Year Five - Chapter Ten

Those worrywarts made me roll my eyes more often than not. "It will be fine," I said. The worrywarts disagreed. "It's just a Wizengamot hearing," I stressed on. This made the worrywarts worry even more. "I'll emerge unscathed and whole."

Thankfully, some people didn't worry. "You had the right to it, mate!" Ron Weasley bellowed, surprisingly chipper. "People like her deserve Azkaban!"

"My aunt's in the Wizengamot," Susan said, "I already wrote ahead telling her what happened," she pressed on, "You'll be fine!"

It was amusing how going through this myriad of words, sentences and well-wishes still didn't stop me from actually having to go to a Wizengamot hearing. Wearing my best suit, ironically the same used for the Yule Ball, and standing there like a glittering mini-Albus Dumbledore was amusing, if nothing else because while I did that, Dumbledore had decided to get a new pristine robe that mimicked my own color.

It would be a quick affair. I'd give my eyewitness account, the Wizengamot would listen, and then they'd deal with Umbridge.

In, out, and no one none the wiser.

"In order to ascertain the events properly, the use of Veritaserum will be allowed for this proceedings," Minister Fudge spoke from his stand, "And will be administered to both sides."

I furrowed my brows as I dimly realized there were murmurs in the Wizengamot's rows. Perhaps they hadn't expected this, but then again, neither had I expected the sudden wave of cold that spread across my body, my chest and soul, as two figures glided quietly in dragging Umbridge in chains. If before the woman had looked like an ugly toad, she now looked like a wild, maniacal toad.

The Dementors shifted to the side of the room, their cold creeping up to gingerly caress my back even as I gritted my teeth and tried my best to ignore them. They weren't here for me. They were here for Umbridge. Once that was dealt with, they'd leave.

"M-Minister!" Professor Umbridge shrilly screamed, "P-Please make them stop!" she sniffled, "Please, I'm innocent! It was this-"

"Silence! Silence!" Cornelius Fudge bellowed, "We will get to the bottom of this," he continued. It wasn't that I dreaded the Veritaserum, it was that I didn't know what they'd ask.

Then again, I had nothing to hide. An Auror neared, sneering as it literally thrust a small glass with a crystal clear liquid into my hands, and then another forced Umbridge to swallow hers, holding her mouth closed until she had no choice but to comply.

"Is it true, Miss Dolores Umbridge, that you used an Unforgivable on Mister Shade Umbrus hereby present?" Cornelius Fudge asked the question amidst the murmurs of the Wizengamot's rows.

"I-I did! I did it because I couldn't tolerate seeing that smug expression on his pathetic, mudblood face!" Dolores snarled out, as if a sudden spirit of hatred had taken root within her. "He called me weak! Worthless! My father was a janitor in these halls and that made me a janitor's daughter! I have not come this far because I was a janitor's daughter! I have come this far because I am great! Because i have the skills to-"

"Silence!" Cornelius snapped, slamming a wooden hammer to ensure it was done so. Even though Umbridge kept ranting, she was quickly silenced by a single hand of a Dementor, whose nearby proximity made me shudder in revulsion.

Cornelius Fudge's eyes turned towards me. "Was there reasonable cause? Did you threaten her, Mister Umbrus? Did you give her cause to fear for her life?"

"No," I answered, the words coming out with ease. "She attacked me in the back while I was leaving her class. I never once aimed at her when defending myself and the students."

"Very well," Cornelius Fudge nodded, "Then it appears this is a clear and concise case."

The process was literally a farce after that. I kept my mouth shut, went into a private room without anyone allowed inside until the Veritaserum petered off, and then I walked back to Hogwarts with Dumbledore. The Headmaster was quiet through the trip, and I couldn't help but feel the need to say something once we appeared, through the Floo Network, back in his office.

"Sir," I whispered, "Do you...disapprove? Of how I did this?"

"I do, Mister Umbrus," the Headmaster answered, much to my chagrin, "and I also do not." I furrowed my brows, looking up at him as explained, "I disapprove of how you put your fellow students in danger," he spoke, clearly showing that he understood I had baited Professor Umbridge to begin with, "I disapprove of how you put yourself in danger," he continued, staring at me, "And I disapprove, young man, of myself for letting this come to pass."

I swallowed, "I'm...I know I should say I'm sorry, but..."

"But if it happened again, you would do so again in a heartbeat, without a moment of hesitation," Dumbledore finished for me, a small smile on his face. "I know that feeling very well, ah, to be young and impulsive," he chuckled. "Nobody was hurt, Mister Umbrus. You would not have allowed that to happen, and if it had, you would have never forgiven yourself. Of that, I am sure," he continued. "Though do not think that all will be forgiven just because you showed remarkable foolishness, like a proper Gryffindor would," his eyes twinkled.

I chuckled at that, and shook my head. "I'm sorry Headmaster, but I'd make for an extremely poor Gryffindor even if I tried my best."

"I wouldn't be so sure," the Headmaster acquiesced. "You should go now, I am reasonably certain your friends will be eagerly expecting to hear the results of the hearing."

I walked out of there, my steps skipping on the stones of the hallways as I reached for the library hall. It was late in the afternoon, and I reckoned I'd find my friends there. True enough, there they were, but none of them seemed interested in doing their homework, as much as gaze nervously at the library's entrance. They were waiting for me, because I didn't need to take a step into the library for them to bolt out.

"Did it go well?" Amanda was the first to ask.

"Did they sentence that horrible professor for life?" Megan asked next, her eyes betraying her fighting spirit.

"Do you want some chocolate? I heard they have Dementors come in during hearings-" Wayne had literally pushed a chocolate tablet in my hands, and as I chuckled and shook my head, I gave a quick recap of everything that had happened. It had been surprisingly little; there hadn't been any counter-interrogatory, there hadn't been anything more than just a few drops of Veritaserum, and then the accused had been dragged away by the Dementors.

The Wizengamot had voted, and barring a few against it, the guilty verdict had been proclaimed.

The case was closed. Everyone, but Umbridge, was happy.

"Have you already prepared your detention plan for tomorrow?" Amanda asked me, sounding excited. "We need to know what punishment we need to prepare ourselves for; I broke professor McGonagall's favorite vase for this."

"You...didn't really have to break it," I said, awkwardly.

"It's all right," she answered, "It's not really her favorite vase, just belonged to an old student who was really bad at pottery," she muttered the last part under her breath, and I dreaded the renovations that would come to Hogwarts.

Professors of Hogwarts, please be sensible; I'm trying to build a man cave below your castle, and I cannot have explosions over my head as I do that.

Safety had to come first, even in the Wizarding world.

However the question did indeed remain.

What the hell was I going to teach for two hours straight?