Chapter 1030: Malice
Chapter 1030: Malice
The attitude of Professor McGonagall regarding the lifetime ban imposed on Potter and the Weasley brothers by Umbridge shocked many.
Everyone thought that Professor McGonagall would do something, but no one expected her to feign ignorance.
Even if Professor McGonagall wanted to take action, what could she really do?
Umbridge had already stripped the Hogwarts professors of most of their authority through the Ministry of Magic's Educational Decree. Should they turn to Dumbledore for help whenever an issue arose?
Would that even be effective?
It would merely be a waste of Dumbledore's time and energy.
After Professor McGonagall's indifferent response, the other professors followed suit, sensing that it was best to mind their own business. Their sole responsibility now was to impart knowledge to their students.
As for the rest, it was none of their concern.
Besides, Umbridge would be gone by the end of the term, so let her create chaos while she could. Even if they wanted to stop her, there was no feasible way to do so without violating the Ministry of Magic's laws.
After all, they were just professors.
Anyone with a problem could either take it up with Umbridge, Dumbledore, or write to the Ministry of Magic.
On the night that Gryffindor defeated Slytherin, Hogwarts Castle underwent a tumultuous transformation.
"When do you think Hogwarts will completely..." George lifted his hand and spread his fingers wide, making an explosive gesture.
The day before, the Weasley twins had sold a large number of entertaining products. Ever since Professor McGonagall's indifferent attitude, the entire castle had become livelier.
"When will that toad give us all a collective detention?" Fred asked, eagerly anticipating that day, certain that it would be even more exciting.
"Only when Dumbledore is no longer the headmaster will that toad truly cut loose," replied Fred.
Albert never expected that Fred and George would be able to convince Professor McGonagall to turn a blind eye, nor did he anticipate the early deterioration of the situation at Hogwarts.
Currently, Hogwarts was in a state of chaos. Dumbledore was often absent, the professors no longer maintained order, and aside from Umbridge and Filch, there was no one to discipline the students.
As for the prefects, well, if the heads of the boys' and girls' groups didn't bother, then the prefects certainly wouldn't.
Now was the time for settling scores and taking revenge.
Even the Slytherin students, who had previously acted arrogantly under Umbridge's protection, had been humbled.
There was no choice but to endure, as many of them had recently found their heads in toilets, and one unfortunate soul had been stripped and left hanging in his underwear outside the girls' bathroom for all to see.
Umbridge was driven nearly insane by the chaotic state of affairs. She had assumed that once she gained control, the situation at Hogwarts would improve, but instead, it was deteriorating further.
In an attempt to restore order, Umbridge detained a few Gryffindor students in an effort to make an example of them. However, this had little effect.
Fred and George had started this trend of mischievous pranks, and now everyone was eager to join in on the fun. As long as there was no evidence, they could feign innocence. To make matters worse, Peeves the Poltergeist was also causing trouble, and whenever Umbridge tried to punish a student, he would create a huge commotion, making it impossible for her to continue.
Once, Peeves dumped a load of cockroaches into Umbridge's office, causing a series of ear-piercing screams.
"I just saw that toad in the corridor, being chased by several Stink Pellets," Lee Jordan happily announced to everyone.
At that moment, Umbridge's furious cursing could be heard from outside the Great Hall, and someone with a mischievous streak had tripped her up with a jinx, causing the Stink Pellets to repeatedly hit the back of her head.
"Oh, and Peeves asked me to inquire about the next batch of Stink Pellets. He's running low on stock," Lee Jordan whispered to Albert.
Peeves was thoroughly enjoying himself and had taken a liking to this game of tormenting Umbridge.
Most of the time, he would hide and cause mischief, only to pretend to stumble upon the scene and then mock Umbridge and Filch mercilessly for their disheveled appearance.
With Albert supplying him with toys, Peeves' mischief-making abilities had soared, and more than half of Umbridge's misfortunes were a result of his antics.
It wasn't just Peeves, though; many students, especially members of Dumbledore's Army, were also causing trouble for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. After receiving training from Harry, some of them were willing to lend their skills to the anti-Umbridge alliance, and the Stink Pellets were a result of their collaboration.
If the professors were skilled, they could easily put a stop to these minor nuisances.
However, Umbridge's magic was not particularly advanced, so she could only resign herself to her fate and silently endure everyone's "pranks."
Some members of the anti-Umbridge alliance believed that the relentless pranks would drive Umbridge away.
