Chapter 1005: The Anti-Umbridge Alliance
Chapter 1005: The Anti-Umbridge Alliance
The events that transpired in the Hufflepuff common room soon spread throughout Hogwarts.
Especially during a time when Umbridge's shadow loomed over the school, Professor Sprout's bold stand to protect the students from Umbridge's tyranny was like a beacon of light in the darkness, earning her the support and respect of most students in the school.
True to form, Umbridge's reaction to this incident was entirely predictable, and yet another Educational Decree was soon nailed to the bulletin board by Filch.
"The High Inquisitor has the highest authority over all punishments involving Hogwarts students," Lee Jordan read aloud from the new decree, intending to discuss it with the others. But he was interrupted by the loud complaints of some students nearby, "Has Dumbledore lost his mind? How can he let that toad run amok like this?"
Undoubtedly, with the new decree in place, Umbridge now held the power of life and death over Hogwarts. If she so desired, she could even find an excuse to punish students who dared to defy her.
"It's indeed a bit crazy. Let's go." Albert turned and walked away.
"I think Umbridge is trying to drive us all mad!" Lee Jordan lowered his voice as they turned into an empty corridor, "Don't you think this is a bit too much?"
Many of Umbridge's decrees had been forced out of her by their actions. They were well aware of the consequences of her excessive decree-making.
Watching Umbridge's antics and subsequent comeuppance was certainly entertaining.
However, they felt that if this continued, their source of amusement might dry up soon.
"Don't worry," Albert reassured them, unconcerned about the situation, "As long as Dumbledore continues to turn a blind eye, Umbridge will be able to stick around Hogwarts for quite a while. He doesn't seem worried about driving her away."
Witnessing Umbridge being pranked and humiliated was one of Albert's few pleasures in his busy seventh year.
He had no intention of letting her off the hook, and he knew that Umbridge herself wouldn't give up on Fudge's assignment so easily. Having been promoted to Undersecretary, she needed to show some results to please her boss.
"I really can't fathom why Headmaster Dumbledore is allowing this to happen," one of them said, perplexed.
They all shared the same confusion and doubted that Professor Dumbledore was truly powerless against the pink toad. Allowing Umbridge to wreak havoc in the school was irresponsible toward the students.
"Don't ask me why, because I don't know either," Albert could guess the reason, but he had no intention of explaining it to them. Instead, he changed the subject, "How's the preparation for the Wizarding Chess tournament going? We should try to finish it before Umbridge sets her sights on the clubs. Otherwise, we might not have time to hold it at all."
"Do you think Umbridge will target the clubs?"
They exchanged glances, unsure why Umbridge would go after the clubs.
"Hermione seems to be planning to reorganize the D.A.," Albert explained, "She doesn't think Umbridge is capable of teaching useful Dark Arts defense, so she wants to study on her own."
"That sounds like something Hermione would do," Fred mumbled, "But how does that relate to..."
"Umbridge has a particular interest in Potter," Albert glanced at Fred, "And ever since the last Defense Against the Dark Arts class when everyone boycotted her, she probably doesn't trust large gatherings of students. She's afraid we'll unite against her again."
Now the three of them understood.
They knew that the latter was the key issue. If Potter united the students against Umbridge, things at Hogwarts would certainly become interesting.
"Umbridge isn't completely clueless about what goes on in the school," Lee Jordan muttered, "She has a lot of spies in Slytherin. If she catches wind of something she doesn't like, she might issue a new decree to disband all clubs in Hogwarts."
"All clubs except the Quidditch teams, that is."
"I'll do my best to stall Hermione, but I can't guarantee how long it will take. I'll try to finish the Wizarding Chess tournament by next month," Lee Jordan was equally helpless now that he understood Albert's urgency.
"It would be best to get it done this month," Albert said.
"Alright, this month then," Lee Jordan suddenly proposed, "Why don't we let Umbridge disband the Quidditch teams!"
