Chapter 1081: The Anti-Toad Guerrilla Force
Chapter 1081: The Anti-Toad Guerrilla Force
"Things aren't looking good!"
"There's no way Peeves would submit to that old toad!"
"Something's definitely fishy about this!"
Upon learning that Peeves had somehow come to a truce with Umbridge, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan rushed to find Albert, filling him in on Peeves' apparent capitulation to the detestable woman, and seeking his advice on their next course of action. They trusted that Albert, with his sharp mind, would be able to devise a better strategy to counter this unexpected development.
In their ongoing battle against Umbridge, the trio felt they were at a constant disadvantage due to their student status, making it difficult to confront her directly. Peeves had been their secret weapon, always causing chaos and serving as the vanguard of their resistance. This was why they had been so generous in providing him with prank supplies—his antics had kept Umbridge too busy to focus her attentions on the rest of the student body.
And now, the thought of Peeves submitting to Umbridge was simply inconceivable.
Having confirmed the troubling news, the trio felt a sense of impending doom. They knew Umbridge all too well, and they were certain that she would retaliate harshly once she had the time to focus on them. This was what worried them the most.
"Umbridge has never truly been the Headmaster here," Albert said, suppressing a smile at the doom-and-gloom expressions on their faces. His statement seemed rather odd.
"What do you mean she's not the Headmaster? How can you say that...?" Lee Jordan muttered in confusion. "I'm telling you, she's going to..."
"You mean... that's what happened?" George's eyes widened as he realized what Albert was implying, and he exchanged a glance with Fred, both of them understanding the situation.
"Yeah, pretty much," Albert acknowledged, not denying his involvement.
"Stop speaking in riddles, will you?" Lee Jordan's thoughts were still muddled, struggling to catch up.
"Umbridge isn't the rightful Headmaster, and the contract she signed with Peeves is essentially meaningless," George explained, his eyes sparkling as he turned to Lee Jordan. "So, Peeves is still free to torment her!"
"How is she not the Headmaster?" Lee Jordan was even more perplexed. "I thought she was appointed by the Ministry?"
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts is not appointed by the Ministry," Albert clarified, noticing their confused stares. "Fudge's appointment of her was invalid. To be recognized as Headmaster, one must meet certain requirements. The best proof of this is that Umbridge can't even enter the Headmaster's office."
"Right, what makes that old toad qualified to be Headmaster of Hogwarts?" Lee Jordan looked excited. They had genuinely believed that Peeves had given in to Umbridge.
Little did they know that Albert had orchestrated the whole thing! "But why make Peeves pretend to compromise? Wouldn't it be better to just continue the resistance?" Fred asked, voicing the doubt that had been nagging at him ever since he heard the news, which had startled him greatly.
"I agree that we must keep up the fight," George said, his eyes flashing with determination. "Giving in to Umbridge will only make her more arrogant and emboldened. Mark my words, she's going to make a mess of this school."
"Umbridge is prepared for us," Albert said, glancing at the trio who were pretending to be indignant. "If we interfere, things will only get worse. Are you planning to rally the other students against the Ministry?"
"I think that's a great idea," Lee Jordan mumbled.
"Don't be foolish," Albert shook his head, dismissing the terrible suggestion. "Remember, many students have family members who work for the Ministry. If we go down that path, the Ministry will pressure them and, by extension, the students themselves."
"Our status as students puts us at a disadvantage," Albert explained. "I don't care about the consequences for myself, but others might not be able to handle it. So, let's just continue to cause her some trouble on the sly."
"Seeing Umbridge strut around so arrogantly really gets my goat!"
"Haven't you been waiting for an opportunity? Well, that opportunity has arrived. Get ready, because I think Backup Plan B will be our best bet. Let's give her a big surprise when she's feeling most triumphant." Albert said with a meaningful smile.
"Plan B it is, then?"
The trio looked at each other, as Plan B had always been their backup option, and they hadn't expected Albert to favor it.
