Chapter 676: A Distraction
Chapter 676: A Distraction
Perhaps Dolores Umbridge was eager to prove herself, as she managed to pack up her entire office and return to the Ministry of Magic within half a day.
The next day, the entire school was filled with joy, and for some reason, the usual breakfast seemed as grand as a feast, with golden plates overflowing with food.
"How did you do it?" Fred and George, carrying a large jug of pumpkin juice, bounced over to the Hufflepuff table.
"What?" Kael asked.
"Umbridge," Fred said, pouring himself a generous cup of pumpkin juice.
"Don't try to fool us," George sat down beside him, raising an eyebrow. "You must know something."
"Well, I do know a few things," Kael said with a smile. "Fudge had an important task, and I happened to be there, so I recommended Umbridge."
"He agreed?" George asked a question that seemed foolish to everyone else.
"Obviously, isn't it?" Kael said. "Fudge found the perfect candidate, Umbridge was pleased, and the Hogwarts students were happy. It's a win-win-win situation."
"I don't care about Fudge or Umbridge..." Fred drained his cup of pumpkin juice with a flourish, "but this is indeed a great thing for us."
"Haha, getting rid of Umbridge... You'll be a hero, at least a hero to us Gryffindors." George patted Kael's shoulder.
"No exaggeration, we even think you might get another Special Award for Services to the School for this."
"If only it were as you say, it would be great. Unfortunately, Dumbledore, the headmaster, is not at school." Kael smiled but didn't take it seriously.
Hogwarts would not award a student for getting rid of a professor, no matter how annoying that professor might be.
The students weren't the only ones delighted; the professors were equally happy.
At the staff table, Professor McGonagall was chatting with Professor Snape beside her, both looking relaxed and no longer as stern as before.
Professor Trelawney, sitting one seat away from them, was guzzling down glasses of sherry one after another.
The school dining hall didn't serve alcohol, not even to the professors, so she was drinking the sherry she bought from The Three Broomsticks.
And it wasn't just any sherry, but the finest sherry at The Three Broomsticks, which cost thirty Galleons a bottle. In a short while, she had finished two bottles and was opening the third.
In other words, she had drunk her entire month's salary in this one meal.
Of course, not everyone was happy, like Tonks...
She sat there, looking utterly dejected, with no smile on her face.
She couldn't bring herself to smile, for now that Umbridge had returned to the Ministry, wouldn't she naturally become a professor as her assistant? Thinking of the rumored curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Tonks felt as if the juicy steak in her mouth had turned into dry grass, hard to swallow.
"No way..." Tonks abruptly stood up, and with a stride, she headed out of the Great Hall, intending to write letters to Fudge and Dumbledore.
Whoever wanted to take on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position could have it, but she definitely wouldn't.
Moody, a cautious old Auror with formidable strength, had been attacked after teaching just one year of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Sirius Black had also been tortured by Death Eaters and nearly killed after taking on the role for half a year.
The only lucky one was Lupin, but even he had spent a long time in the Hospital Wing, and that was in his werewolf state, carried in by others.
It was said that several of his bones had been broken, and he was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. It took him three days in the Hospital Wing before he could barely stand and walk.
That werewolf, with his thick skin and partial immunity to some spells, had been injured so badly.
If it had been Dumbledore, that would have been understandable, but even a werewolf, let alone a dragon, would have to leave sideways in front of the headmaster.
But the problem was that it was too easy for Dumbledore to restrain Lupin in his werewolf state, so it was impossible for him to be so severely injured, including the professors.
Yet Lupin was still hurt.
This position was too eerie, and Tonks didn't think she was much stronger than them. It was better to be cautious.
Even if she couldn't be transferred back, she had to get the school to find a new professor... Three members of the Order of the Phoenix had already suffered, and Dumbledore couldn't keep sacrificing his own people.
Tonks left in a hurry.
It could be said that her idea was good... but that was all.
A whole week passed before she received a reply from the Ministry, and the content was simple: the Ministry was short-staffed and couldn't find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the time being.
As for Dumbledore... he hadn't replied yet, and no one knew where he had gone.
Tonks was in despair, feeling lost and unsure whether to stock up on healing potions and ask around for Phoenix Tears... she might need them.
Apart from Tonks, everyone else was having a great time. Each day without Umbridge felt like a Christmas holiday, relaxed and joyful.