However, the senior investigator from the Ministry of Magic proved to be more resilient than they expected, stubbornly remaining at her post at Hogwarts, almost earning their admiration for her tenacity.
At least, that was the narrative being spun by the Prophet, which was heavily featuring these touching stories, although they failed to move the students of Hogwarts.
In the newspaper, the Ministry portrayed the students' "pranks" as violent acts and blamed them on the current headmaster of Hogwarts, indicating their intention to oust Dumbledore.
Unfortunately, their wishes did not come true.
Dumbledore was thick-skinned as well, choosing to blatantly ignore these reports.
However, the heartwarming reports in the Prophet caused its chief editor, Barnabas Cuffe, to receive several Howlers.
Fudge, on the other hand, received a "thank you" letter from a Death Eater, indicating that there were still opportunities for secret collaboration. This enraged Fudge, causing him to immediately burn the letter.
...
Montague finally came to his senses when he was hit directly in the face by an invisible Dung Bomb. He wiped the disgusting mess off his face, only to be hit again at the back of his head, leaving him furious and helpless as he had no idea who was responsible for this.
At first, when the Slytherin students were attacked, they had their suspicions about the Weasley twins. But the twins had alibis, leaving them clueless and manipulated from start to finish.
"Is Albert giving them too much leeway?"
Seeing Montague's furious yet powerless state, Hermione shook her head helplessly. "Ever since Professor McGonagall stopped taking action, the whole school has been in a mess."
"Hogwarts Castle was already in a mess because of Umbridge," Harry corrected.
"No, I mean we could think of other ways to solve the problem." Hermione explained that she did not agree with everyone's radical approach to resisting Umbridge.
After all, Hogwarts was a school, a place for learning, and such actions would leave a terrible influence.
"If you have a better idea, I'm sure everyone would love to hear it." Ron looked at Hermione and added, "If you don't, then I suggest you keep quiet until you come up with a better solution... This toad doesn't deserve an ounce of your sympathy."
"You're absolutely right, Ron. She deserves everything that's coming to her." Harry agreed with Ron's viewpoint. "Honestly, I really want to turn her into a toad, take her to the Forbidden Forest, and let her live out her life as a toad forever. That way, she won't be able to harm Hogwarts students anymore."
"That's not a good idea, Harry." Hermione frowned at her friend. "You shouldn't be having such thoughts, and that's not how Transfiguration magic should be used."
"I remember you kept Rita Skeeter in a jar for several days." Ron bluntly pointed out what Hermione had done, believing her sympathy to be hypocritical.
"That's different." Hermione said angrily. "What you're planning to do could possibly kill the toad, and she doesn't deserve you taking such a risk."
"No, she does." Harry said with disgust. "I've never hated anyone as much as I hate her. Before, I thought Snape was bad enough, but compared to this toad, he's just like dog poop on the roadside."
"We can talk to Fred and George about it." Ron agreed with Harry's viewpoint. "Let's see if they can turn Umbridge into a toad so she can't continue to harm people."
"If you dare to do that, I'll report you." Hermione warned angrily.
"You can go report to Professor McGonagall, but she doesn't care about these things anymore. I'm sure she'd be happy to see the toad suffer." Harry ignored Hermione's threat and continued, "I was there when Fred and George convinced Professor McGonagall. Do you really think that if there was a way, Professor McGonagall would let the entire Hogwarts student body make such a fuss?"
Hermione stared at Harry, dumbfounded, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"Dumbledore doesn't really want to get involved, at least not this term."
"Why?" Hermione asked, confused. She had a guess but didn't want to believe it.
"He doesn't want to waste time and energy on Umbridge and Fudge. They're not worth his time, do you understand now?" Harry looked at Hermione and continued, "Fudge will be out of office next year, and Umbridge will be gone too. Instead of wasting time on them, it's better to do something more meaningful."
"I think Professor Dumbledore wants us to witness the stupidity, arrogance, ugliness, and madness of the Ministry of Magic. At the same time, he's reminding us that when we enter the Ministry in the future, we shouldn't become such people and shouldn't easily trust the Ministry, just like what happened with Lockhart." Harry's lips curled into a mocking smile. "So, when we hung Umbridge up, the entire Hogwarts student body and the professors just stood by and watched with cold eyes."
"Don't look at me like that. Those are Fred's exact words, and I think he makes a lot of sense."
"Are you sure those are Fred's exact words and not Anderson's?" Ron wanted to retort. He didn't believe Fred was capable of saying something like that; it was most likely something he picked up from Albert.
