Chapter 1004: Conflict
Chapter 1004: Conflict
Retribution! It had to be retribution!
After Umbridge was carried into the school hospital, injured by the violent explosion caused by her own Stunning Spell colliding with the radio she attempted to destroy, the entire school erupted in cheers and celebrations.
The Gryffindor students, eager to learn what had been said on the Wizarding Wireless Network broadcast the night before, spread the news about it like wildfire. Students were intrigued by the old tales of the pink toad.
According to information leaked by a Hufflepuff student whose radio had not yet been confiscated, Umbridge had no connection to the Selwyn family. Her father was not a distinguished individual from Wizengamot, but rather a janitor at the Ministry of Magic—old Umbridge.
This revelation gave the students a new perspective on their senior undersecretary.
While the students of Hogwarts didn't feel as strongly about the matter as others, Umbridge's series of despicable actions still elicited contempt.
Of course, the revelations from the Wizarding Wireless Network didn't stop there. They even brought in a group of so-called "colleagues" of Umbridge as guests on the show, who proceeded to expose all sorts of unsavory history about her.
These "guests" were, of course, fake, but they were based on real people, and their disguises with Polyjuice Potion were flawless.
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had truly outdone themselves.
"Umbridge is exceptionally skilled at insincerely currying favor with her superiors."
"Umbridge frequently and mercilessly steals credit for the accomplishments of her colleagues."
Watching the excited Hufflepuff student recounting the details with unbridled enthusiasm, many Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students regretted not having had the chance to listen to the broadcast.
The Gryffindors, in particular, shot Albert glum looks, even though they knew that the confiscation of the radio by Umbridge had been inevitable.
However, after this incident, everyone was intrigued by the Wizarding Wireless Network and began racking their brains to find a way to get their hands on a radio.
"By the way, the broadcast mentioned that Umbridge could cast a corporeal Patronus Charm, and it's supposed to be a Persian cat. What do you guys think? Is that even possible?"
"How could someone like her cast a Patronus?"
Many found it hard to believe that Umbridge could cast a Patronus Charm. It sounded far-fetched.
In everyone's mind, only righteous wizards could summon a Patronus.
And Umbridge, with her evil ways, seemed more like a wicked old hag.
Moreover, the Patronus Charm was undoubtedly an advanced spell, and many witches and wizards never managed to produce a corporeal Patronus in their entire lives.
Umbridge's incompetent displays proved that she was not a skilled witch.
Naturally, Albert was the go-to person for explanations, and everyone turned to the Hogwarts genius for insight.
Finally, Albert's old friend, Diggory, approached him with the intriguing question, while the others eavesdropped eagerly.
"Casting a Patronus has nothing to do with a witch or wizard's moral alignment," Albert explained calmly to a frustrated-looking Diggory. "The success of the spell actually depends on the caster's emotions. If you cast the Patronus Charm with malicious intent, there's a high probability that it will backfire and rebound on the caster, because you need to recall a happy memory before casting it."
"So, even a Dark wizard can successfully cast a Patronus if they use a happy memory," Albert continued, glancing at the bewildered students. "By happy memory, I mean a positive and uplifting memory, like getting good grades, going on a first date, or winning the Quidditch Cup with your friends—memories that evoke positive emotions."
"Of course, Dark wizards don't cast Patronuses for two reasons. Firstly, they fear the spell backfiring, and secondly, they don't need Patronuses to ward off Dementors because they're already evil themselves."
"You should consider teaching some Defense Against the Dark Arts classes in your free time," Diggory sighed, voicing the sentiments of countless students.
In truth, he had no desire to attend Umbridge's Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and he despised her to his core. However, considering his father's position at the Ministry, Diggory didn't want to cause any trouble for his family, so he hadn't dropped the class altogether.
"Umbridge probably won't be pleased about this," Albert said, "and..."
"Damn it, do you still care about her being unhappy?" Diggory muttered.
"I'm quite busy," Albert steered the conversation back on track, "Now, theoretically, while there are some variations in magical strength among witches and wizards, even those with weaker magical abilities can still cast most spells. The difference lies in the ease with which more powerful witches and wizards can cast spells that require a significant amount of magical power."
"However, even with average magical abilities, one can still cast the Patronus Charm with dedicated practice. It's just a matter of investing more time in mastering the spell. So, it's not entirely surprising that Umbridge knows the Patronus Charm."
"The broadcast mentioned that Umbridge's ability to cast a corporeal Patronus played a role in her becoming the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Is that true?" someone else asked.
"In the wizarding world, it is believed that witches and wizards who can cast corporeal Patronuses are known as 'righteous individuals,' and it does hold some weight in certain situations," Albert replied. "So, while Umbridge's Patronus Charm may have been a factor in her becoming the Head of the Department, it was likely just one of several reasons."
"Righteous individuals?"
