AN: This was meant to be half of the next chapter but I liked it so much as a solo one I thought I'd post it quickly for you guys to read. Thanks for all the reviews and lovely words, it's been great seeing the positive reaction to this story. I write it at 10PM to 2AM some days, as it's the only time I have any free time to do it, so it means a lot that you are all enjoying it. Hopefully, I continue not to disappoint. Cheers!

Chapter Nineteen: Unfortunate Umbridge

Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, Defence Against the Darks Arts professor and High Inquisitor, had thought the next time she put a student in detention so severe to warrant her personal attention that it would be the Potter boy again.

She was surprised and rather appalled to, one day, find herself face to face with a defiant Susan Bones. Miss Bones, who Amelia had always spoken so highly of, had screamed and raged at her when she had answered, rather calmly, that the Ministry were doing all they could to catch the escaped Death Eaters who had killed her family. The crying, wailing and outraged Bones girl had called her an 'ineffecive and stupid cow', it had been that remark which had snapped Delores' patience.

Longbottom was next. Likely hearing of the Bones girl's outburst, he too had asked her quietly about the Ministry's effort to capture Bellatrix Lestrange. Lestrange had, it was unfortunate to admit, been a rather accomplished witch. Nevertheless, Delores insisted as sweetly as she could manage in the face of the wretched, irritating Longbottom, that Cornelius was doing everything he could to apprehend Lestrange and her Death Eater compatriots.

"Oh yeah, like you're doing your best to catch You Know Who." Neville had shouted, earning a rather shocked gasp from his classmates.

"I see that you, Mister Longbottom, have fallen victim to certain lies told within these walls." Delores had said, eyeing the Potter boy who was looking at her blankly as if he did not have a care in the world. "I will repeat that a certain dark wizard has not returned and that these escapes are linked to former convict Sirius Black who, as you well know, is the cousin of Bellatrix Lestrange and likely helped to organise the escape."

"Yeah right. It was You Know Who," Longbottom had scoffed loudly. "My gran says he's back. She said Dumbledore's been right about everything and that she'd trust him more than you and Fudge any day."

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, Mister Longbottom," Delores had said, coolly, unable to maintain her sweet voice as she glared at the petulant boy before her. He had gone a dark shade of red and was shaking with fear. "Another word and I will be forced to put you in detention. Now if you could please turn to chapter —"

"N-no," Longbottom had stammered, causing another gasp to emanate around the room. "I won't. Not until you tell me what you're actually doing to catch —"

"Detention, Mister Longbottm." Delores was not proud of the fact she had screeched this at Longbottom, nor that she had been so quick to dispense her worst punishment on the boy so soon after Susan Bones. Bones, she reasoned, would not tell her aunt in fear of what going against the Minister could do for her career. Equally, Longbottom's precious grandmother was nothing more than a cantankerous busy body. Cornelius would not be bothered by such an ancient witch. Neither child would speak up and even if they did, their elders were either too senial or too attached to the Ministry to speak out against her.

Educational decree number twenty-five saw to that. She had seized her opportunity well, she knew it. The precious, arrogant, and unfathomably loyal to Dumbledore Minerva McGonagall had given her the perfect ammunition without realising it when she had overturned the decision to ban the Gryffindor Quidditch team with the Headmaster. Cornelius had been most distressed to find that a perfectly ordinary teacher had the power to overturn her, the High Inquisitor and had signed the decree at once.

What the Minister did not know, Delores reasoned, would not hurt him. Besides, she had promised herself only to use the blood quill on the truly deserving, to quash the rebellion breeding within Hogwarts. Potter had been made an example of first, that was true, and it had worked. To a degree. The boy may well be up to something but there were no more outbursts, no more lies about You Know Who filling the corridors or the confines of her classroom.

Delores had moved her sights from Potter to the far more troubling and perhaps the most deserving of all, was Daphne Greengrass. The girl Melissa had been proud to mention at dinners and hearings, alongside Astoria, of course. Delores had been keen to meet both, but had been so very disappointed with the elder girl. A friendship with Harry Potter, the heiress of the Greengrass name. A girl of her breeding should have better friends, friends with status and power who the Ministry did not consider dangerous. A future Lady Greengrass should know better. Delores had planned on meeting again with the girl, talking again about her fortune, her future, and her futile friendship with an insignificant boy who had let celebrity go to his head.

Yet, the chance was afforded her when Potter's lies found their way out of Miss Greengrass' lips. She had asked at the end of a tedious class if the Ministry believed You Know Who — though the girl insisted on using his actual name — had been behind the breakout. It had all been too much. Points meant nothing to a girl who had so clearly forgotten where she came from and the word 'detention' had been out of Delores' mouth quicker than she had ever said it.

And that was how, the following week after the Azkaban breakout, three students found themselves taking turns to share Delores' office. Each of them took up the quill in turn, each of them said nothing as the words Delores had so carefully selected for them were etched into the back of their hands. She would break them. Yes, she would.

For Bones, the words read: "The Ministry knows better", Longbottom: "I will not talk back", and Greengrass: "He has not returned."

All three students had let out gasps of anguish and surprise when the quill had touched the parchment and drawn its ink from a rather different source than they had expected. Like Potter, all three refused to say another word to her and instead of ending their suffering, like they so easily could have done, they insisted on writing it down again and again.

She kept them separate, rotating the detention from night to night, so as to prevent any mingling or talks of ruination after the detention had run its course. Miss Bones left her second detention almost in tears, whilst Mister Longbottom was almost shaking with fright when he saw the quill for a second time.

The only one who remained unmoved and defiant, it transpired, was the ever irritating Miss Greengrass. She, unlike her school mates, arrived with an air of nonchalance and sat down as if nothing bad or upsetting was about to happen. She accepted the quill, and even said a small 'thank you', before setting it against the parchment and letting the old wound open again.