"Be careful, those goons will probably try to make your lives difficult in the next few days," Albert warned them. "Watch your backs, or you might find yourselves in a world of hurt."
With Peeves' apparent capitulation, the biggest obstacle to Umbridge's control over Hogwarts had seemingly been removed. She wasted no time in tightening her grip on the school, enforcing strict discipline, and carrying out her previous educational decrees with renewed vigor. She also intended to make an example of a group of unlucky students who had been caught red-handed during one of her classes, in an effort to deter others from defying her.
And so, the unfortunate souls who had been caught by Umbridge during her class became sacrificial chickens in her scare tactic. They were made to serve detention in her classroom, using punishment quills to write lines: "I must not skip class." The result was bloody and painful, with their hands marked by the cruel quills.
This terrifying display effectively scared the rest of the students into submission, and no one dared to use Skiving Snackboxes during her class ever again.
In truth, Umbridge had no way of countering the effects of the Skiving Snackboxes, and once the healers at St. Mungo's understood the situation, very few were truly motivated to help her.
Following this incident, Umbridge summoned students for questioning on a near-daily basis. Especially those who had been identified by the healers as having unusual symptoms. These students were pressured to reveal the source of their peculiar ailments, but they all stuck to their story of having "Umbridge-itis," despite the consequences.
The afflicted students were no longer allowed to leave their classrooms, and every Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson turned into a chaotic mess.
However, the students' acts of defiance were met with brutal suppression.
Detention, detention, and more detention! Each detention session involved the use of punishment quills, and soon, many students were too afraid to cause trouble during Umbridge's classes. The number of students suffering from various symptoms during her lessons also decreased sharply, as some realized that the Skiving Snackboxes couldn't help them escape her class and stopped trying to use them.
Undoubtedly, Umbridge was achieving great success. By employing the simplest and most brutal methods, she had managed to strike fear into the hearts of the Hogwarts students, deterring them from using the Skiving Snackboxes and cutting off the problem at its source.
This strategy preyed upon the students' weaknesses. If everyone had continued to stand up against her, even the position of Headmaster would have become untenable.
When everyone rebels, even the Headmaster must step down.
But the students' capitulation only emboldened Umbridge further, and she accelerated her takeover of Hogwarts, issuing new educational decrees and encouraging students to report on each other's illegal activities.
And so, the number of reports against Slytherin students increased, yet Umbridge turned a blind eye to them. On the other hand, the actions of the Investigation Action Group were praised by Umbridge, and with her support, the members who had been harshly retaliated against before resumed their counterattacks.
DA members led by Harry were successively investigated and placed in detention by Umbridge on the grounds that someone had reported them for illegal gatherings on multiple occasions. Umbridge even intended to take this opportunity to find an excuse to expel Harry Potter, and what surprised everyone was that no one stood up to report him.
Yes, no one.
Umbridge was very disappointed at this.
So, a Slytherin student stepped forward.
This incident instantly became a laughingstock for the entire Hogwarts, because DA gatherings had never recruited Slytherin students from the beginning. How did this Slytherin student testify? It was probably perjury! After this disturbance, everyone knew that Umbridge was prepared to use such despicable tactics to get rid of Harry.
In the end, Umbridge did not do so and only placed Harry Potter in detention, trying to find a breakthrough.
Unfortunately, her efforts were doomed to fail.
As for using Veritaserum to force a confession, Snape clearly indicated that Umbridge had used up the stock of Veritaserum, and it would take a month to get more.
Umbridge was very angry about this, but there was nothing she could do.
Veritaserum was a prohibited item in the wizarding world, and even if it could be purchased on the black market, the cost would be astonishingly high, and there was no guarantee of obtaining it, nor could she dare to do so openly, even with her position as the Undersecretary.
...
"Ever since she returned, Hogwarts Castle has given me an oppressive feeling, as if it's not a school but a prison."
