Chapter 55: The trial of Dolores Umbridge
"Merry Christmas," I reply, happy to be back again.
Together, we walk the last bit, holding hands.
"Especially the Hermione, Erin, Mum and I were extremely worried. Ron started to get anxious about a week ago because he had already been home for two weeks. You did miss a few things. Percy announced his relationship with Audrey a week after you left. I forgot to tell you during our conversation. I also forgot to tell you that Teddy is constantly walking now. He also likes to fly on his broom but we agreed that he was only allowed to fly if one of us is with him. Mum didn't know if you were coming but she made enough food just in case," Ginny tells me as we walk back.
When I walk through the door, Teddy comes running at me and hugs my legs. I pick him up and hold him close. He too is sobbing and I have to try hard to keep myself together.
"Hawwy! You back!" Teddy sobs.
"Yes, I'm back," I assure him.
I put him down and embrace Molly, who has tears rolling down her face, and Erin and Hermione, who look really pleased to see me. I even embrace Ron shortly but then walk into the living room, where the rest of the family is. I realise that Angelina and Andromeda have joined us for Christmas this year too and so has Percy with someone I don't know.
"Hi! I'm Audrey!" the woman introduces herself.
"Hi! You probably know how I am already," I say, not unkindly.
"Yeah, I do," she smiles.
" 'Arry eet ees so good to see you again! We were all very worried!" Fleur says, standing up and giving me a hug.
"It's good to see you too!" I say.
After greeting everyone, Ginny tells me that she wants to speak to me in private.
"Don't worry too much and just enjoy everyone's presence," Ginny says.
"I'll try to," I reply, smiling.
"I love you," she says, giving me a short kiss.
"I love you too," I grin.
During the rest of the evening, Ron and I exchange our stories about our adventures and I often hear Molly, Ginny or Fleur gasp. I also listen a lot to Teddy and the others.
I kept my promise to Ginny. I was extremely tired but it was worth it. It was amazing to have the whole family around me again.
*
At the end of the holiday, I receive a letter from Robards, saying that he was impressed with our work and he also said that Dave has mentioned me saving him. He gave us full marks and said that he would gladly see us back after the holiday. Robards said that because of us, the group of Death Eaters who were in the shack have been caught and are getting trials.
Robards has changed. At the beginning of training last year, all he could do was complain about what we were doing wrong, now he's a lot kinder, less scary and he gives compliments easier.
*
During one of the first trainings of the new year, Lanette enters the room and asks Robards something. He nods and continues with what he was doing.
"Harry, can you come here for a second?" she asks.
I follow her to the corner of the room and wait for her to talk.
"I think you're wondering why I've beckoned you here," she says laughing.
"Well, yes," I chuckle.
"Well I have a few questions. I assume you've heard that the Ministry is searching for Dolores Umbridge."
"Yes, someone told me," I reply.
"Well, I've heard from a colleague of mine, who happens to be one of your friends, that you have had some unpleasant experiences with her. Is that true?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," I grit my teeth as the scars on my hand start burning slightly.
"We found her and she is in one of our cells. We were wondering if you want to attend her hearing," Lanette asks.
"Do you mind if I think about it?" I ask her, not unkindly.
"Of course not! Her hearing will be this Thursday, eleven am, so just send an owl with your answer," Lanette smiles and leaves me.
I thought about it for a while and eventually decided to send the Ministry an owl that I would attend her hearing.
*
It's Thursday and I am waiting for the trial. Robards has given me permission to miss training for a day because he too was attending the hearing.
They tell me where to sit so I take place on the wooden bench around the chair where Umbridge is sitting. She's changed but her toad-like face hasn't.
It's the same courtroom where I had my hearing a few years ago.
"Let us begin. Accused: Dolores Jane Umbridge. Interrogators: Kingsley Cerberus Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic; Gawain Dempster Robards, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Harry James Potter, Lydia Grace Sterling and Hannah Evie Dormer, some of the witnesses. The charges are co-operation with Voldemort, torturing several people including students, imprisonment and even deaths of several innocent Muggle-borns who didn't survive Azkaban. Do you, Dolores Jane Umbridge, admit the mentioned charged?" Kingsley starts.
"Well- I- No! You have no proof!" Umbridge exclaims, looking outraged.
"Do you admit co-operating with Voldemort's regime?"
"What!" she shrieks.
"Yes or no," Kingsley asks calmly.
"No!"
"Harry, would you mind telling us what you witnessed?" Kingsley asks.
"No, of course not Minister. In my fifth year at Hogwarts, Professor Umbridge came to the school as our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, she wouldn't let us use spells or practice in any way, except from the books. When I got into detention, she gave me a quill, it might have been an illegal one at the time but I'm not sure, which carved words into my hand. She kept going on and it took a long while to heal," I say, trying not to let her get to me.
"Thank you," Kingsley smiles.