"If Angelina finds out, she'll kill you," Fred retorted in annoyance.
"I think Umbridge will specifically target Harry and try to get him banned from playing," Lee Jordan said, looking at Albert, "I recall you mentioning this to Angelina at the start of the year. Umbridge will definitely try to ensure Slytherin's victory. If the matches can't even provide a basic level of fairness, why bother participating and letting them humiliate us?"
The Weasley twins fell silent, knowing that what Lee Jordan said was a possibility.
"Is there a good solution?"
"None that I can think of. The best option is to let the Quidditch matches be canceled," Albert glanced at the twins, "Of course, if you're willing to put in the effort despite the possibility of losing, then ignore what I just said."
"What if we...cheat?" Fred suggested, "I mean, let Harry use the Golden Snitches. We just need to beat Slytherin quickly."
"I don't have any extra Felix Felicis," Albert flatly refused, as he truly didn't have any more liquid luck potion.
"I remember you have one, Lee," Fred and George turned to their friend, "For the glory of Gryffindor!"
"What about your own Felix Felicis?" Lee Jordan asked, his face twitching.
"We used it when Harry was facing the tribunal," the twins shrugged.
"Are you seriously considering cheating with Felix Felicis? I don't think Harry would agree to it," Lee Jordan asked again.
"As long as we don't tell Harry,"
"Since the Slytherin team doesn't intend to play fairly," George's eyes sparkled with mischief, "Why should we follow the rules like fools and let them make a mockery of us?"
...
...
In the days following the issuance of the new Educational Decree, Umbridge reigned supreme. She even disciplined a few talkative Hufflepuffs, including their prefect, Ernie Macmillan, who was put in detention.
This sent a clear message to the entire student body and further fueled the hatred directed at her.
With the implementation of the new decree, Umbridge's influence soared. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the usual background noise of Hogwarts had disappeared, and she almost shed a tear of excitement.
It had been a challenging journey for Umbridge since her appointment as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. She had been played for a fool, and she had no idea who was behind it all. This was the first time she felt she had a firm grip on the school.
Especially after teaching a lesson to those chatterboxes, no one dared to speak out of turn again. These changes only strengthened her resolve to rule Hogwarts with an iron fist and a high-pressure policy to silence any dissent.
The harsh tactics employed by Umbridge indeed struck fear into the hearts of the students, but many were quietly waiting for the day when she would make a grave mistake.
However, surprisingly, Umbridge did not cause any trouble for Professor Sprout during her inspection of the Herbology class.
Numerous Hufflepuffs had already prepared themselves for the possibility of their Head of House being dismissed, and they were ready to stand up together and use the most forceful means to expel Umbridge from Hogwarts.
Yet, they were destined to be disappointed. Umbridge was not devoid of brains, and she did not create problems for Professor Sprout because of the previous incident.
"I knew that plan was unreliable." Lee Jordan commented without surprise after receiving the news, "Umbridge isn't a fool, and I even suspect that she's aware of what we're up to."
"In fact, Umbridge does know about it, and those Hufflepuffs who were in charge of organizing it have been sent to detention." Fred shrugged and said, "We ran into them on our way back."
"Just like Harry, they have to copy lines, and they're facing a whole week of detention."
"That's truly miserable!" Lee Jordan suddenly exclaimed, "You didn't take the opportunity to sell some Mimbulus mimbletonia balm, did you?"
"Of course, I did."
"Umbridge has indeed caused a lot of trouble."
"What do you think, Albert?"
"It's a pretty unreliable plan. I dare say Umbridge will get wind of it soon and slap you with detentions as well." Albert was a bit exasperated with Fred and George's antics.
Umbridge wasn't stupid; openly forming an 'Anti-Toad' alliance was practically asking for trouble.
"So, what should we do now?"
"You must have some sort of plan, right?"
Fred and George looked at Albert, waiting for him to come up with a solution.