"Maybe, but does it matter who said it?"
"If you can drive Umbridge away, I think the entire Hogwarts school will be grateful to you." Ron said to Hermione.
"And Umbridge will eventually drive Hagrid away. I don't want Hagrid to be suddenly expelled by her one day.
"Harry continued, "We'll help Hagrid get through Umbridge's review."
Hermione argued, "But Hagrid will be fine. We can help him prepare for the inspection."
Harry mercilessly poured cold water on her idea. "Remember what happened in our third year when Hagrid's hippogriff was put on trial and sentenced to death?"
Hermione opened her mouth but didn't respond. She knew exactly what Harry meant.
"You spent a lot of time back then helping Hagrid prepare for the trial, but it was all meaningless in the end. It was just a waste of time and energy," Ron added, equally skeptical of Hermione's suggestion. "If Umbridge really wants to expel Hagrid, she can find a dozen excuses at any time."
"She already has one." Harry explained to the other two, "Remember the fire in Umbridge's office after we won the Quidditch Cup? It was caused by Ashwinder eggs, and Umbridge believes Hagrid put them there."
"What does that have to do with Hagrid?" Hermione asked, confused.
"She thinks it's Hagrid's doing," Harry said calmly, watching Hermione's shocked expression. "Do you think you can do anything about it?"
"Face it, Hermione," Ron chimed in, agreeing with Harry. "If you still have any expectations for Umbridge, then Hagrid is truly doomed."
"You're right," Hermione sighed. "But what can we do?"
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, just as clueless.
"Looks like we really should find a way to drive Umbridge away," Harry said, thinking it was the most feasible option. "Ideally, we'd injure her and send her to the hospital."
"We can mix some potion with toad skin and make her drink it," Ron suggested maliciously. "That way, she'll become even more toad-like and can stay in the hospital for a few months."
"We don't have any complex potions," Harry reminded him.
"Fred and George can definitely get their hands on some, I'm sure Anderson has some in stock," Ron asserted. "As for making Umbridge drink it, that's simple. We can knock her out and force it down her throat. Then we can enjoy some peaceful days."
Hermione wasn't too keen on continuing the conversation, as she still found Harry and Ron's ideas too extreme.
"Hagrid doesn't seem to be home."
Harry stood in front of Hagrid's hut, knocking on the wooden door, but there was no response, not even from Fang.
"Hagrid might be out," Ron said.
They walked around to the other side and found the windows closed and the curtains drawn.
"Now what?" Ron asked.
"Let's wait for a bit," Hermione suggested, checking her pocket watch.
"Hermione, do you really think what we're doing is too much?" Harry asked, continuing their earlier conversation.
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "Although I hate Umbridge, I don't want you to go that far. I understand your desire to fight back, but..."
"You probably haven't heard Albert's opinion of Umbridge," Harry suddenly said.
"What opinion?" Hermione asked, her guard up.
"Umbridge is a highly controlling person with a strong desire for conquest and humiliation of others. In her eyes, anyone who challenges her authority and worldview must be punished. She has exceeded the authority given to her by Fudge and is blinded by her own fanaticism. She's bringing chaos to Hogwarts, and even if she's driven out one day, she won't change or regret her actions," Harry explained.
"That woman is indeed like that," Hermione had to admit that Albert's assessment of Umbridge was spot-on.
"Actually, if it was just that, it wouldn't be so bad, but..." Harry glanced at the other two and lowered his voice, "there's also a prophecy about Umbridge that he learned when he gave her a prophecy."
"A prophecy? That old fraud's prophecy?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Harry nodded. "According to Anderson, in the next few years, Umbridge will bring disaster to Muggle-born wizards and cause the deaths of many innocent Muggle-borns."
"Albert's Self-Defense Guide was largely prepared for Muggle-born wizards, and he even foresaw what would happen in the next few years," Harry said, looking at Hermione. "He realized this when he gave Umbridge the prophecy. Now you understand why I hate that woman so much."
Hermione's eyes widened in shock, and even Ron was stunned.
"Are you sure?"
"Fred and George told me," Harry recalled. "I don't think they'd lie to me."
"They didn't tell me," Ron complained.
"I'm sure they don't know much either. Anderson didn't reveal too much to them, but it's certain that things will get worse in the coming years," Harry said, having experienced Anderson's predictions a few times and trusting his divination skills. At least, Anderson had never been wrong so far.
(End of Chapter)
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