1995
HOGWARTS
MINISTRY SEEKS
EDUCATIONAL REFORM
DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED
FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR
"She's a what?!" Harry exclaimed loudly, gaining the attention of almost everyone in the hallway.
"Merlin, what did we do wrong to deserve this old hag." Athena whined, as she leaned her body towards Harry, who was too shocked to catch her. The girl then fell on the floor, landing on her bottom. "Harry, you git, you were supposed to catch me!"
"Shut up you two and let me continue reading the bloody prophet!" Hermione scolded the two.
✎
"So now we know how we ended up with Umbitch- bridge." Athena corrected herself. "Fudge bloody passed this "Educational degree" and forced her on us!"
"And now he's given her the power to inspect the other teachers!" Hermione continued. "I can't believe this. It's outrageous!"
"Believe me, I know it is." Harry commented, looking down on his hand.
Then Athena had a thought, though it seems that Ron had the same one as well as they both grinned at the same time. "What? Why're you both grinning like that?"
"Oh, I can't wait to see Minnie inspected!" Athena clasped her hands together.
"The old toad won't know what hit her." Ron spoke happily.
"Well we better get going to class if she's inspecting them. I can't earn detention after almost five years of not having one." Hermione told them, packing her stuff up.
"You had one when we were in first year!"
"That was a different story, and it was your guys' fault I had it."
"Actually it was Malfoy's." Ron stated, saying the name in spite. "He was the one who ratted as out."
"Yeah but you would too if you saw him and his friends out of curfew." Athena stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever, let's go before we're actually late to Binns' class."
Athena gasped playfully. "Ron, what has being a prefect done to you!"
Ron rolled his eyes again, Harry and Hermione's laugh being heard from the side. "Shut your mouth Athena and let's go."
Athena was angered and nervous. Umbridge had just given her a detention, and she was not happy about it.
Mainly because of the fact she knew her hand was going to be scarred, but it was more of the fact that her hand was going to be scarred for a dumb reason. The girl had just Hermione for some ink - they were not allowed to talk during this time - and the hag had caught her. Then her stubborn self had earned her another detention because she had talked back. This was not going to go well.
So as she had walked to the Professor's office, she was making up different sorts of deaths for her. She knocked on the door politely, and waited until she heard the fake voice say "come in".
She opened the door, walking in. "Take a seat, dear."
Athena mentally gagged when she called her dear, sitting down on the chair in front of the inquisitor's desk. She placed her bag on the side of the chair, sitting up properly.
"Now, today, we're going to be writing lines." The witch smiled, sickening Athena.
She was thinking of asking if she was going to use a blood quill, however she didn't want Harry to get in more trouble because he told her, so she played dumb. She reached for her bag, taking a quill out. "Oh no, you're going to be using one of my quills." Without an emotion on her face, she put her quill back in her bag as Umbridge placed one on her desk, which she immediately recognised as a blood quill.
"This is a blood quill-"
"I am aware-"
"This is technically classified as harassment- you're injuring young students-"
"They deserve the punishment for being disrespectful-"
"There are other ways to punish students that doesn't involve blood-"
"Enough!" The pink witch breathed furiously. "For that argument, you are going to be receiving three more detentions."
With a piece of parchment laid out on the surface, she picked up the quill. "Now, I'm going to ask you to write two things for me." Athena tried to refrain her eyes from widening, knowing that this was going to hurt like two bullets being shot through your stomach. "You must write, "I must not speak when I'm told not to" and "I must be organised"."
Athena began to write on the parchment. After a few lines, she could see her cursive writing being carved onto her hand. The first line had started on her wrist, spreading to the back of her hand. The other line had sketched itself underneath the first line on the back of her hand, as it was short enough to fit. As she continued writing, she could see and feel her dark red blood drip down her hand, landing onto the white cloth covering the desk. If I can't do anything to stop this, I might as well stain her mat.
After an hour and a half, Athena' hand was red, aching, and stained with her blood. She excited the office, with a murderous look on her face. Of course, not before silently casting a permanent sticking charm so that her blood would permanently stick to her white lace place mat, as well her desk.
As it was late, everybody was supposed to be in bed right now - all but prefects who were on patrol, then she remembered that Ron and Hermione were out on patrol tonight. She tried her hardest to avoid crossing paths with them, and almost succeeded, if it weren't for the corridor near their common room.
"Athena! You better get over here and show me your hand-" Hermione yelled, stopping the girl.
"It's fine M, it's not that bad-" Athena tried to explain, hiding her hand behind her back.
"Clearly you and your hand aren't fine FI. Your lying is terrible right now as we can clearly see the blood dripping on the floor." Ron pointed to the spot of blood behind her.
With a sigh, she walked towards the two, holding her bleeding hand as more blood continued to escape. Hermione gasped and Ron's mouth fell open as their eyes had landed on her hand. "Harry's wasn't this bad-"
"Harry didn't have two sentences etched on him." Athena stated. "That old toad made me write two things."
"You didn't start an argument with her because of the quills, right?" Hermione asked, casting a spell to wrap her hand in bandages.
Athena didn't respond, keeping her mouth shut. "Athena... you didn't..."
"I had to! She can't do this to students! This is technically abuse!" Athena exclaimed, frustrated.
"Please don't tell me you earned another detention." Hermione had a sad and worried look on her face.
"No..." She then heard a sigh of relief escape the two. "Only two, three more..."
"We need to tell Sirius. Or Dumbledore. Or McGonagall, for Merlin's sake, anyone! You could die from this, you'd lose a large amount of blood!" The brown haired girl pointed out worriedly. "As well as for other students who are suffering through this!"
"If I tell my dad about this, he'd come straight to Hogwarts and-"
"And nothing! Let Sirius come to Hogwarts!" Ron stated. Then he remembered something he heard Percy say one time when he was talking about the Wizengamot. "I hate to bring this up Fi and I'm sorry, but even if your dad was disowned from his family, he's still a Black. Black's have strong power in the Wizengamot, always have, always will. With some strong proof, your dad can get the witch fired."
He wasn't wrong. Seeing as the Blacks have been part of the Wizengamot for decades, they've been a very powerful part of it. However, with the fall of Voldemort, the Black's being inactive, there was still a chance that could be changed.
"They could still bring up the fact that my dad's disowned. They can use that against him. Not to mention the fact that the Black line has been inactive." Athena stated.
"Yes but that could be changed. He could start this debate, trial, whatever you call it, and with the amount of proof that's been given, he can easily win this case. Umbridge is going against the school board; teachers or professors aren't allowed to hurt the students. Everyone knows that."
They were right.
"But you guys are missing a big part of this. It would take time. The Wizengamot is probably busy with all the stuff on Voldemort and the missing cases that are currently occurring. I'd say it would take five or six months for this to be organised. And we're only nearing the end of October."
Problems can always be solved, however time was always the one that could disturb it.
the whole Sirius being able to have power over the Wizengamot because he's a Black thing was made up. I'm not actually sure if he's allowed that, but in this fic he is.