Shan'na and Albert walked side by side on their way to the library, casually chatting about the recent changes in the castle, "That woman is getting more and more outrageous. I suspect she's trying to use this way to make people fear her."
"The toad certainly has a strong desire for control," Albert agreed. "She's always wanted to dominate Hogwarts completely and believes that anyone who challenges her authority or opposes her should be punished." Umbridge was indeed very detestable, even hateful.
"You seem to know her well!" Shan'na couldn't help but smile bitterly.
In her heart, she actually agreed with Albert's words. Umbridge had indeed done a lot of upsetting things lately.
"Umbridge overlooked one thing," Albert suddenly said.
"What is it?" Shan'na asked curiously.
"She's still the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and that position is rather unlucky. I don't think the curses of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position can be so easily broken by her. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need for a new professor almost every year over the past few decades." Albert seemed to foresee Umbridge's unfortunate fate. Before Voldemort's death, the professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts had all met with unfortunate ends.
"I just hope she'll be gone soon!" Shan'na sighed. "I'm worried that the upcoming exams will be affected. Those guys never take the students seriously, and the Ultimate Wizard Exam is almost the most important graduation exam in a student's life."
"The situation isn't as bad as you think."
"Of course, you don't care," Shan'na rolled her eyes at Albert, "You don't need a piece of parchment to prove yourself. That thing is meaningless to you."
Albert didn't refute, as the situation was indeed as she described. He didn't need a certificate to prove his abilities.
As they were about to enter the library, they saw Lee Jordan running towards them, panting and holding his knees. "Bad news!" he exclaimed.
"What happened?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fred and George were caught by the members of the Inquisitorial Squad for selling joke items to students," Lee Jordan said between breaths. "They're locked up in the dungeons and were whipped by Filch several times, I believe."
"They really aren't careful enough," Albert shook his head. He had reminded them just a few days ago.
"It's not their fault. Those guys... the Inquisitorial Squad ambushed them," Lee Jordan said angrily. "Otherwise, even they wouldn't have been caught so easily..."
"It's quite normal, isn't it?" Albert's words left Lee Jordan a little stunned.
"Normal?"
"You guys do the same often enough," Albert said helplessly, feeling that many people were being hypocritical. Moreover, the most important point was that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan themselves had started it all.
Lee Jordan was left speechless.
"Well, your anger here won't change anything. Let them learn a lesson this time," Albert said calmly, as if it were a minor matter.
After saying that, Albert led Lee Jordan towards the dungeons.
When they arrived, they found Fred and George hanging from the ceiling by chains locked around their wrists.
"Are you alright?"
Albert's voice suddenly echoed in the dungeon.
"I knew you wouldn't abandon us," George said excitedly, gritting his teeth as he seemed to touch his wound.
Next to him, Fred complained angrily, "That pervert Filch whipped us several times. I'm going to make him taste the same pain."
"Have you figured out how?"
Albert drew his wand and gave it a slight flick, causing the chains locking the two to unlock automatically. Even the wounds left by the whip on their bodies began to heal gradually.
Fred and George exchanged glances and nodded at Albert, "We'll start tonight!"
"We plan to start playing hide-and-seek with Umbridge tonight and give Filch and the toad some surprises." Fred rubbed his wrists and said.
"Are you really going to play guerilla warfare?"
"Yes, we plan to join forces with Peeves and form the Mischief Trio."
"No, it should be called the Anti-Toad Guerrilla Force, to teach Umbridge a lesson." Fred and George stated firmly.
"What are you planning to do?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"First, we'll suppress Umbridge's arrogance and call on everyone to resist the toad," George briefly explained his plan. "Then, at a critical moment, we'll leave Hogwarts."
"Where will you hide? The Room of Requirement?" Lee Jordan asked.
"We can actually go back to our dormitory. Umbridge will never think of that," Albert suddenly said.
"Before that, we need a live map. I know you must have a way to get one again." Fred and George looked at Albert together, as they needed a new live map to counter Umbridge's search and capture operations.
(End of Chapter)
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