Interestingly, the professors seemed to credit Kael for Umbridge's departure from the school.
The main reason was Professor McGonagall.
She had accompanied them to the Ministry of Magic, and upon their return, Umbridge was transferred by Fudge. How could such a coincidence occur? Someone must have done something.
At that time, Kael was the only one who could have contacted Fudge, and thus, the answer became apparent.
During that week, Kael received extra house points in almost every class.
Five points for a well-written Transfiguration essay, five points for a shovel from Professor Sprout, five points for helping correct a classmate's wand movements in Charms class...
Although each reward wasn't substantial, their frequency added up. By the end of the week, Hufflepuff's hourglass had surged by over a hundred points, putting them in a commanding lead over the other three houses.
"It seems Professor McGonagall has given up on competing for the House Cup this year," Fred sighed as he looked at the hourglasses in the Great Hall. "If this continues, we'll never catch up to Hufflepuff."
"No, there's still a chance," Kael smiled beside him. "As long as you stop getting deducted points."
Since their first year, these two had been the main culprits behind Gryffindor's point deductions. However, after entering their seventh year, they became more cautious, and it had been a long time since they were caught breaking the rules.
Coincidentally, after the Christmas break, the fifth-year curriculum suddenly became more intensive, and their Skiving Snackboxes became popular again. Sometimes, over a dozen students would vomit or experience sudden tongue enlargement, or other unusual symptoms, during a single class.
This abnormal situation naturally caught Professor McGonagall's attention, and she traced it back to Fred and George, the culprits behind the Skiving Snackboxes.
The outcome was inevitable. Each of them was deducted fifty points, causing Gryffindor to plummet from third place to last.
"You should say that to Professor Snape," Fred clearly didn't want to take the blame. "If he had deducted fewer points from us, Gryffindor might be in first place now."
This was indeed true. Professor Snape was always ruthless when it came to deducting points from Gryffindor.
Moreover, since Umbridge's departure, he had reclaimed the top spot on Gryffindor's most-hated-professor list, with the second place yet to be determined.
...
Umbridge's departure dispelled some of the gloom that had hung over Hogwarts. The dreary March finally revealed some sunshine at its end, and even the incessant rain and wind of April seemed more tolerable.
However, the Quidditch players had to endure the discomfort of training in a wet and muddy environment.
Even with waterproof badges, it was an unpleasant experience.
Dumbledore remained absent until the day before the Easter holiday, and no one knew the reason for his month-long absence.
But they did receive news about Umbridge.
"Oh, look at this..." Sedric pushed a copy of the Daily Prophet towards Kael.
[Ministry Official Successfully Foils Death Eater Plot]
The headline was eye-catching, accompanied by a photo of Umbridge. She had finally changed out of her pink cardigan and was standing on a street, wand in hand.
"Look at this..."
Sedric read aloud from the newspaper:
"This morning, a Muggle street was rocked by a pipe explosion, causing a stir among Muggles and resulting in dozens of injuries.
"Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Dolores Jane Umbridge, immediately led a Hit Squad to the scene. According to the investigation, the culprit was identified as Antonin Dolohov, a Death Eater who had previously escaped from prison. A witness reported seeing him fleeing in a panic.
"It is known that Antonin Dolohov is an extremely cruel Death Eater, with a history of using the Killing Curse and attacking Muggles.
"It's not hard to guess that his intention was to declare his return to everyone."
The leading official, Deputy Minister Umbridge, stated, "We received the report too late. If we had gotten there sooner, we might have caught him."
She urged people to stay vigilant, emphasizing that Antonin Dolohov was a ruthless Death Eater. If anyone spotted him, they must inform the Ministry of Magic immediately.
"This is a special situation. Only by working together and standing united can we possibly win the upcoming war."
Sedric put down the newspaper and mused, "So, she's gone to catch Death Eaters?"
During their time at school, he had never imagined that Umbridge, with her obsession for power, possessed such skills.
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Catching Death Eaters... No matter what, Sedric couldn't associate this with Umbridge.
"Who knows..." Kael shrugged.
He recalled his last visit to the Ministry of Magic. Out of boredom, he had sought out Mr. Weasley for a chat and inadvertently spotted a file on his desk.
