitor isn't too injured, and take her to Madam Pomfrey."

"Yes, Headmaster."

Cloud watched as Dumbledore walked around the table and followed after him, telling the two girls, "Stay with them and don't run around. Have breakfast if you want. Professor, you don't mind, right?"

Dumbledore chuckled, rubbing his beard, "Mr. Strife, you would think I am that petty?"

"No…it was…uh…out of respect?"

"Yes, please, have you fill," Dumbledore looked over to the children, realizing they weren't there. He searched for them and found them near Tifa and Aerith. He changed the topic, "I see. Is that why they changed the color of their hair?"

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, ignoring Dumbledore's awkward moment. Once they were in the empty halls of Hogwarts, Dumbledore spoke.

"I believe I have an idea as to why you brought those children."

"I was pretty obvious."

"Yes, you were," Dumbledore smiled, nodding, feeling that this was the Cloud he knew. He couldn't recognize him when he entered the door, but now he was acting like himself.

"How old is she?"

"December 3, 1984."

"I see. If I am not wrong with numbers, then that makes her?"

"Ten now. She'd be eleven this December."

"That's soon, but in that case, she would get her letter next year. Even then…it would only be possible if she had magic power. Don't mind me saying this, but I didn't sense any," Dumbledore stopped, leaning against the railing, watching the stairs change, "I don't think I can help you here."

"I don't know if you noticed, but there is a phenomenon. The chances of a child born with magical powers have doubled. Ever since 1989."

"Well…"

"Yelena possesses magical energy…and even in those, her talent is much higher than anyone else that you'd find."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, "You are talking about the little one?"

"No. She's too small…Natasha, on the other hand…." Cloud scratched his head, "I won't lie. She's far too talented. Not just physically…mentally, and her aspirations…I feel inadequate."

"That happens when the child is a prodigy. It would help if you asked your teachers; they said the same thing to me once," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Well," Cloud scratched his cheek, "I am not saying I can't hone her talents, but the only ways I know are brutal, something that I don't want to put her through. I want her to get the education she might truly desire, need even, but with someone that would care for her. Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, you, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, and everyone else. I want her…to feel the same warmth I did."

Dumbledore observed Cloud for a while before nodding, "You have changed. Become more confident, more like the leader we saw you were."

"Yeah, the side effects of their experiments are mostly gone. I feel like myself," Cloud gazed in the distance, answering.

"I understand your dilemma, but from what I could tell…she lacked magic energy."

"I'll handle that," Cloud breathed in, pulling away from the railing, squaring his chest towards Dumbledore, "Oh, I should say. I have that handled."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, "Why push it? You should know, this year with Ministry interfering."

"I know it's not peaceful, but I know what Natasha went through as a child. This is where she will flourish; at this time, she will thrive," Cloud seemed sure, "Also…I can promise you. She'd be of help to your cause. With the current problems, you are facing."

"Now that we are talking about it, how about we discuss it in detail? How far have you gotten?"

Great Hall,

"This tastes like Dobby made it," Yelena tasted the jelly, making it wobble with the spoon.

"Are these the kids you talking about," Angelina darted her eyes between Yelena and Natasha, "I certainly see the reason to color your hair."

"Really? Who the fudge cares! That was so awesome, girl! The thing you did to Umbridge for pointing her wand at you!" Fred grinned, his lips spreading as far as they could, "I feel so much better after seeing her getting pummeled."

Tifa patted her head, "Ignore him. And next time, don't go around attacking teachers?"

"But…she pointed a wand at me," Natasha curled her lips, looking down, muttering.

"Wow, there is so much food here," Yelena ignored her big sister's plight, and sitting beside Aerith, she filled her plate, even though she wasn't going to eat it all.

"She just pointed her wand at you; she attacked Cloud," Jordan leaned in, whispering, "But man! I never thought he'd walk through it all! That was the coolest thing I have ever seen! How did he do it?"

Tifa looked at the eyes towards her and Aerith, who weren't the only ones; students from other houses came over to ask the same thing, but she didn't have anything to tell them. She wondered how he did it until she realized she just had to ask, 'Echo. How did he do it? How did Cloud…sorry…Angeal became invulnerable to them?'

[That….]