**Written for the Quidditch League Competition: Round 10 and the Twelve Days of Christmas Style Challenge: 2 of 2 canon fics**

Quidditch League:

Round 10: Crashing the Ministry

Captain: Minister and people directly underneath them

Word Count: 967

The Installation of Umbridge

Albus Dumbledore sighed quietly to himself, knowing what was to happen next but unwilling to let such a thing happen. He glanced over his list of noted witches and wizards he wanted to take the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and then he saw the lines crossing out their names. Each line was administered as and when they declined the teaching position, and it didn't take long for that to happen. There must be someone, thought Dumbledore, as he racked his brain for more names, but he came up blank. So he turned to the scroll of parchment he didn't wish to look at, picked it up and read through it again:

Cornelius,

After thoroughly searching for a competent witch or wizard to take the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, I have found I am unable to come up with a suitable candidate. As per the ruling of Education Decree number Twenty Two, I am hereby obliged to ask you to find a suitable candidate.

Please get in contact when one has been found.

Regards,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

'Dobby!' Albus called into the air. The house elf appeared instantly, wearing a large amount of woollen hats upon his small head.

'Dobby is here,' the little elf replied.

'Can you take this up to the owlery, and find the fastest and best owl you can to deliver this to Fudge?'

'Of course Dobby can, Sir,' he said with eagerness, 'It would be Dobby's honour.'

'Thank you, Dobby.' Albus sealed the parchment with hot wax and pressed his seal into it, wondering what fate he was sealing the school.

~o~

It was late the next evening when Dumbledore's fireplace turned a vivid green and the Minister for Magic appeared, his bowler hat almost as green as the fire he had walked through.

'Good evening, Fudge,' said Dumbledore with courtesy.

'Dumbledore,' he replied curtly.

'I trust you got my letter.'

'Of course I got your letter. I wouldn't be here otherwise and your bloody owl wouldn't stop pecking at me, I couldn't have ignored it if I tried,' Fudge said angrily. He took off his hat and started spinning it on his hand, his eyes quickly flitted from side to side, as to not look at the Headmaster.

Albus chuckled to himself, and said, 'Ah, that'll be Dobby. I did tell him to pick the best owl, clearly he thought that particular owl was the best.'

'Well, tell that to my welts!' Cornelius retorted, as he pulled up his sleeve to show lots of angry looking red marks upon his forearm.

'I can only offer my apologies.'

'You can offer a lot more than that, Dumbledore! How about the truth? You know that You-Know-Who hasn't returned. Clearly Potter is delusional, might I remind you that he performed magic in front of muggles just the other week!'

'He was in danger, it's permitted if the offending person has a danger to their health.' Albus kept his voice calm but a fire burned in his twinkling blue eyes.

'You're the only danger to the boys health. You humour him, and feed him lies that he's bound to believe. You're a fool, Dumbledore and you'll endanger all of us with your lies.' Fudge, on the other hand, was raging. His face had turned an ugly red and spittle was gathering at the corners of his mouth.

'You believe what you want, and why don't you tell everyone your opinion instead of the truth.' Cornelius spluttered. 'Now, can we return to the subject at matter. My shortage of an appropriate Defence professor.'

Fudge took a deep breath before replying, 'Indeed. I have someone who would be extremely appropriate, a very dedicated colleague who has worked her way up the Ministry without a mark against her name. She's strict but fair, the perfect candidate. May I introduce Dolores Umbridge, currently my Senior Undersecretary but now your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.' Fudge turned as, once again, the flames in the fireplace turned green and a short, squat woman appeared in them. Her pink robes clashed horribly with the flames, so much so that Dumbledore turned his face away until they had subsided.

'Professor Dumbledore.' She had a high pitched, simpering voice. It was breathless and Dumbledore had never heard such a voice come from a person of the appearance of Dolores.

'My pleasure, Dolores Umbridge,' Albus replied. He stood up from behind his desk, walked round and kissed the woman's hand. She giggled, her laugh was even more uncharacteristic and it sent a slight shiver down Albus' back. 'So, what makes you a suitable candidate?'

Dolores was about to reply but Cornelius cut her off and said, 'She's already hired, Albus. It's not your place to question her. She is your new professor, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

'My apologies, Fudge. I wasn't interviewing her, I was merely asking her a question but if you won't let her respond...'

'Fine, go ahead, Dolores.'

'Simply put, Albus. I know how to defeat a dark wizard; I've been at the Ministry for many years and have worked closely with many dark witch and wizard cases. What you need is knowledge,' she simpered. 'You cannot hope to defeat such a person of you go head in first without a suitable background of knowledge, and that is what I intend to teach your students.'

'Very well.' Albus' heart sunk, he knew what that meant. He also knew that Fudge didn't want his students to be sufficiently prepared in defensive spells.

'Come Dolores,' said Fudge, as he stepped through the green flames again. Dolores followed without a goodbye to the Headmaster. Albus' shoulders slumped; he knew where Dolores' loyalty was, and it wasn't with him or the school.