"I don't agree!" Umbridge cries, her face turning red.
"We didn't ask you anything Dolores," Kingsley says, looking at a folder.
The other two tell their story but Umbridge fully denies.
"Minister, if I may, I suggest we use Veritaserum," Robards suggests.
"Thank you Gawain, I shall bear that in mind," Kingsley smiles, looking at the annoyed woman.
"We found this whilst searching your house Dolores, is this yours by any chance?" Kingsley asks, showing her the folder. It's the same one I looked through when I was searching her office.
"No! I didn't mean any harm! Potter! Tell them!" Umbridge shrieks, looking at me.
"I'm sorry Dolores but as you told me before, I must not tell lies," I say calmly.
"I think we should consider Veritaserum," Kingsley says, shaking his head at Umbridge's behaviour.
"No! I don't agree!" Umbridge says stubbornly.
"Can't we use a Pensive, Minister?" I ask, knowing it would be easier.
"That is a very good idea. Thank you Harry," Kingsley thanks, sending someone to get a Pensive.
"Who would be willing to show the court their memory?" Kingsley asks.
"I will," I volunteer.
"Very well," Kingsley nods in approval and asks me to present the memory.
I think of the memory and extract it with my wand. I place it in the Pensive and the whole courtroom starts to watch how Umbridge tortured me.
'At five to five I bade the other two goodbye and set off for Umbridge's office on the third floor. When I knocked on the door she called, 'Come in,' in a sugary voice. I entered cautiously, looking around.
I had known this office under three of its previous occupants.
In the days when Gilderoy Lockhart had lived here it had been plastered in beaming portraits of himself. When Lupin had occupied it, it was likely I would meet some fascinating Dark creature in a cage or tank if I came to call. In the impostor Moody's days it had been packed with various instruments and artefacts for the detection of wrongdoing and concealment.
Now, however, it looked totally unrecognisable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each one residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolour kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. These were so foul that I stared at them, transfixed, until Professor Umbridge spoke again.
'Good evening, Mr Potter.'
I started and looked around. I had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her.
After asking her if my detention could be done another day she replied.
'Oh, no,' said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. 'Oh, no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you.'
I felt the blood surge to my head and heard a thumping noise in my ears. So I told 'evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories', did I?
She was watching me with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what I was thinking and was waiting to see whether I would start shouting again. With a massive effort, I looked away from her, dropped my schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair and sat down.
'There,' said Umbridge sweetly, 'we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Mr Potter. No, not with your quill,' she added, as I bent down to open my bag. 'You're going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are.'
She handed me a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.
'I want you to write, I must not tell lies,' she told me softly.
'How many times?' I asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.
'Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in,' said Umbridge sweetly. 'Off you go.'
She moved over to her desk, sat down and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. I raised the sharp black quill, then realised what was missing.
'You haven't given me any ink,' I said.
'Oh, you won't need ink,' said Professor Umbridge, with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.
I placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.
I let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of my right hand, cut into my skin as though traced there by a scalpel - yet even as I stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.
I looked round at Umbridge. She was watching me, her wide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile.
'Yes?'
'Nothing,' said I quietly.
I looked back at the parchment, placed the quill on it once more, wrote I must not tell lies, and felt the searing pain on the back of my hand for a second time; once again, the words had been cut into my skin; once again, they healed over seconds later.
And on it went. Again and again I wrote the words on the parchment in what I soon came to realise was not ink, but my own blood. And, again and again, the words were cut into the back of my hand, healed, and reappeared the next time I set quill to parchment.
Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window. I did not ask when I would be allowed to stop. I did not even check my watch. I knew she was watching me for signs of weakness and I was not going to show any, not even if I had to sit there all night, cutting open my own hand with this quill ...
'Come here,' she said, after what seemed hours.
I stood up. My hand was stinging painfully. When I looked down at it I saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red raw.
'Hand,' she said.
I extended it. She took it in her own. I repressed a shudder as she touched me with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings.
'Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet,' she said, smiling. 'Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go.' '
"I'm afraid, Dolores, that after these stories from three witnesses and a memory with proof on the back of his hand that we have no choice than to believe them, especially if you keep refusing to admit anything," Robards says, pointing at me and the other two ladies.
"But-" Umbridge protests.
"Dolores Jane Umbridge!" this is the first time I've ever heard Kingsley raise his voice.
"Those in favour of life-long sentence in Azkaban prison, raise their hand," Lanette says.
It's a shame that I can't vote but one vote more hadn't mattered. Almost everyone raises their hand.
"Life-long sentence it is," Kingsley confirms.
With lots of shrieking and protesting, Umbridge gets taken away.
When we leave the courtroom, a whole lot of reporters are standing there, waiting to take pictures and ask questions.
All rights go to our queen, J.K.Rowling, for the part from the Order of the Phoenix. 👑