"Well..." Albert thought for a moment and said, "You can form the alliance, but it has to be non-existent."
"What do you mean?"
The trio didn't understand Albert's cryptic suggestion.
"Anyone who carries an item with the toad mark is a member of the Anti-Toad Alliance. But in reality, the alliance only exists in rumors and hearsay; it's non-existent from the very beginning." Albert explained slowly, "As long as enough people are willing to believe in its existence, it becomes real."
"So, we just spread rumors about the Anti-Toad Alliance?" George still didn't quite get it.
"No, as long as everyone is willing to believe that the Anti-Toad Alliance exists, then it does." Albert elaborated, "You can identify each other through these marks."
"Marks?"
"The toad marks."
"What if Umbridge finds out and starts searching for them?" George asked further.
"You can draw them temporarily, it's not against the rules to doodle." Albert said meaningfully.
A few days later, rumors started spreading throughout Hogwarts, and one of the most eye-catching topics was about a mysterious 'Anti-Toad Alliance' that had been causing trouble for Umbridge and even turned her into a pink toad.
Instantly, this non-existent alliance gained the attention of the entire school, and everyone was curious to learn more about it. Even Umbridge caught wind of some rumors.
Upon hearing this news, Umbridge's pleasant mood vanished, and she gnashed her teeth in frustration, determined to find the culprit who had turned her into a toad. However, the result of her investigation was that no one seemed to know anything about the Anti-Toad Alliance; it was nothing but a rumor from start to finish.
But Umbridge firmly believed that the alliance was real.
Did the Anti-Toad Alliance truly exist?
Yes, it did. Some students claimed to have joined the Anti-Toad Alliance.
The alliance's goal was also leaked: to drive the pink toad out of the school.
What was even more surprising was that there seemed to be a set of guidelines.
The guideline stated: "As long as there are enough participants, even if we drive the pink toad away, the Ministry of Magic will not be able to do anything to us."
There was even a voice in the school suggesting: "If things get out of hand, we can always draw our wands and confront Umbridge directly. If the entire student body unites against her, we can expel that old witch from Hogwarts."
It was said that to prevent Umbridge from discovering their plans, members of the Anti-Toad Alliance would carry items with the toad mark to identify each other.
There were also claims that due to the majority of Slytherins being swayed by Umbridge, the Anti-Toad Alliance temporarily refused to recruit any Slytherin members to prevent spies from infiltrating their ranks.
These rumors became more and more outrageous.
Some said that Harry Potter had joined the Anti-Toad Alliance.
Others claimed that Fred and George wanted to show their support for the alliance by offering discounts to its members.
Some even asserted that the alliance had nearly a hundred members.
And the rumors kept spreading...
Overall, everyone was talking about the Anti-Toad Alliance, but it was hard to discern which rumors were true.
Umbridge exerted a lot of effort to find any clues about the alliance, and her informants told her, "This damn alliance does exist, but there are absolutely no clues to be found." She even started intercepting students in the corridors, randomly checking their bags and belongings, but to no avail. She ended up becoming a laughingstock throughout Hogwarts.
"Professor, the Anti-Toad Alliance is just a rumor that someone spread, and then everyone started gossiping about it. So, it really is just a rumor." George, who had been invited for tea in Umbridge's office, explained helplessly, "The alliance never existed in the first place."
He might as well have directly told Umbridge: "The so-called Anti-Toad Alliance is just everyone playing a prank on you."
Did the Anti-Toad Alliance truly not exist?
No, it did.
The so-called toad marks could be drawn with a feather quill and erased with a spell, leaving no traces behind. No matter how hard Umbridge searched, she would never find any marks related to the Anti-Toad Alliance.
Was this a case of intellectual superiority?
The students enjoyed watching Umbridge's antics, so they spread the news as a rumor.
Whether it was considered news or a rumor, most people couldn't tell the difference, but it didn't matter because everyone was having a good laugh at Umbridge's expense.
(End of Chapter)
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