Upon hearing Albert's words, several students started pretending to retch, clearly not buying the idea that Umbridge, who had punished students with quills enchanted with Dark magic, could be considered a righteous individual.
The next afternoon, Umbridge was successfully discharged from the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey's care.
Unfortunately, ever since the start of the school year, Umbridge had been a frequent visitor to the hospital wing.
Upon receiving the news, she flew into such a rage that she nearly trashed her smoke-blackened office. She was now determined to teach those troublesome Hufflepuff students a lesson and show them how to keep their mouths shut.
Before that, Umbridge planned to confiscate the radios from Hufflepuff House, cutting off the source of those blasted broadcasts once and for all.
It was a futile effort, though, as even the Ministry couldn't pinpoint the origin of the Wizarding Wireless Network broadcasts.
Umbridge's plan soon hit a snag when she found herself unable to enter the Hufflepuff common room. The students, it seemed, had anticipated her move and had all returned to the common room or gone straight to the library, leaving her with no opportunity to catch them off guard.
The daily broadcasts from the Wizarding Wireless Network had become a cherished source of joy for the students, and they weren't about to let Umbridge take that away from them.
Today's broadcast certainly didn't disappoint, as it continued the story from the previous episode.
"When she was a junior intern at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, she once tried to pursue a relationship with the director, who had been very supportive of her."
"She always wanted to date her boss, and everyone pretty much knew about it."
"I really thought they would end up together."
"Back then, Umbridge was a hard-working and ambitious young woman, at least on the surface. Everyone liked her, and they all tried to help her. But who would have thought..."
"Yeah, we eventually saw her true colors."
"After she drunkenly spilled her true thoughts, even the director, who had a soft spot for her, kept his distance."
"To ingratiate herself with pure-blood wizards, she would eagerly share her cold-blooded and cruel views, hoping to gain their approval."
"Undeniably, this approach was quite successful."
"Umbridge climbed the ranks and became the Director of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office before she turned thirty."
Just then, the Hufflepuff common room door swung open, and Professor Sprout entered with Umbridge in tow.
Coincidentally, the radio on the mantelpiece was at that moment discussing the recent rumors of a romantic relationship between Umbridge and Fudge.
"That's absolutely ridiculous," the radio voice scoffed. "Regardless of whether it's Umbridge or Fudge, they're both old, and even if Umbridge wanted to date her boss, I doubt Fudge would be interested unless he has some peculiar tastes."
"However, there may be some secret between the two of them, otherwise, Umbridge wouldn't have been promoted so quickly to..."
Boom! The radio was blasted by an explosion curse, but instead of shattering into pieces, it emitted a puff of black smoke that formed a message: Happy Listening!
Everyone turned to look at the source of the curse and saw Professor Sprout and Umbridge standing by the entrance.
"I believe the use of radios is prohibited in school," Umbridge said coldly, her gaze sweeping over the students in the common room.
"Professor, this radio turned on by itself and started playing that broadcast," Ernie Macmillan, the Hufflepuff prefect, said, his voice shaking slightly. "Ask anyone here, we couldn't turn it off."
Ernie's statement was met with unanimous agreement from the other students.
"Didn't I just turn it off?" Umbridge asked, her fake smile widening.
"Professor, we are not allowed to use the Dark Arts," Ernie said, his eyes pleading with Professor Sprout.
"You shouldn't have cast the Exploding Curse so recklessly," Professor Sprout said coldly, giving Umbridge a disapproving look. "If it had exploded like the last time, all the students here could have been injured. And I believe the Ministry frowns upon the use of Dark Magic."
The students snapped out of their daze and glared at Umbridge, realizing her true intentions.
She had deliberately tried to harm them.
If the radio had exploded, they all would have been hurt.
The students in the common room glared at Umbridge, but she brushed off their hostility and said, "There are always special circumstances."
"Special circumstances?" Professor Sprout's tone turned even colder. She turned to her students and asked, "Who else has a radio? Bring them all out now!"
"There aren't any more radios here, Professor," Ernie said, redirecting the blame. "When the use of radios was prohibited in school, the student body president made sure we got rid of them. But I know where there's another radio, and Slytherin House should have something similar as well."
"Very well," Professor Sprout said, ignoring Umbridge. "I'll accompany you to find Snape, and he can take you to the Slytherin common room. Once we confiscate those peculiar radios, there shouldn't be any more in the school."
"They should be punished for breaking the rules," Umbridge said, her expression darkening.
"Breaking the rules?" Professor Sprout countered, her gaze hardening. "The rule is about using radios, but they didn't use them. The radios turned on by themselves, and if you want to punish someone, you should find the owner of that ghostly radio."
"Moreover," Professor Sprout continued, "you must have known about this days ago, and instead of helping them deal with the ghostly radio, you're trying to punish them for it?"
Professor Sprout would not allow Umbridge to harm her students.
Umbridge locked eyes with Professor Sprout and said, "Very well," before turning and leaving the common room.
(End of Chapter)
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