The nerve.

Delores did her best to suppress her anger and instead, forcing a smile onto her face and trying to look kindly and concerned, said. "Having any trouble, dear?"

"No," Miss Greengrass replied, simply as another layer of skin on the back of her left hand was shredded before their eyes. "Not at all."

It was infuriating. Like Potter all over again. Miss Bones and Mister Longbottom, she had decided, would simply be allowed to be let go with no permanent damage. Nothing that would scar, but Miss Greengrass, whose mask of calm was insolent and foolhardy, would have to suffer the same fate of the Potter boy. It was such a shame, but Melissa would understand when Delores explained what had happened. The poor girl was infatuated, lost in the lies of Harry Potter, Delores was simply doing what must be done to show her that befriending Potter was a mistake. Yes, she would understand.

It was at that point, a thought struck her. Delores checked the drawer of her desk, ensuring that the vials Professor Snape had so willingly supplied were there and accounted for. Why not?

"Would you like a cup of tea, dear?" she asked, removing one of the vials and unable to control the wide smile that spread across her lips. If she could ask the right questions and uncover the location of Potter's secret organisation, Cornelius would be thrilled. The boy had eluded her for too long, yet tonight she would be able to find out the truth.

"Two sugars, thank you." Miss Greengrass said, not even bothering to look up from her parchment. Delores could feel herself almost bursting with happiness. She watched, carefully, as she made the tea. Taking extra precautions on slipping the clear contents of the vial into the small china cup before passing it carefully to Miss Greengrass.

"There you are, dear. Drink up."

"Later, perhaps, I like it when it's a bit cooler."

"I really think you should."

"Why? It's not like I'm going anywhere, is it? We still have another," she looked at the clock, it had been ten minutes since Miss Greengrass had taken her seat at eight o'clock. "Fifty minutes?"

"I decide when this detention is over," Delores felt herself bristle with suppressed rage. Her fists clenched and her heart raced as she leant on her desk, doing her utmost to tower over this pathetic, insolent child. She wanted to lash out, but that was something even she couldn't hide without using a few memory charms. But that wasn't anything she wasn't prepared to do.

The door swung open.

In the doorway stood Professor McGonagall, Amelia Bones, and the Aurors Dawlish and Shacklebolt.

"No, I really don't think you do." Miss Greengrass said, setting the quill down and regarding Delores with a superior smile.

"What... what is the meaning of this?" stammered Delores, her eyes going from Amelia, to Dawlish, Shacklebolt and then finally to the ever stone-faced Minerva McGonagall. Tonight though, McGonagall looked as if she may actually smile. Dread like she had never felt it before gripped Delores' heart. She went to dart forwards for the quill, but Greengrass had already snatched it up.

"Oh, I don't think so." she said, rather calmly, before turning to the Aurors who had all drawn their wands at the sudden movement.

"I take it that's the quill?" Madam Bones said in her usual brusque and booming voice. "Dawlish, take it into evidence. Shacklebolt I want this office searched for anything else she's using to torture the students."

"You might want to try the desk drawer," Greengrass said, helpfully, "and this tea. If you can call it tea, honestly who puts the milk in first?"

Delores snatched up her wand, intent on striking the smirking girl but before she knew it Madam Bones had disarmed her. It clattered away, rolling under the desk and out of sight. Cornelius wouldn't stand for this. He would not stand for it.

"Delores Umbridge, by the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic I am taking you into custody for the suspected improper use of an illegal artefact and the bodily harm of three minors: Daphne Greengrass, Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom. Anything you say will be recorded and can be used against you at a later date. Now, Dawlish, get her out of my sight."

"You are making a grave mistake," Delores spat, angrily. Dawlish had moved forward to take her arm, but she shoved him away. "No, no. I am Senior Undersecretary to the Minister you have no right."

"He has every right," boomed Madam Bones, furiously. "Or did you really not think that Susan wouldn't tell me what you did to her?"

"I will not — when Cornelius hears —"

"He signed the warrant for your arrest," Madam Bones snapped, "Delores, do not make Dawlish stun you."

No. No, he wouldn't. He would never do that. Cornelius trusted her. She may not have told him everything but he knew what Dumbledore was, what Potter was. The two were planning, scheming to overthrow him, she was going to stop them. It was her job to save the Ministry.

It was a misunderstanding, that's all. Cornelius had signed those papers for formalities sake, yes, that would be it. She'd be out soon, and then, then they'd see exactly who she was. It would all make sense when she got to the Ministry. Safe in the knowledge, in the certainty, that Cornelius would stand by her, Delores forced herself to smile.

"Very well, Amelia. Have it your way."

"That's Madam Bones to you. Dawlish, take her back to the Ministry. Shacklebolt and I will meet you later, and no-one is to talk to her before me. No-one. I don't care if they're Merlin's nephew, they don't get a word out of her. It'll be a nightmare when this gets out."

Dawlish guided Delores out of the office. Their path was clear until they reached the Entrance Hall. Hundreds of students had gathered around on the stairs, some of the scuttled around pillars. Teachers too were dotted around, half-heartedly trying to shoo the students back to bed, but their efforts ceased the moment Dawlish led her down the marble staircase and everyone saw her.

Not a word was spoken. Then, as if prompted by an invisible whistle, a great cheer rang across the hall. Fred and George Weasley were whooping loudly. Cat calls rang out from a gaggle of Gryffindors and nearby some Hufflepuffs were doing their best not to laugh. Little did they know the only thing protecting them, the woman who would save them from the horror show Hogwarts would become, was being escorted out the door like a common criminal.

Somewhere in the crowd, some yelled something rather unpleasant about her cardigan. She hated children.