It mentioned someone playing a cruel joke, blowing up a Muggle street's trash can during rush hour, causing flying debris to injure numerous people.
It seems to be fifteen or sixteen, Kyle thought, but he couldn't quite recall.
The reason he remembered this was entirely because Weasley complained that someone above was not taking this matter seriously and wanted them to deal with other troubles first.
Kyle wasn't sure if this was related to today's news, but based on the content... the street had exploded, and many Muggles were injured as a result, and all the key information matched.
He quietly shared this discovery with Cedric and Conna.
"You mean..." Conna said in disbelief, "The culprit behind this wasn't Antonin Dolohov, but someone else?"
"I think that's probably right," Kyle nodded, "Otherwise, why would Umbridge suddenly become so brave?"
"Did you know they would do this?" Cedric asked, "So this is Fudge's plan, blaming the Death Eaters for others' actions?"
"Yeah, I guess," Kyle said, "But there's a benefit to this. At least it constantly reminds everyone not to forget that the Death Eaters are still lurking in the shadows."
After such a long time, it seemed that the students of Hogwarts had gradually forgotten about the mysterious person, but after reading today's newspaper, they finally remembered.
For a moment, the castle was once again filled with fear.
However, there were also those who expressed skepticism, people who knew Umbridge well, like Harry and Ron from Gryffindor.
"She doesn't seem like the type to do this," Harry said firmly.
When it came to fighting Death Eaters, no one was more familiar than him, as the Order of the Phoenix was dedicated to this cause.
As for Umbridge... honestly, Harry couldn't imagine her as a member of the Order of the Phoenix or an Auror.
"But the newspaper says so," Hermione kept flipping through the Daily Prophet, as if searching for overlooked details in the corners.
But even with her face almost pressed against the paper, she found nothing.
"The newspaper says that Umbridge led a hit squad and arrived at the street as quickly as possible, and many people saw it."
"The news in the newspaper could also be false," Ron said, "Remember when they insisted that the mysterious person hadn't resurrected?"
"That's right," Harry nodded. He refused to believe that Umbridge would do such a thing.
This was as impossible as Professor Snape giving points to Gryffindor.
There were many others who felt the same way, and they also remembered the long-absent Headmaster Dumbledore.
From the morning, the castle was abuzz with discussions.
"Who remembers when the Headmaster left the school?"
"I don't know, it's been a long time."
"I remember he didn't show up after the Christmas break."
"No, it should be mid-February..."
"I thought it was March."
Everyone had different opinions, but the only certainty was that Dumbledore was not at the school, and the place always felt less secure without him.
However, they soon had no time to dwell on these thoughts.
Because Easter break had arrived.
As a Hogwarts tradition, the two-week Easter break was more like a homework frenzy.
The professors seemed to be competing to see who could drive students the craziest, assigning homework without mercy.
The students stared at the vacation homework, which filled an entire piece of parchment, feeling numb.
"Have the professors gone mad?" Mikel shivered, "So much homework, we couldn't finish it even in a month."
"Then we'll have to pull all-nighters," Ryan said expressionlessly, glancing at him, "Remember, the Easter break is only two weeks."
"Oh no!" Mikel let out a painful howl.
This was the case for sixth years, and it was even worse for fifth years who were preparing for their O.W.L. exams.
Hermione had originally planned to organize a few more DA gatherings during the break, but after seeing the amount of homework, she crumpled up the schedule.
It was impossible; no one would want to attend gatherings at a time like this, as evident from Harry and Ron's reactions.
They sat numbly in the common room, as if petrified by a petrifying curse.
"Why do we even have a break when they assign so much homework?" Ron said hoarsely.
"I think the professors probably want me to forget about the mysterious person and the Death Eaters," Hermione said.
"Well, they succeeded," Harry sighed, "For these two weeks, we'll probably only be able to think about homework, right?"
"Hermione..." Ron suddenly raised his head, hoping, "You're our only hope now."
"You should do it yourselves..." Hermione said, but as she glanced at the homework list again, she added, "Okay, I'll try, but don't all rely on me."
"Of course," Ron and Harry quickly replied, "We've even canceled Quidditch practice."
In fact, Angelina Johnson had come to talk to them about this earlier. She was in her seventh year, preparing for the N.E.W.T. exams, and had to juggle homework and revision, making her even busier than the fifth years.
(End of Chapter)
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